Nokia Lumia 521 now available at T-Mobile
Starting today, the Nokia Lumia 521 is available at the third-largest carrier in the US. And you better sit down for what follows next. T-Mobile offers the entry-level Windows Phone 8 handset at a very attractive price-point -- $149.99 when purchased outright or $29.99 down coupled with $5 monthly installments over the course of two years.
What do you get for the money? The Lumia 521 packs a 4.0-inch IPS display with a resolution of 480 by 800, which can be operated using gloves. Power comes from a 1.0 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor backed by 512 MB of RAM and a 1,430 mAh removable battery.
The Lumia 521 ships with 8 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot which can extend the capacity by a further 64 GB (72 GB total). The smartphone only comes with a back-facing camera -- a 5 MP shooter capable of 720p video recording. Video chat fans might want to look elsewhere.
Other noteworthy specs include: HSPA+ network support, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0. The Lumia 521 comes in at 124 x 64 x 9.9 mm and 124.5 grams.
Similar to its other Windows Phone 8 handsets, the Lumia 521 features Nokia's exclusive app collection. It includes the HERE suite (HERE City Lens, HERE Drive Beta, HERE Maps and HERE Transit), Man of Steel, Zinio, Nokia Music, Burton and MICHELIN Travel among others.
The Lumia 521 is an attractive choice for T-Mobile customers looking to grab an affordable smartphone. Only the one year-old BlackBerry Curve 9315 gets close in terms of price -- $168 outright or $7 per month over the course of two years. Which one would you choose?