Nokia Lumia 630 available for pre-order in Italy, just around the corner in Australia

While Microsoft will begin “support” for Windows Phone 8.1 on June 24th, it is entirely likely we are going to see the first device with Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box, the Lumia 630, much sooner than that.

In fact, for €149.99 ($206), you can pre-order any available color (black, yellow, orange, green, and white) Lumia 630 in Italy, with shipment expected to begin on May 20th.

A May release date is also likely for the new Lumia in the land down under as well.  AusWinPhone is reporting that the Lumia 630 will be available at all the major retailers starting May 27th for AU$249 ($233). Vodafone Australia will also carry the new Windows Phone in-store and online beginning June 4th with prices starting at AU$179 ($167) with pre-paid service.

In addition to being the first with Windows Phone 8.1 installed, the Nokia Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 are also the first Windows Phones with on-screen navigation keys. The 4.5-inch screen is not HD, but it does have Nokia’s ClearBlack treatment, meaning it will be quite usable in direct sunlight. The 8GB of storage is expandable, accepting microSD cards up to 128GB.

The Nokia Lumia 635 is coming to AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States, where it packs the same specifications as its 630-cousin, but adds LTE connectivity to the mix.


sources: MediaWorld via WPCentral and AusWinPhone