MWC: Nokia Lumia 720 and 520 cement company's focus on affordable business market

One in five Lumia smartphones sold go to business users, claims Stephen Elop

BARCELONA: Nokia has unveiled its new Lumia 720 and 520 mid and low-end smartphones, cementing its focus on targeting the low-end corporate market.

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop announced the new phone during the company's Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013 press briefing on Monday.

The chief executive said that the phones will bring the camera, screen and design innovations originally launched on its flagship 920 to the budget end of the market.

"When we introduced the Lumia 920 we introduced the most innovative smartphone. People in the US, UK, Russia and of course Finland rushed to test the world's best imaging tech," said Elop.

"While some competitors have tried to replicate our tech at the top end we've expanded it. Adding it to the mid and low end. Today we are bringing elements of our Lumia handsets to our lower end devices."

Elop said the devices will help the company continue its push to secure control of the enterprise space.

"We know that we here, Nokia and Microsoft, have a unique opportunity to move business users to shift them users to a better business phone," said Elop.

Elop said big name companies including Coca Cola, Sports Direct and KPN have begun adopting Windows Phone 8.

The chief executive said that the interest in Windows Phone 8 means that one in five of all Lumia's sold are bought by businesses.

The Lumia 520 is the cheapest Windows Phone 8 ever made by Nokia. The 520 is set to arrive in the UK in Q2 this year and is listed as costing €139 pre-tax.

The 520 features the same interchangeable cover design as the Lumia 620. In line with its moderate price, the 520 will feature some moderate specs.

The 520 will feature a 4in display and a 1GHz dual-core processor. The device will also come pre-loaded with 8GB of storage that can be upgraded to a maximum of 64GB using its microSD card.

Nokia claims its 5MP rear camera will feature the same digital camera lenses and panorama, Smart Shoot, Cinemagraph shoot options as the 920.The Lumia 720 is a mid-tier smartphone Nokia claims is bespoke engineered for non-LTE markets.

The 720 is set for release in Europe in Q2 2012 with an estimated price of €249. The 720 will feature a 4.3in ClearBlack display with curved glass and feature the custom Carl Zeiss camera optics. Nokia claimed this will markedly improve its low light performance.

Nokia remained tight lipped about the 720's other specs. The only other detail know is that the 720 will be the first ever unibody Lumia smartphone to feature expandable storage, boasting a microSD card slot.

Check back with V3 later for hands on with the Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 720.