T-Mobile made two announcements on Monday: the arrival of the "stylish and powerful" LG Optimus L9 this fall, and the upcoming exclusive launch of the Nokia Lumia 810. The former phone is based on Google's Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" whereas the Lumia 810 will feature Microsoft's new Windows Phone 8 platform.
For starters, the 0.36-inch thin LG Optimus L9 will sport a 4.5-inch qHD Corning Gorilla Glass 2 display powered by a 1 GHz dual-core SoC and a long-lasting 2,150 mAh battery. It will also feature a 5MP camera with LED flash and 1080p HD recording, for an image resolution up to 2,592 x 1,944. Even more, the LG Optimus L9 will let users snap photos while simultaneously capturing video, and snap a picture simply by saying "cheese" (aka voice command).
"As the latest device in LG’s L-Series smartphones, LG Optimus L9 has been designed to fulfill users’ needs for a slim, stylish device that is comfortable to use," said James Fishler, senior vice president of marketing and go-to-market operations, LG Electronics USA. "With LG Optimus L9, users can take advantage of premium smartphone features – a stunning display, a powerful processor and a long-lasting battery – in a sleek design."
The new LG phone will be compatible with T-Mobile's 4G network while also offering 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 + HS connectivity. The phone will even allow users to make Wi-Fi calls via a Wi-Fi network in areas with little to no coverage, such as a basement. SmartShare will allow users to share media wirelessly to DNLA-enabled devices like the PlayStation 3.
In addition to the LG Android smartphone, T-Mobile said that the Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia 810 will be arriving soon. This will be an exclusive, packing a 4.3-inch OLED WVGA Clear Black display, an 8MP camera engineered with Carl Zeiss optics, and a new 1.2MP Skype HD certified front-facing camera.
"The Nokia Lumia 810 features a sleek design and high-quality hardware, combined with the efficient and intuitive Windows Phone 8 operating system," said Olivier Puech, President, Nokia Americas. "When combined with applications such as Nokia Drive and Nokia City Lens, the Lumia 810 ensures that T-Mobile customers are getting the best experience possible out of their smartphone."
T-Mobile said that it will offer exchangeable shells in cyan and black, which will allow the device to take advantage of Nokia’s wireless charging solution. The camera will have cool new features like Cinemagraph, a lens that creates animated GIFs, and Group Shoot, which will allow the customer to choose the best faces and smiles from a burst of photos and stitch them together to produce the perfect group shot.
Nokia's Lumia 810 will also arrive with unique navigation features including Nokia City Lens, which overlays information about restaurants, shops, hotels and more on the surfaces of buildings, providing a new augmented reality experience. There's also Nokia Drive, a voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation system, and Nokia Transit which provides directions to a location using public transportation.
The Nokia Lumia 810 is expected to be available in the coming weeks. The LG Optimus L9 smartphone will be available this fall.
