Nokia Pushes Back Phablet Launch

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Nokia has delayed plans to introduce a phablet, originally expected to arrive this month, due to Microsoft's move to acquire Nokia's handset business. The two firms announced several weeks ago Microsoft's intent to buy the Lumia hardware unit from Nokia. The deal is still in the works.

The debut of the new hardware has been put on hold for reasons unknown, according to a knowledgeable source cited by Reuters. The device was expected to arrive before the end of September, but will now wait several weeks until some point in October.

One possible reason for the push-back could be due to Microsoft's own Surface press event, which is being held Sept. 23 in New York City. Microsoft invited media to attend the launch of its second-generation Surface tablets. Perhaps Microsoft decided that debuting its new tablets just days ahead of Nokia's new smartphone would be a bad idea. The new date for the Nokia phablet's arrival is not yet known with certainty, but Oct. 22 is looking good. Nokia recently tweeted that it will unveil new innovations on that date.

[ Learn more about the new Surface, courtesy of the rumor mill. See Microsoft's Next Surface Pro: Comeback Kid? ]

The device in question, which is being referred to as the Lumia 1520, will be a breakthrough Windows Phone for several reasons. It will be the first Windows Phone 8 device to have a screen larger than five inches. In fact, the Lumia 1520 will offer a six-inch screen. To date, most Windows Phones have screens that measure 4.3 inches diagonally. Nokia's own Lumia 625 has the largest of all Windows Phone screens at just 4.7 inches.

Some believe that the screen size limitation has been hindering Windows Phone's ability to compete against the leading Android smartphones. Most flagship smartphones from the top vendors, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2, have screens that measure five inches or more. Windows Phone fans are clamoring for bigger screens.

In addition to the larger size, the Lumia 1520 is also expected to be the first Windows Phone to offer full HD resolution. At the moment, the WP8 platform is limited to three resolutions: 800 x 480, 1280 x 720, and 1280 x 768. By upping the screen resolution to 1920 x 1080 pixels, the 1520 will be better equipped to compete with the Galaxy Note 3 and other smartphones.

Details beyond the Lumia 1520's size are few. In addition to the six-inch full-HD display, it is expected to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor under the hood with 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage and a 20-megapixel camera.