After years of ho-hum Windows Phone 8 support, Verizon Wireless is jumping on board the Microsoft bandwagon with a bang on November 13th, when the company will start to ship not one, but two high-profile WP8 handsets: The HTC Windows Phone 8X and the Nokia Lumia 822.
AT&T charges significantly lower prices for its versions of the same handsets, but Verizon's getting one particularly nifty exclusive with its version of the HTC Windows Phone 8X in the form of wireless charging.
Verizon is offering a version of the HTC Windows Phone 8X with 16GB of storage for $199 with a two-year contract, which matches AT&T's announced pricing but adds that power cord-free extra. However, Ma Bell's also offering an 8GB model for $99 that's identical in every way to its (wired) 16GB version, storage space aside.
The Lumia 822, on the other hand, is the Verizon-branded variant of AT&T's Lumia 820, both of which also include wireless charging features. The two models have slight variances on the features front, but the biggest difference between the two is their price tag: Verizon's Lumia 822 costs $99 with a two-year contract, compared to just $49 for AT&T's Lumia 820. In fact, AT&T is offering the flagship Lumia 920 -- PureView camera and all -- for just $99 on-contract, and that price includes a free wireless charging plate for a limited time.
Eagle-eyed readers may remember that the November 13th shipping date for the Verizon duo matches up with the press event Verizon and HTC have scheduled. Could we finally see HTC's five-inch, 1080p Android handset that day, as well? We'll know next week.
