Lumia Windows Phones and Asha Sales Carry Nokia in Strong Q4 2012 Performance

Nokia had quite the fourth quarter in 2012, with the company announcing that it "exceeded expectations and delivered underlying profitability" in Devices and Services with 86.3 million total unit sales.

Specifically, Nokia sold 4.4 million of its Windows Phone-powered Lumia models, while its Asha models, which are sold in developing countries, brought in sales of 9.3 million units. The announcement about its Q4 performance only contained preliminary financial information, however, so Nokia couldn't provide exact numbers in terms of its financial performance. The company estimated that net sales in Devices and Services reached 3.9 billion euros, or roughly $5.1 billion.

That being said, it wasn't all good news. The 3.9 billion euros from Devices and Sales in Q4 2012 pales in comparison to the company's Q4 2011 numbers, when the same division brought in 6 billion euros. In fact, this is the second consecutive year that that number has seen a decrease year-over-year, as Devices and Sales brought in 8.5 billion euros in Q4 of 2010.

Nevertheless, Nokia's announcement seemed to please investors, with its shares going up 17.6 percent to $4.41 in pre-market trading the day it broke the news. The official Q4 and full-year 2012 results for Nokia will be announced on January 24.

Source: CNET