Nokia's mid-range Lumia 620, powered by Windows Phone 8, can now be pre-ordered in India. Retailers are charging 15,199 rupees, or about $277, and say that it will be available from the second week of March, the Times of India reports.

The Lumia 620 is finally due to hit India after a month of delays due to import problems. The 620 has a 3.8-inch screen, the smallest of the bunch, and a 480p resolution display. Both 620 and 520 have 5-megapixel cameras, and covers that support NFC for the 620 are available.

We expect the 620 to do pretty well in India, which is part of the IMEA (India, Middle East and Africa) region where service carriers rarely provide subsidies on phones; clients have to provide for and pay full price on their own handsets. Although cellphone use is widespread in India, smartphone penetration is small compared to places in the IMEA region that have subsidized phones, such as Saudi Arabia or the UAE.

Nokia's presence in India is mostly concentrated on its Asha line, which largely features low- to mid-range smartphones that aim to be affordable for customers in developing countries. Its name was derived from a Sanskrit word meaning 'hope.' The Finnish company plans to make the Lumia more accessible in India. It slashed prices on several models in late February, but has no plans to replace the Asha line with Lumias, hoping to grow them together.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said earlier this month that he intends to target BlackBerry customers with the company's Lumia phones. Enterprise users have largely switched over to BYOD or "bring-your-own-device" systems, but some such as Coca Cola have switched over to Nokia, and part of that plan involves establishing solid foundations for the company in developing markets. One such early market was China, but now Nokia has its eyes on India.

(via The Times of India)