In-Depth

Windows Phone 8 Gallery: The First Devices (UPDATED)

Microsoft is staking its mobile success on its just-launched smartphone platform, Windows Phone 8. The first devices are set to roll out in the coming weeks and months from major U.S. carriers including Verizon and AT&T. Here's what we know so far about the new lineup.

• By Scott Bekker
• July 19, 2013

The formal launch of Windows Phone 8 offers some clarity on U.S. carriers' plans for smartphones running the OS. The initial number and timing of devices is the strongest for the fledgling platform in any of its three releases so far (Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8), mainly because of the immediate support from top U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless. Here's what we know about the Windows Phone 8 devices that have been announced to date:

The 8X by HTC is the one device so far that will be supported by all three major U.S. carriers offering Windows Phone 8 smartphones -- Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile. HTC's device includes Beats Audio and the manufacturers' colors are described as California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow. Does the Big Red (Verizon) claim that red and black are exclusive cover all reds and blacks or only specific shades of red and black? We'll see when AT&T and T-Mobile announce their color choices.

Nokia has invested a lot in the camera technology for the Lumia 920, which the Finnish phonemaker calls the "flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone." Along with the PureView image stabilization technology, the massive 8.7 MP rear-facing camera also features "floating lens technology" that Nokia says allows it to take in five times more light than competing smartphones without using a flash. The front-facing camera is underpowered compared to the 8X by HTC. The Lumia 920 also has the largest screen at 4.5 inches of any of the Windows Phone 8 devices unveiled by carriers so far. Wireless charging is integrated.

AT&T's other Nokia phone is the mid-range Lumia 820. The smartphone features an exchangeable shell design that allows users to change colors or opt for an upgrade to a wireless charging shell. While the Lumia 820 has fairly limited memory, a major selling point will be its microSD memory card support. A limitation is the VGA front-facing camera.

T-Mobile's Nokia Lumia will be the mid-range Lumia 810. It has an exchangeable shell design that allows users to change colors and upgrade to wireless charging. The Skype-certified camera is a step up from AT&T's similar Lumia 820 in that it is 1.3 MP rather than VGA.

This smartphone is very similar to the T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 810 and the AT&T Lumia 820 -- the three carriers all got exclusive twists on the same basic phone. Like the other two, a Nokia Wireless Charging Shell will be an option. One feature that sets this and other Verizon phones apart at this point is the carrier's early support for Microsoft's Data Sense feature, which is designed to help users get more browsing out of their data plans. At the Windows Phone 8 launch on Oct. 29, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore said, "We did a bunch of testing of the top 100 Web sites, and we did a bunch of testing of our own team as we used this feature. And in our measurement, what we expect consumers to get is 45 percent more Web browsing with the Data Sense feature turned on than they would get on a smartphone without it." Verizon is the first carrier to offer Data Sense. Others are expected to bring the feature onboard in 2013.

Verizon Wireless will release the mysterious Samsung ATIV Odyssey by the end of the year. Will it be a carrier exclusive version of the Samsung ATIV S (pictured)?

The most mysterious device on the roadmap is the Samsung ATIV Odyssey, which Verizon Wireless announced without offering any details. Samsung has released specs on a Windows Phone 8 device that no carriers have picked up yet. It's the ATIV S, which has a giant 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen, bigger even than the HTC Titan's 4.7-inch screen from the Windows Phone 7.x generation. The ATIV S also has an 8 MP rear-facing camera and a 1.9 MP front-facing camera, up to 32 GB of user memory and weighs in at 135 g. Will the ATIV Odyssey be a carrier-exclusive twist on those specs? Stay tuned.

UPDATE, 1/24/13: Samsung announces availability and pricing for the ATIV Odyssey.

UPDATE, 1/8/13: Samsung announced at CES on Jan. 7 that the ATIV Odyssey will "be available in the coming weeks."

Sprint
Alone among the big four U.S. carriers without any Windows Phone 8 devices is Sprint. The company says it is working with Microsoft on Windows 8 devices but Sprint is mum on launch dates or other details.

UPDATE, 7/19/13: The HTC 8XT is now available for sale from Sprint.

UPDATE, 6/26/13: Sprint unveiled two Windows Phone 8 devices at Build, the HTC 8XT (pictured) and Samsung ATIV S Neo, that will go on sale "later this summer."

UPDATE, 1/8/13: Sprint announced at CES on Jan. 7 that it will provide two Windows Phone 8 devices -- one from Samsung and one from HTC -- by this summer.

See Also:

• Microsoft Launches Windows Phone 8; Devices To Roll Out in Nov.
• Samsung Unveils First Windows Phone 8 Device
• Nokia Enters Windows Phone 8 Era with Two New Lumia Smartphones