Nokia Lumia 800 arrives sporting Windows Phone Mango

The world’s “first real Windows Phone” – as Nokia’s calling its new Lumia 800 – has been launched. Nokia’s going big on its strengths – mapping, optics and build – as it makes a break for the precious slice of the mobile market it’s been steadily giving up in the dawn of the smartphone age.

Perhaps taking a cue from Apple’s recent iPhone 4S launch (review here), Nokia decided not to pull off any big design surprises. – the Nokia Lumia 800 is a Window Phone Mango handset in Nokia N9 clothing.

The big sell isn’t a Nokia revolution. It’s the same things that have always attracted people to Nokia smartphones – there’s an HD-shooting (720p @30fps) 8MP Carl Zeiss Tessar lensed camera, Ovi Maps (enriched and relabelled Nokia Drive) and a curved glass screen (3.7in WVGA AMOLED ClearBlack, spec fans) that moulds into the unibody.

Battery life fans will be pleased to hear the Nokia Lumia 800 is claiming a whopping (for a smartphone) 13 hours of talk time, another Nokia legacy holding strong.

But those benefits now come riding a modern smartphone OS, Windows Phone Mango, on its 1.4GHz (single core, for shame) processor.

The Sundance Kid to the Lumia 800’s Butch Cassidy is Nokia’s Lumia 710, a cheaper build with a 5MP snapper and customisable back covers. And seven hours of talk time.

The Lumia 800 will hit Carphone Warehouse for a SIM-free price of £500 on November 16. We’re still waiting on details of more generous UK pricing, but we’d expect to be able to pick it up for less. Nokia’s citing prices of €420 for the Lumia 800 and €270 for the Lumia 710. For a free Nokia Lumia 800, Phones 4U is offering a £31/month pre-order through Orange or Vodafone.

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