Nokia and Microsoft holding a Windows Phone 8 press event on September 5 in New York

Nokia and Microsoft are holding a joint press event in New York on September 5, which can only mean that both companies are launching Windows Phone 8 along with some new hardware.

The invite screams ‘the new home-screen of Windows Phone 8′ so it’s almost a done deal. Interestingly, Nokia will also be hosting Nokia World in Helsinki which also starts on September 5, so it is unclear what it will announce there.

Already we have seen a slew of leaks, suggesting new Nokia Windows Phone 8 hardware, however we don’t have a sure shot idea of what to expect. That said, we can expect a number of devices and perhaps even Windows Phone 7.8 based devices that are targeted at lower price points.

We can also expect to see more consumer features of Windows Phone 8, that to date are a sort of mystery in spite of the gargantuan leak that happened last month.

Apart from Nokia, it has also been reported that HTC also plans on hosting a Windows Phone 8 centric event in September for new hardware.

Clearly, in the battle of mobile ecosystems iOS and Android are front runners, but Windows Phone is critically acclaimed and has the backing of perhaps the most iconic mobile phone brand in history. If Windows Phone is the dark horse in this race, come September 5, we could see the dark horse rise.