Nokia to launch dual-SIM Lumia; take on Moto G, Samsung & HTC

Upping its ante in the fiercely competitive Indian smartphone market, Microsoft is all set to launch its dual-SIM smartphone Lumia 630 that will take head-on likes of Moto G, HTC Desire and Samsung's Duos.

Two weeks into acquiring Nokia's handset division, software giant Microsoft is aggressively targetting the dual SIM market in India, which it believes is "critically important".

According to press invites sent by Nokia, the new device to be unveiled is "Fast", "Precise" and "Powerful". It further reads "The Power Of Two", hinting that the device could be the Lumia 630, which was announced last month at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco.

Announcing the latest range of Lumia devices, Microsoft Devices Group EVP Stephen Elop had said dual-SIM capability is "critically important" in emerging markets like India and China.

Quoting analysts, Elop noted that in the year 2016 people will buy more than 100 million dual-SIM smartphones.

"The Lumia 630 dual-SIM capability opens up that market to all of us, so I'm really, really excited about that," he had said.

The Lumia 630 was slated for roll out in May, beginning with Asia, India/Middle East, South America and Europe, at USD 159 (about Rs 9,500) for the single-SIM variant and USD 169 (around Rs 10,100) for the dual-SIM variant before taxes and subsidies.

Powered by Windows Phone 8.1, the Lumia 630 features a  4.5-inch display, 5-megapixel auto focus camera and 8GB ofexpandable internal storage.

This would put the device in direct competition with devices like Moto G, HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy Duos, which have done well in the affordable smartphone market in India.

As per IDC, the affordable smartphone segment is driving smartphone adoption in the country, where homegrown firms like Micromax and Karbonn have a strong presence. Last year alone, the market grew three-fold to 44 million devices from 16.2 million units in 2012.