Microsoft has started selling the camera-centric Nokia Lumia 1020 in an unlocked flavor at the online Microsoft Store for $549, and is available in a black color only. The product listing comes right after a rumor mentioning the end of life for the device, which is reportedly happening in September. The device is the GSM model, so it should work with AT&T and T-Mobile. It clearly mentions that customers tied to CDMA carriers — Sprint and Verizon — should stay away from this version because it will not work on either carrier.
The handset went on sale in the US almost a year ago exclusively on AT&T, and is still considered a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to the camera. It still has the best camera in a smartphone, thanks to the 41MP camera with PureView technology and lossless zoom.
Spec-wise, it rocks a 4.5-inch Clearblack display sporting a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels, with the processing power coming from a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. The handset measures 130.4 x 71.4 x 10.4 mm and weighs only 158grams with Windows Phone 8 as its operating system out of the box.
The price may be considered a little high since the handset is a year old, but it is still an excellent handset if you desire the 41MP camera.
Further reading: Lumia 1020, Microsoft, Windows Phone
