Late last year, Microsoft (MSFT 0.15%) and Nokia (NOK +0.51%) hooked up with Verizon (VZ 0.51%) Wireless. The triad was notable because Big Red had mostly abandoned Windows Phone for a year and a half, focusing its efforts on Google Android.
Over the following months, it was clear that Verizon was giving Windows Phone another shot as it continued to expand its product portfolio on that platform, adding HTC's Windows Phone 8X and Samsung's ATIV Odyssey shortly thereafter. That brings Verizon's Windows Phone lineup up to 4 devices. For some inexplicably strange reason, the priciest by a long shot is the HTC Trophy, a device that was launched in May 2011 and runs the un-upgradeable Windows Phone 7, while the rest run Windows Phone 8.
The Nokia device that heralded the renewed vows was its Lumia 822, a mid-range model initially priced at $100 on contract (currently free on contract). The Finnish vendor's flagship Lumia 920 was still exclusive to AT&T at the time, but now The Verge is reporting that the Lumia 928 is debuting on Big Red's network next month.
Lumia 920. Source: Nokia.
That device is more than just a variant of the Lumia 920, and is reportedly getting a fancy aluminum casing of higher quality than the polycarbonate used in the 920. On top of that, the 928 should get a xenon and LED flash combination for the shutter bugs out there. The overall weight and thickness should both be reduced as a result of these changes, even though the overall design is still very similar. The 928 will have a 4.5-inch OLED display, while the regular 920 doesn't use OLED.
Nokia's Lumia sales have been on the rise, lifting Windows Phone's market share in tow. The company moved 4.4 million units last quarter, which was the majority of the estimated 6 million Windows Phones sold. Getting distribution of a high-end device on the largest domestic carrier will add to that momentum.
