AT&T has just announced its most affordable LTE Windows Phone yet, the Samsung Focus 2, which will be up for grabs for $50 starting May 20 to those looking for a bargain Windows Phone working on the fastest network AT&T has to offer.

This seriously threatens the Windows Phone-powered Nokia Lumia 900 which is also on AT&T’s LTE network as the two devices are comparably endowed in terms of hardware.

This brings the AT&T portfolio of LTE Windows Phone handsets at three, the HTC Titan II which is available for $200 with a new two-year contract, of course, and the two phones we have already mentioned.

Nonetheless, AT&T is proud to offer the only three 4G LTE Windows Phones in the U.S.

“AT&T offers our customers the broadest Windows Phone portfolio of any carrier, with three 4G LTE Windows Phones – the only 4G LTE Windows Phones in the U.S. – now at a variety of price points and form factors,” AT&T’s Jeff Bradley said in a statement.

“The Samsung Focus 2 brings the people-first Windows Phone interface together with AT&T’s fast 4G LTE network for an unbeatable experience,” the senior vice president for devices further said.

Samsung is also quite proud of the Samsung Focus 2 as it goes toe to toe with the Lumia 900, the flagship phone of the struggling Finnish phones maker.

“Samsung is the unmatched leader in offering smartphones across a variety of platforms and the Focus 2 is a powerful example of our continued commitment to Windows Phone,” Samsung’s Dale Sohn said.

“As our first 4G LTE Windows Phone, the Focus 2 is a fast and versatile device for productivity, entertainment and social networking,” the Samsung Mobile president explained.

For comparison, the Lumia 900 is being offered on AT&T for $99 with a new two-year contract. There was a time, however, that the Lumia 900 was effectively free on AT&T courtesy of a $100 bill credit from Nokia because of a bug with the smartphone’s memory management.

It seems LTE Windows Phone units from AT&T keep getting more and more affordable.

Samsung Focus 2

The Samsung Focus 2, however, is a solid threat to the Lumia 900 on AT&T. For one, it undercuts the Lumia 900 price on AT&T by $50.

Available on May 20 for the said price with a new two-year contract, the Samsung Focus 2 is an LTE Windows Phone with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango installed.

It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.4GHz Scorpion CPU, 512MB in RAM, and an Adreno 205 GPU. It will have a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen with a resolution of 480×800 pixels.

Coming in “pure white”, the Samsung Focus 2 will have 8GB of storage available. However, like the Lumia 900, it will not feature expandable storage which would have been implemented using a microSD memory card slot.

It will have a 5MP camera at the back with LED flash which enables it to capture 720p video at 30 frames per second. A front VGA camera enables video chat.

The Samsung Focus 2 also has Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, microUSB 2.0, and a 1,750mAh battery tucked in a 122-gram body which measures 121.7mm x 62.7mm x 11mm.

Nokia Lumia 900

For comparison, the Nokia Lumia 900 has a similar processor, similar RAM and similar GPU

One difference comes in the screen as the Lumia 900 has a 4.3-inch AMOLED touch screen but the resolution is the same. This results in a lower pixel density from the Nokia phone, as well as lacking the Super before the AMOLED, but it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

Another difference is in the internal storage as the Nokia Lumia 900 gets 8GB more.

Their cameras are also not the same as the Nokia flagship gets an 8MP snapper on its back with Carl Zeiss optics, dual-LED flash. However, both the Lumia 900’s and the Samsung Focus 2’s back cameras shoot 720p video. The Lumia 900 front camera also is more advanced as it is a 1.3MP unit.

Of course, the Lumia 900 also has more color options with it being offered in matte black and cyan on AT&T.

Meanwhile, those in New Orleans who may want to get a closer look at the Samsung Focus 2 may want to go to the CTIA 2012 event opening today.

It seems Samsung is not going easy on Nokia. After it has stolen Nokia’s crown as the world’s largest phone vendor by volume, it then releases a device like this on AT&T which has the potential to steal customers away from otherwise getting the Lumia 900 to experience the LTE Windows Phone experience.

Nokia, on the other hand, appears to still be troubled after posting poor first quarter 2012 results and seeing its top-tier executives go.

If Nokia has something going for it these days, however, it’s the fact that the Lumia 900 is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful phones currently available.

About Solon Harmony Dolor

A passion for technology and journalism makes this upcoming writer very interested in social media and technology news. Fresh from finishing an English and Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, he aims to bring interesting news to our readers .