Nokia Lumia 520 and 720 arrive in Nigeria: Expanding the Lumia range to new price points

L-R: Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Olu Akanmu; Managing Director, Nokia West & Central Africa, Mr Nick Imudia; Group Director, Consumer Channels, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr Mark Ihinmoyan and General Manager, Nokia West Africa, Mr Chris Brown, at the launch of the Nokia Lumia 720 and 520, held at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, yesterday, May 15th.

Consumers across Nigeria can now get their hands on Nokia’s new Windows Phone 8 powered Lumia 520 and Lumia 720. A blend of premium style and innovation for a socially active crowd, the Nokia Lumia 720 features a high end camera experience, whilethe Nokia Lumia 520 is the most affordable Nokia Lumia to date, bringing a fun and colorful experience to new consumers.

The new Nokia Lumia smartphones, launched in partnership with Airtel Nigeria and Microsoft Nigeria, come with a free 500 Megabytes (MB) data plan for the first 6 months on the Airtel network when customers recharge with N1,000.

“The adoption of smartphones is growing rapidly in Nigeria,” says Nick Imudia, managing director for Nokia West and Central Africa. “This growth is being driven largely by the affordable smartphone segment, and we are pleased to add the Nokia Lumia 520 to our range, bringing signature Lumia experiences to new price points and consumers.”

L-R: Group Director, Consumer Channels, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr Mark Ihinmoyan; General Manager, Nokia West Africa, Mr Chris Brown and Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Olu Akanmu

Both devices offer many of the same digital camera lenses as the flagship Lumia 920, as well as maps and navigation from HERE, and super sensitive touchscreens for a highly immersive smartphone experience.

Nokia and Microsoft continue to build the Windows Phone ecosystem and, available exclusively for these two smartphones, is the “Apps 4Afrika” collection within the Apps Highlight in the Windows Phone Store, bringing even more locally relevant content. Consumers can also enjoy the best local apps such as Jandus Radio, Soundcity and Konga.

“Microsoft is confident that the Lumia range from Nokia, including the Lumia 520 and 720 being unveiled today, provide excellent value for African consumers and will support both companies’ ambitious growth plans for the continent. We recently made a commitment through the 4Afrika Initiative to deliver tens of millions of smart devices into the hands of Africans in the coming years, and every new Windows Phone that becomes available further enables us to deliver on that commitment,” said  Emmanuel Onyeje, Country Manager Microsoft Anglophone West Africa.

Combining exclusive Carl Zeiss optics with Nokia’s largest f1.9 aperture, the Nokia Lumia 720 delivers sharp, clear pictures every time, day or night. Its HD-quality 1.3 megapixel wide angle lens brings Nokia’s best front facing camera performance, and is perfect for taking group portraits with friends or making video calls with Skype. With powerful hardware and Nokia digital camera lenses including Cinemagraph, Smart Shoot and Glam Me, the Nokia Lumia 720 makes it easy to capture and share stunning pictures. An optional wireless charging shell delivers further innovation.

The 8GB mass memory and expandable 64GB memory slot of both the Lumia 520 and 720 allow users to store even more content created and collected.

L-R: Managing Director, Nokia West & Central Africa, Mr Nick Imudia and Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr Olu Akanmu

Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Operating Officer, Deepak Srivastava, said Airtel is delighted to partner with Nokia, in delivering cutting-edge technology solutions.  “The latest Lumia 520 and 720 Smartphones are aimed at improving the efficiencies of business people while also adding immense value to the lifestyle of telecoms consumers across the country. This is a worthy alliance that is clearly in sync with our motto of always partnering with the best to delight our customers.”

Customers can get the new Nokia Lumia 520 and 720 in Airtel stores, Nokia stores and retail outlets nationwide. The Nokia Lumia 520 is available in Cyan, Yellow, White, Black and Red. It is expected to be priced from N28,000. The Nokia Lumia 720 is available in Cyan, Yellow, White, Black and Red. It is expected to be priced from N49,000.