A new report claims to reveal many of Nokia's upcoming Lumia smartphones and when they'll hit U.S. carriers. The roadmap gives details on handsets throughout the rest of this year and into 2015.
Microsoft acquired Nokia because the smartphone maker is the top manufacturer of Windows Phones and in order to further its growth, Microsoft wanted to be in control of both hardware and software, something that has worked out extremely well for Apple in both its iOS and Mac offerings.
We've already reported on some of the big changes and cool new features coming to Windows Phone 8.1, we even showed how to install the OS on current Windows Phone 8.1 in case one would want to take it for an early spin. Nokia's Windows Phone 8.1 update schedule recently leaked and now its roadmap of smartphones set to be released through the rest of 2014 and into 2015 has also just leaked.
The always-reliable tipster evleaks posted a "Nokia 2014 and Beyond" article revealing some of Microsoft's and Nokia's smartphone plans. The Nokia Lumia 635 will reportedly launch on T-Mobile, AT&T and Cricket Wireless at some point this month or sometime in July. The Lumia 635 will also make its way to Sprint later this year with updated firmware.
The Nokia Lumia 530, which is reportedly codenamed "Rock," will take over the Lumia 520's position as Nokia's entry-level smartphone. The handset will ship with Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box and will go head to head with low-end Android smartphones. The Lumia 530 is expected to launch on T-Mobile in mid-summer, followed by Cricket Wireless in the fourth quarter.
Microsoft will be releasing an update to Windows Phone 8.1 and it's currently codenamed Windows Phone Blue GDR1. The first smartphones to ship with the new OS will be a pair of mid-range handsets; AT&T will get "Tesla" and Verizon will get "Superman." The tipster claims that the next wave of flagship smartphones will ship just in time for the holidays, and the device is apparently codenamed "McLaren" and will see a simultaneous release on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
In the spring of 2015, AT&T will reportedly launch two new Lumia smartphones and they're going by the codenames "Makepeace" and "Dempsey." In late summer / early fall 2015, Nokia will release "Cityman," which is supposedly a new phablet and its new flagship smartphone is codenamed "Talkman." The tipster didn't provide any details on what these devices would feature in terms of specs.
As always, it's best to take reports of upcoming and unannounced smartphones with a huge grain of salt. It definitely sounds like Microsoft and Nokia are working overtime in their bid to make Windows Phone a dominant player like Android and iOS.
