Verizon's Nokia Lumia 928 Release Date Imminent

**Editor’s Note:


Click here



for our most recent list of America’s hottest selling smartphones to see how Nokia’s Lumia 920 fared against the competition.**

Verizon Wireless customers who have been waiting for a flagship Nokia handset are about to get their wish. The Lumia 928, expected to be a variation of the 920, an AT&T exclusive, is expected to hit Verizon stores within the next month or so. An official announcement is expected before April comes to an end.

What are said to be images of the new handset appeared via the @evleaks Twitter handle a few days ago. The device looks a little thinner, but taller than the 920. Separate reports say the smartphone will feature a 4.5-inch screen; a 1.5 GHz, dual-core processor; 32 GB of internal storage; and 1 GB of RAM similar to what you’ll find on the 920.

Verizon, which hadn’t sold a new Nokia phone in several years, launched the Lumia 822 last fall but it’s a mid-range device. The carrier has been lacking a high-end Lumia, a wait that appears to be almost over.

Nokia and its Lumia line of Windows-based smartphones aimed at both the general consumer and the business user are in a race against BlackBerry, HTC, Motorola and a handful of other manufacturers for third place in market share, far behind Samsung and Apple. Meantime, Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system is also toiling in a distant third behind Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.

Nokia was once the world’s leader in mobile phones, but got passed up by Apple and a handful of other manufacturers that were quick to embrace the smartphone revolution. The manufacturer hopes to rebound with the Lumia series, which has received some critical acclaim and modest sales in its first year-and-a-half on the market.

Follow senior online managing editor


@Craig_Galbraith


on Twitter.