As expected, Nokia has announced budget Windows Phone 8 smartphones which are aimed at broadening the reach of WP8 at the MWC. But although the Lumia 720 (left in the image) and the 520 are budget handsets, the specs are pretty reasonable for their prices.

The Lumia 520 is the low end model and is similar in design to the Lumia 920 and 820 series. It has the curved back, pillowed glass over the screen, and a super sensitive touchscreen. The specs list includes a 1GHz dual core processor, 4-inch 800 x 480 IPS display, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage with a microSD slot (supports 64GB), and a 5MP camera. You will also get to play with interchangeable backplates (yellow, red, cyan, white, and black) that feature wireless charging.

But no NFC, no flash for the cam, no front cam, and no LTE which is no surprise since it is mainly targeted at the markets in Asia, Europe, and South America. But surprisingly T-Mobile in the US will add it to its network sometime in the coming months for an unknown price, although we do know that it will cost €139 when it arrives in Europe.

The 520, although not coming with heavy specs, should give you a feeling of a high end handset. But you will get more with the 4.3″ Lumia 720, especially with the handset’s 6.7MP cam (flash included) with a Carl Zeiss f1.9 (large aperture) lens for good performance in low light conditions. It also has a front cam and you get wireless charging via a replacement shell. Reportedly, it’s light and comfortable in the hands. And it has a 2000mAh battery, pretty good for a mid-range handset.

The 720 will cost €249 and will be launched in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam this quarter, and in Asia, Europe, and South America in Q2.

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The reason why most people don’t go after budget devices is that those devices won’t be too impressive on the specs side. But you all should check out the teXet TM-7025, which is a new affordable Android tablet just released in Russia.

Although it is a drawback that the new tablet runs only Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, ICS has been “promised.” But, get this, the new device is coming with 3D video playback. And it boasts a Boxchip A10 Cortex A8 1GHz processor along with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot for expanding memory.

It features a 7-inch capacitive TFT LCD display that looks pretty stylish. But for a better viewing experience, you can connect the device to your HDTV via its miniHDMI connector.

Other features include Wi-Fi, a miniUSB port, a 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, an accelerometer and a 3,100 mAh Li-Ion battery. You can also connect the tablet to a 500 GB hard drive without the need for extra power. It’s just 12.1mm thin and weighs in at only 13 ounces.

And all that will cost only 5,999 rubles (around $200) in Russia. Now that’s a pretty cheap tablet. And if it’s coming to the US, there is a possibility that it will be available with an even cheaper price tag. We will surely let you know if this one reaches the gates of FCC.

The post Russian teXet TM-7025 Budget Android Tablet Is Just $200 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.