Nokia Lumia 720 Price in Australia: Windows Phone 8 Smartphone Launch This Week Down Under; Clues to US Price?

By Michael Oleaga / m.oleaga@latinospost.com (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Apr 02, 2013 12:17 PM EDT

Tags Nokia, Nokia Lumia 720, Nokia Lumia 920, Windows Phone 8

The Nokia Lumia 720 has arrived in Australia and is making its retail debut this week.

The Lumia 720, which made its debut with the Lumia 520 at the 2013 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, has been confirmed to join Australia's Vodafone and Virgin Mobile carriers.

The new Nokia smartphone will also hit retailers with a recommended retail price of AUD$429. When converted to the U.S. dollar, the Lumia 720's price is approximately $449.

"As we continue to grow our smartphone offering, devices such as the Lumia 720 give breadth and depth to our Windows Phone 8 portfolio," said Nokia Australia's Managing Director Steve Lewis.

As for specific release dates, the Lumia 720 will hit Virgin Mobile stores starting April 4, however, Vodafone will announce their availability in the "coming weeks," while retailers will receive stock on April 10.

"With smartphone adoption continuing to grow in Australia, consumers want more choice at different price-points," added Lewis. "Smartphones like the Lumia 720 are critical to Nokia's strategy as they allow us to bring familiar features such as high-end design, quality hardware, unparalleled imaging capabilities and a rich navigation experience to a wider audience."

The Australian launch follows the British sale of the Windows Phone 8 smartphone. U.K. retailer Clove is selling the smartphone for £249.99 but can go to £299.99 with the U.K's value added tax (VAT). When converted to the U.S. dollar, Clover noted the Lumia 720 will cost $379.06, or $454.87 with the VAT.

The Lumia 720's specs include a 4.3-inch screen size with a pixel resolution of 800x400 and IPS ClearBlack display, 8GB for internal storage with 512MB of RAM, rear-facing camera with 6.7 megapixels at 2,848x2,144 pixels, a 2,000mAh battery, and NFC.