Lumia was Nokia’s Windows Phone range, later sold under Microsoft’s name. Its history runs from the Lumia 800 and 710 announcement in October 2011 through the Microsoft Lumia 650 in February 2016. Colorful hardware, distinctive software and ambitious cameras made it memorable, but the platform did not become a durable third competitor to Android and iPhone.
This is a history and collector’s guide, not a recommendation to buy a Lumia as a supported everyday smartphone. The models below are selected milestones, not a claim to list every regional, carrier and storage variant. Original launch announcements establish what each phone offered at the time; those announcements do not prove that its online services still work today.
In this guide
Lumia history: the key dates
| Date | What happened | Original record |
|---|---|---|
| February 11, 2011 | Nokia and Microsoft announced their Windows Phone partnership | Partnership announcement |
| October 26, 2011 | Lumia 800 and 710 introduced at Nokia World | First Lumia announcement |
| September 5, 2012 | Lumia 920 and 820 introduced with Windows Phone 8 | Launch announcement |
| July 11, 2013 | Lumia 1020 introduced with a 41MP camera sensor | Camera launch |
| September 3, 2013 | Microsoft announced the proposed Nokia phone-business transaction | Transaction terms |
| April 25, 2014 | Microsoft completed the acquisition | Completion announcement |
| November 11, 2014 | Microsoft Lumia 535 announced | Microsoft branding |
| July 8, 2015 | Microsoft announced a phone-business restructuring and estimated impairment | Restructuring announcement |
| February 15, 2016 | Lumia 650 announced; selected European availability from February 18 | Announcement and availability |
| January 14, 2020 | Final Windows 10 Mobile 1709 update and end-of-service notice | KB4535289 |
Why Nokia chose Windows Phone
The 2011 partnership made Windows Phone Nokia’s primary smartphone platform. Nokia brought hardware, distribution and mapping expertise; Microsoft supplied the operating-system platform and services. Their joint announcement described an attempt to build an alternative mobile ecosystem, not merely a licensing deal for a new interface.
That choice explains both Lumia’s distinctiveness and its dependency. Nokia could differentiate a camera or a case, but the wider application platform required Microsoft and developers to succeed too. Whether a different decision would have saved Nokia’s smartphone position is a counterfactual, not a fact a retrospective can establish.
The Lumia models that explain the range
| Model or family | Announcement year | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Lumia 800 and 710 | 2011 | The first Nokia Windows Phones |
| Lumia 920 and 820 | 2012 | The move to Windows Phone 8; camera and charging features on the 920 |
| Lumia 520 | 2013 | An affordable entry point to the platform |
| Lumia 1020 | 2013 | A camera-led model with a 41MP sensor |
| Lumia 1520 and 1320 | 2013 | Large-screen Lumia options at different price levels |
| Lumia 930, 630 and 635 | 2014 | The Windows Phone 8.1 launch generation |
| Microsoft Lumia 535 | 2014 | The Microsoft-branded transition |
| Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL | 2015 | The Windows 10 Mobile flagship generation |
| Microsoft Lumia 650 | 2016 | The final new Lumia model |
Lumia 800 and 710: the beginning
The first phones combined Windows Phone’s tile-based interface with Nokia hardware. The 800 is closely associated with the range’s sculpted, colorful design, while the 710 offered another entry point. Their introduction describes the design and features of both models.
For a collector, the appeal is the interface and industrial design. For someone who needs current applications and security updates, those same early software generations are a limitation. A well-preserved body does not make the operating system current.
Lumia 920: stabilization and wireless charging
The Lumia 920 launch emphasized its PureView camera, optical image stabilization and wireless charging. These were meaningful attempts to make the phone useful in ordinary situations: holding a camera steady and putting it down to charge without connecting a cable.
Its place in the story is not that it was objectively superior in every way to every rival. It shows how much Nokia invested in hardware differentiation while still depending on the Windows Phone ecosystem. Contemporary feature claims belong in that context.
Lumia 520 and 1020: two very different priorities
The Lumia 520 targeted affordability, bringing Windows Phone 8 to a lower price level. It is a useful reminder that Lumia was not only a flagship-camera story. The range also needed accessible phones that could bring more people into the platform.
The Lumia 1020 took the opposite emphasis: a 41MP sensor, optical stabilization and software built around reframing and oversampling. The sensor’s megapixel count is not the resolution of every saved photograph. Nor does a high megapixel figure alone establish that an old phone beats a modern camera in every condition.
As a collectible camera phone, a working 1020 is interesting because of how it approached photography. Judge a used example by actual photographs, lens condition, autofocus, flash and its battery. This article makes no new measured image-quality comparison.
Large screens and the Windows Phone 8.1 generation
Nokia’s Lumia 1520 and 1320 announcement brought two different large-screen options into the range. Sharing a screen size did not make them equivalent in camera, resolution or market position.
The Lumia 930, 630 and 635 then represented different price points in the Windows Phone 8.1 generation. Carrier variants and similarly named phones can differ, so collectors should identify the exact model rather than treating an entire number family as one specification sheet.
What Microsoft bought, and what happened next
Microsoft announced a transaction totaling €5.44 billion: €3.79 billion for substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business and €1.65 billion for patent licensing. Those are the announced transaction terms, not a purchase of the whole Nokia corporation. The deal closed on April 25, 2014. Closing adjustments and later accounting figures should not be confused with the original headline price.
The Lumia 535 marked the move to Microsoft branding. In July 2015, Microsoft announced an estimated $7.6 billion impairment and a restructuring of its phone hardware business. That is a specific announced accounting charge, not a statement that every dollar spent on the acquisition was identical to that figure.
The Lumia 950 and 950 XL carried Windows 10 Mobile into the flagship range. Microsoft’s Lumia 950 sales announcement highlighted Continuum, which let compatible apps use an external display. It did not turn the phone into an unrestricted desktop PC running every traditional Windows program.
The Lumia 650 announcement followed on February 15, 2016. It specified selected European availability from February 18, so treating February 15 as its general on-sale date is inaccurate. No new Lumia generation followed it.
Why Lumia did not become a lasting third platform
Our reading of the product and business record is that strong hardware could not compensate indefinitely for a weaker overall ecosystem. People choose a phone partly for the applications, accessories, services and support they expect to keep using. Developers, in turn, need a reason to invest in a platform. That creates a difficult cycle for a smaller competitor.
The restructuring announcement provides direct evidence of Microsoft changing its phone-business approach. It is more defensible to connect that documented change with the ecosystem challenge than to attribute the outcome to a single executive, one missing app or a claim that users simply failed to appreciate the cameras.
When did Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile support end?
Microsoft lists July 11, 2017 for Windows Phone 8.1. Windows 10 Mobile needs a more careful explanation: an earlier announcement gave December 10, 2019, but Microsoft subsequently issued KB4535289 on January 14, 2020 and explicitly identified that date as end of service for version 1709.
It is therefore incorrect to say that Windows 10 Mobile received no security update after December 10, 2019. The later support document resolves the discrepancy. Either way, Lumia is now an unsupported platform; a historical support date is not evidence that its update servers, application store or individual online services remain usable.
Can you still use or buy a Lumia today?
Treat one as a collector’s device or an offline hobby project, not a recommended replacement for a supported phone. Camera and local media functions may work on a particular unit, but check them before buying. Do not assume that resetting an old phone will let you reinstall every application it previously had.
- Ask for the exact model and photographs of the actual device, not only a stock image.
- Check for battery swelling, damaged charging ports, screen defects and unreliable buttons. Do not charge a visibly swollen or damaged battery.
- Confirm camera capture and transfer of an actual file to another device.
- Ask your mobile carrier about the exact model before relying on calls. Network bands, VoLTE approval and local shutdowns matter; a 4G label alone is insufficient.
- Keep banking, primary account authentication and essential communications on a supported device.
- Treat unofficial operating-system ports as hobby software, not a restoration of manufacturer support.
Frequently asked questions
Did Microsoft buy all of Nokia?
No. The announced deal covered substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business together with patent licensing and related arrangements. Nokia continued as a separate company.
Were Lumia phones Android phones?
The Lumia range discussed here used Windows Phone and later Windows 10 Mobile. Later Nokia-branded Android phones are a different product history.
Was the Lumia 1020 a 41MP phone?
Its camera used a 41MP sensor, but the resolution of saved images depended on capture mode and processing. Sensor resolution and output-file resolution are not interchangeable.
What was the last Lumia?
The Microsoft Lumia 650, announced in February 2016, was the final new Lumia model. That does not mean every earlier model stopped being sold on the same day.
Which Lumia is best to buy now?
Choose only for a specific collecting or hobby purpose, and judge the actual unit’s condition. We do not recommend any Lumia as a current supported primary smartphone.
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