They will be available in a wide range of markets before the end of November

Oct 30, 2012 11:21 GMT  ·  By

On Monday, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia announced that its first two Windows Phone 8 devices, namely the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, have started shipping around the world, and that they should arrive on shelves as soon as this week.

The two devices are meant to be put up for sale in stores in France and the UK this week, followed by Russia, Germany and other countries in November.

Before the end of the next month, the Nokia Lumia 920 smartphone will be available for purchase in Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the US and Vietnam.

Nokia’s handsets will be released in the United States as well in November, with AT&T adding both Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 to its offering, T-Mobile carrying the Lumia 810 and Verizon Wireless set to release the Lumia 822 on its network.

“After seeing the enthusiastic response to the incredible innovation in the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820, we're eager for people to start experiencing the phones for themselves,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president, Nokia Smart Devices.

“We are focusing our efforts on working with partners who recognize the value of that innovation, and who are committed to helping Lumia and the Windows Phone platform breakthrough in key markets around the world.”

Both smartphones arrive on shelves with large touchscreen displays, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processors, 8-megapixel cameras on the back, and a wide range of other appealing hardware and software features.

Lumia 920 was announced with built-in wireless charging, but those who will choose to purchase the Lumia 820 (or the Lumia 810 and Lumia 822 variants) will have the possibility to enjoy the feature as well, through special shells that are sold separately.

Nokia Lumia 920 comes with a PureView camera, which should provide users with clear, high-resolution photos and with appealing video recording capabilities, even in low-light conditions.

“All phones come with the full suite of Nokia navigation applications, including Nokia City Lens, as well as Nokia Music for unlimited music streamed directly to the phone,” the company also announced.