Verizon is reportedly gearing up to start selling an all-aluminum high-end Nokia Lumia 920 variant in April — the Nokia Lumia 928.

The aluminum-clad Nokia Lumia 928 would hit the market as Verizon's leading Windows Phone 8 handset. The handset will apparently be larger and with better features than the HTC Windows Phone 8 competitor and with a more stylish finish than the Nokia Lumia 822.

The news of the new Nokia Lumia 928 comes from The Verge, which reports that Microsoft is preparing to market Nokia's upcoming Verizon marquee Windows Phone 8 device heavily. Citing "sources familiar with Nokia's plans," The Verge says the Finnish company plans to launch its revamped Nokia Lumia 928 handset on Verizon in April.

The Nokia Lumia 920 all-aluminum variant was previously known as laser. The metal-clad smartphone will reportedly include some significant changes as well, which make it a new standalone device.

According to The Verge, Nokia will not only switch to a more stylish aluminum casing for the Lumia 928, but it will also add a xenon and LED flash combination for the handset's 8-megapixel PureView camera. The smartphone will also reportedly sport a lighter, slimmer build compared to the Nokia Lumia 920.

The Nokia Lumia 928 has a square design reminiscent of the Lumia 720 model and it reportedly feels significantly lighter than the Lumia 920. Other specifications such as CPU and RAM, however, will be identical to the Lumia 920.

The Lumia 928 will also sport a 4.5-inch OLED display, as well as support for simultaneous voice and LTE (SVLTE). While other Verizon devices support SVLTE, the iPhone 5 is notably absent in terms of this capability.

The fact that the all-metal Nokia Lumia 928 is coming to Verizon, of all carriers, comes as no big surprise. Verizon does have a habit of occasionally holding out on a phone line until it can offer a unique version, just like it did with the HTC Droid DNA and the HTC One X series.

Meanwhile, the transition from polycarbonate, which is a type of plastic, to a more premium material such as aluminum marks a significant step forward for Nokia, which put all its hopes in its Lumia line of Windows Phone handsets.