Lumia 520

Just like it did in 2012, Nokia today used the MWC stage to take the wraps off of some Lumia hardware. Nokia today made the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 with Windows Phone 8 official, just days after the two handsets leaked out online. The Lumia 520 is the lower-end of the pair, featuring a 4-inch 800x480 touchscreen that Nokia says is "super sensitive," a 1GHz dual-core processor, 8GB storage, microSD slot, 512MB RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera and a price tag of €139. Nokia expects the Lumia 520 to begin shipping in March in areas like Hong Kong and Vietnam. The Lumia 520 will also launch on T-Mobile here in the U.S. as the Lumia 521, and T-Mobile says that it'll share launch and pricing details at a later date.

Stepping things up a bit, Nokia also detailed the Lumia 720 today. The Lumia 720 packs a 4.3-inch WVGA ClearBlack LCD display and a 1.3-megapixel shooter on its face along with a 6.7-megapixel camera on its backside. Buried inside the Lumia is a 1GHz MSM8227 Snapdragon processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB storage, microSD slot, NFC, wireless charging and a 2,000mAh battery powering the whole package. There's support for WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz and 21Mbps HSPA+ inside the Lumia 720, as well as HD Voice. Nokia says that the Lumia 720 will be offered in red, white, cyan, black and yellow versions and that the new handset will launch in March 2013 for around €249.

In addition, Nokia today introduced a couple of new featurephone models in the Nokia 105 and Nokia 301. The Finnish firm said that it's focused on bringing elements of its high-end models to more devices, and both the 105 and 301 appear to contain elements of the Lumia design language, including a wide range of color choices. Nokia says that the 105 will cost €15, as as such, makes a good option for someone looking for an affordable device. The 105 packs a 1.45-inch display, FM radio, flashlight, and a battery that's quoted for 12.5 hours of talk time or up to 35 days of standby time. The Nokia 105 will launch in Q2 2013.

The final handset introduced today by Nokia is its Nokia 305 model. This one's another candybar featurephone, but as you might've guessed, its feature set is a bit of a step up from the Nokia 105. Nokia's 305 packs a 2.4-inch screen, 3G connectivity and HD Voice, and users can add a microSD card for storing content like photos and music. The battery on the Nokia 305 is listed as providing 20 hours of 2G talk time or 6 hours of 3G talk time. Nokia says that the 305 will launch in Q2 2013 for €65, and the company plans on offering single SIM and dual SIM versions.

Along with its new handsets, Nokia revealed today that Windows Phone is now home to 130,000 apps. That's 10,000 more apps than the last time that a Windows Phone app count was announced. App selection is frequently cited as an area of the Windows Phone platform that could use improvement, so I'm sure that Microsoft, its Windows Phone hardware partners and Windows Phone's user base are glad to see that number growing.

One of the things that Nokia is known for the design of its Lumia products, like the Lumia 800, Lumia 900 and Lumia 920. It's good to see the company bring that design language to the lower-end phones in its lineup, which is a move that helps to unify Nokia's brand as one that offers a certain look and a wide range of color options. While today's Nokia event didn't bring any new high-end hardware like the rumored EOS, Catwalk or Laser, the products that Elop and Co. did unveil help to fill out Nokia's entry-level and mid-range lineup. And hey, at least those of us in the U.S. will be getting in on the new device fun with the Lumia 521 later this year. Stay tuned and we'll bring you more details on T-Mobile's launch plans for the 521 as we get 'em.

Lumia 521

Lumia 720

Nokia 105

Nokia 301

Via Nokia, Nokia Conversations (1), (2), (3), (4)