T-Mobile today announced that its Nokia Lumia 521 will be made available for purchase this Saturday, April 27. The magenta carrier is taking an interesting approach to the phone's launch, though, as T-Mobile says that the Lumia 521 will only be offered through the Home Shopping Network on that date. HSN will sell the Lumia 521 during its Innovation Weekend special on television, on its website and through HSN Mobile. The Lumia 521 will be sold for $149.95 with free shipping, and HSN will be throwing in a free car charger and screen protector with every purchase.

T-Mobile customers that prefer a somewhat more typical buying experience will be able to pick up the Lumia 521 at Microsoft Retail Stores and Walmart starting May 11. Microsoft will be selling the 521 for $149, and T-Mobile says that Walmart will be offering the Windows Phone 8-powered device with its exclusive contract-free $30 per month T-Mobile plan that includes unlimited data and texts.

So when will T-Mobile itself begin selling the Lumia 521? T-Mo says that it'll share more details on that matter at a later date, but the carrier does say that the launch will go down "soon." Any T-Mobile customers that don't want to wait for the Lumia 521 will have to tune in to HSN or hit up the retailer's website this weekend.

With its 4-inch 800x480 display, 5-megapixel rear camera, 1GHz dual-core processor and 21Mbps HSPA+ connectivity, the Lumia 521 is slated to land in the lower-end portion of T-Mobile's device lineup. The Lumia 521's $149 price tag makes that entry-level feature set pretty easy to swallow, though, and it also makes the device an attractive option for anyone that wants a budget-friendly smartphone for regular use or even just as a backup. If you're interested in T-Mobile's Lumia 521, you should check out Aaron's hands-on video with the Lumia 520, which is the international sibling of the 521. The full clip is embedded below.

Via T-Mobile