Nokia Lumia 520 is the top selling Windows device in the world

We've often commented on how Nokia has really been sizzling hot in the lower end of the smartphone market. No surprise then, that the Nokia Lumia 520 is the highest selling Windows device on the planet. That includes other Windows Phone flavored handsets, Windows powered PCs and tablets. Microsoft itself has realized how important the Nokia Lumia 520 has become, not just for Windows Phone, but for the entire universe of Windows products. This is the impression that blogger Paul Therrott took away from the recent Microsoft company meeting.

The popularity of the Nokia Lumia 520, and it's twin T-Mobile branded Nokia Lumia 521, comes as a result of a low off-contract price (the latter recently was available for just $80 with a coupon code, off contract) and the features available on the model. Yes, there are certain things that the device cannot do because of its low-end specs, but that is more than made up by the things the phone can do. For an example of that, we can look at the recent GDR2 update. The Nokia Lumia 520 and Nokia Lumia 521 both offer FM radio reception after the update, but it will not have the new Glance Screen which includes an always on clock and the ability to wake the phone with two taps to the screen.

The Nokia Lumia 520 is equipped with a 4 inch screen with resolution of 480 x 800. A dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus is under the hood with 512MB of RAM aboard. The device offers 8GB of native storage and a 64GB capacity microSD slot is available. The 5MP camera on back does not offer flash, and there is no front-facing camera. In other words, the Nokia Lumia 520 is giving you a handset with 2011 specs. But for those who would rather not spend the money on a more expensive model, this device has proven to be a capable handset.

For Nokia and Microsoft, the big question is whether the Nokia Lumia line will continue to struggle with the high-end of the smartphone market where the Nokia Lumia 1020 currently sits. AT&T has already made a permanent $100 price cut to the subsidized price of the camera-centric unit, bringing the cost down to $199.99 with a signed two-year pact. This is the area of the market where Nokia and Microsoft have been concentrating their marketing dollars, but have not been able to get any traction so far. Will the upcomingNokia Lumia 1520 phablet, with improved specs thanks to the GDR3 update, light the spark for Windows Phone in the upper segment of the smartphone world?

A look at the specs of Nokia Lumia 520.