Windows 8 is coming out with a roar. First Samsung surprised everyone with the Ativ, followed by a major announcement from Nokia and Microsoft to introduce the Lumia 820 and 920. Then, HTC announced yesterday that the 8S and 8X, its Windows 8 phone, are set to drop in November. Three features emphasized by Nokia at the release on September 6 were the camera, City Lens, and the wireless charging. The Nokia 920 features a floating camera with image stabilization while the 820 features an 8 MP Carl Zeiss lens. Wireless charging is built into the 920, but it’s also available as an easily swappable backplate for the 820.
HTC also has three spotlighted features: the 8X camera (the 8S lists the battery instead), the design, and the built-in amplifier optimized for Beats Audio. We’ll follow up soon with reviews as we get to test the handsets, so until then, here’s a spec breakdown of the Nokia and HTC phones.
| Specs | Nokia 820 | HTC 8S |
| Dimensions | 123.8 x 68.5 x 9.9mm | 120.5 x 63 x 10.28 mm |
| Weight | 160 grams | 113 g |
| Display | 4.3” | 4” |
| Resolution | 800 x 480 | 800 x 480 |
| Wireless Charging | Optional | No |
| SIM standard | MicroSIM | MicroSIM |
| Bluetooth | 3.1 | 2.1, EDR |
| WiFi | 802.11 a/b/g/n | 802.11 b, g, n |
| RAM | 1 GB | 512 MB |
| Storage | 8GB (+ 32 GB microSD) | 4 GB (+ 32 GB microSD, microSDHC) |
| Data Network | LTE / HSPA+ | LTE / HSPA+ |
| Battery | 1,650 mAh | 1700 mAh |
| Processor | Dual-Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 | Dual-Core 1GHz Snapdragon S4 |
| Primary camera | 8MP, Carl Zeiss AF with LED Flash | 5-Megapixel with LED Flash |
| Secondary camera | VGA | No |
| Video recording | 1080p | 720p |
| NFC | Yes | No |
| Colors | Red, yellow, white, cyan, purple, grey, and black | Grey/yellow, black/white, red/orange, and navy/royal |
| Specs | Nokia 920 | HTC 8X |
| Dimensions | 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7mm | 32.35 x 66.2 x 10.12 mm |
| Weight | 185 grams | 130 grams |
| Display | 4.5” | 4.3” |
| Resolution | 1280 x 768 | 1280 x 720 |
| Wireless Charging | Yes | No |
| SIM standard | MicroSIM | MicroSIM |
| Bluetooth | 3.1 | 2.1+EDR |
| WiFi | 802.11 a/b/g/n | 802.11 a/b/g/n |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Storage | 32GB | 16GB |
| Data Network | LTE / HSPA+ | LTE / HSPA+ |
| Battery | 2000 mAh | 1800 mAh |
| Processor | Dual-Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 | Dual-Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 |
| Primary camera | 8.7MP with Carl Zeiss lens and Nokia PureView with dual LED flash | 8MP wide-angle lense with LED flash and BSI sensor |
| Secondary camera | 1.2MP | 2.1MP |
| Video recording | 1080p HD | 1080p |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Colors | Yellow, red, white, grey, and black | Blue, black, yellow, and red |
Windows 8 is not only positioning itself well, it’s potentially going to revive two phone brands who had a rough third quarter. We’ll see how this shakes out in the coming months.
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