Wondering just where all of the media coverage has been on the recently-announced Nokia Lumia 620? Most publications (including yours truly) did not expect Nokia to announce a new device this week, let alone at the LeWeb conference in Paris. As a result, coverage has been light and we had yet to see any sites offer their thoughts on the new budget device...that is, until now.

Engadget managed to get up close and personal with the affordable Windows Phone 8 handset, capturing shots of the full color palette of exchangeable shells (including those eye-catching Lime Green and Orange options) as well as the phone's hardware overall. Commenting on the build quality, Mat Smith says that the thickness is nearly the same as the high-end 920 but the smaller width and height made the device feel "more comfortable". Considering the difference between a 3.8-inch screen and a 4.5-inch screen, we can certainly understand that sensation.

Smith also commented on the device's performance, dispelling any concerns that the phone is 'inferior' to its stablemates because it uses a 1.0 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 with 512 MB of RAM. In fact, Smith said he was "hard pressed to discern much of a performance difference between this and the Lumia 820". A promising sign indeed that users looking for a Windows Phone 8 device on a budget are getting a bargain without much compromise. (If you're curious how the 620 stacks up against the 820 and HTC Windows Phone 8S, check out our specs comparison of the three in our latest Smackdown article.)

You can find a video hands-on from Engadget after the break, and visit the source link to read more of the site's impressions or just to ogle at more photos.

Source: Engadget