Nokia are once more expected to rely on AT&T to make a retaliation in the smartphone market in the United States. AT&T revealed on Thursday that it will be the exclusive U.S. carrier for the Lumia 920, Nokia’s next flagship Windows Phone. The companies didn’t disclose a price or release date, but most probably, it will be in early November, after Windows Phone 8 is officially launched. AT&T will also retail Nokia’s mid-range Lumia 820. It is quite apparent now that Nokia heavily trusts AT&T who also exclusively sold Nokia’s Lumia 900, which launched earlier this year in April.

Features

The Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch, 1280-by-768 resolution display, a dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM. Its 8.7-megapixel camera has optical image stabilization and is supposedly well-suited for photos in low-lighting conditions (thereby addressing one of the biggest issues with Nokia’s last flagship, the Lumia 900). Nokia also expects the phone’s display will be a big selling point, with enhancements for sunlight readability and the ability to tap with fingernails or gloved fingers.

Nokia’s Lumia 920 will also come with the feature of wireless charging, but AT&T’s announcement brings some bad news also: The essential accessories will be sold individually. The Lumia 820 has a 4.3-inch display, 800-by-480 resolution display, a single-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera and 1 GB of RAM. It also has a microSD card slot for expandable storage. Although the Lumia 820 doesn’t have wireless charging built-in, the capability will be available through alternative back plates for purchase.

Windows Phone Needs Carrier Support To Succeed

With the Lumia 920 going exclusively to AT&T, it’s hardly a shock that Microsoft is showing lots of love to HTC. Windows Phone has no chance of reaching its target without broad carrier support, and HTC already has commitments from AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile for its Windows Phone 8X and 8S handsets. Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in the country, hasn’t offered any new Windows Phones since early 2011, so its inclusion in that list is a huge deal for Microsoft and HTC.

For Nokia faithful who aren’t tending to join AT&T, there’s still a sparkle of hope: In August, Engadget reported a story that Verizon will sell a variant of the Lumia 820, labelled the Lumia 822. Wireless carriers have been known to claim exclusivity while their competitors sell slightly-modified versions of the same basic phone, so possibly Nokia is working on something along that path. If not, it’s going to be a tough ride for Nokia in a holiday season packed with eye-catching handsets.