Nokia Makes Verizon's Lumia 822 Official

The Lumia 822 has moved from the "rumor" category to the "official" one -- many of the details of this Windows Phone were just revealed by Nokia.

Olivier Puech, President of Nokia Americas, said "With the Nokia Lumia 822, first-time smartphone buyers (and those ready to switch) will get high-quality performance on both their device and Verizon Wireless' incredibly fast 4G LTE network."

Like its sister model, the Lumia 820, it is going to be built around a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 (WVGA) screen. 

This Windows Phone 8 smartphone will be built around a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, with 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot. 

The smartphone will have an 8MP camera with industry-leading optics from Carl Zeiss, as well as a 1.2MP HD front-facing camera for video calls.

The Nokia Lumia 822 is also going to support exchangeable shells. These will be sold separately, and will offer wireless charging.

Verizon has yet to say when it is going to release this Windows Phone, or what it will charge for it. That said, Nokia's reference to first-time smartphone buyers indicates the price is likely to be low, and unconfirmed reports say that the launch date for this model will be Nov. 12.

Update: Nokia says the Lumia 822 is going to sell for $100 with a two-year contract.

This will be a Verizon exclusive, and the first Nokia Windows Phone offered by Big Red.

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