Nokia’s flagship handset, the LTE enabled Lumia 920 has been launched in South Africa.

The phone runs on the fairly new Windows Phone 8 platform and will be available initially from Vodacom and MTN, and will come to the  Cell C network later this year.

Nokia’s country manager Gerard Brandjes highlighted the main differentiating factors about Nokia Windows Phone handsets at a briefing in Sandton today:

> PureView Technology: optical image stabilisation and Carl Zeiss lens means photos are bright and blur-free in what ever conditions they’re taken in, especially low light.
> Augmented Reality: The City Lens app turns your camera into an augmented reality browser. Hold your phone up into your surroundings and find points of interest.
> Wireless Charging: The Lumia 920 can be charged wirelessly with NFC speakers and a charging mat, plate or pillow available as a separate accessory.
> Nokia Music: The music store offers local content and mix radio, which lets you buy tracks you listen to with one click; songs are DRM free and in mp3 format.
> Nokia Maps: Maps offer free turn-by-turn navigation whether you’re on foot, on the bus or driving, and can be used in offline mode. It also has live traffic info.

Some tech specs (originally blogged here): It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor;  has the most powerful battery on any Nokia (2000mAh) with wireless charging; an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with PureView technology; and features a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ display (1280 x 768 pixels). And of course, it runs on Windows Phone 8.

The device also comes with a selection of accessories like NFC enabled speakers, which also charges the phone wirelessly; Monster headphones; wireless charging pillows:
The Lumia 920 is available immediately in black, white and red from Vodacom and MTN on various contracts and costs R8000 on prepaid. The Lumia 820 will be available at a later stage.

Read more about my hands-on with Windows Phone 8 with Microsoft here.