Microsoft has launched its first ‘Nokia Free’ Lumia smartphone with Microsoft branding – the reasonably priced Lumia 535, which will be available on retail shelves very soon. From Microsoft point of view, it’s important there first Microsoft branded device, showcases full potential of Windows Phone OS, imparts great user experience and is a hit among masses. Microsoft Lumia 535 has been designed and priced to achieve the same.
Camera and Internal Storage
The selfie centric Lumia 730 camera, with a wide angle lens to fit more in each frame, has made the cut to Lumia 535 as well. Also on board is the Nokia Selfie camera App which allows you to edit, enhance and share your selfies with ease. The rear camera also has a 5 MP sensor, which is completely acceptable in this price range. On the whole, imaging hardware will be a big strength of this device.
Internal storage is 8 GB and you can further expand this by another 128 GB using MicroSD card slot. Since Apps can be transferred to MicroSD card, storage space shouldn’t be a problem for most users. Microsoft is also offering 15 GB of One Drive storage to store images, documents, etc on the cloud.
Processor and Battery
Processor used is 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 quad core coupled with 1 GB RAM. Since Windows OS is quite resource efficient, we can expect it to sail smoothly. It is the same chipset that we saw in Lumia 530, but with double the amount of RAM.
Battery capacity has never been an issue on Lumia branded smartphones. Microsoft claims 13 hours of 3G talk time, 8.5 hours of web browsing and 23 days of standby time from its 1905 mAh battery. The battery is replaceable.
Display and Other Features
The 5 Inch IPS LCD display panel flaunts 960 x 540 (quarter HD) pixel resolution which amounts to very usable 220 pixels per inches. Lumia 535 will attract multitude of consumers looking for a large display device in affordable price bracket. There is Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for some extra protection against scratches and a high brightness mode for enhanced sunlight visibility.
Software is Windows 8.1 with all Lumia Denim update changes pre-installed, similar to Lumia 730 and other recently launched Lumia devices. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, GPS and 3G. All Microsoft Apps are well integrated. Microsoft has also highlighted skype integration with cellular calls. You can now conveniently switch regular calls to swype video calls.
Comparison
Lumia 535 will compete against phones like Asus Zenfone 5, Huawei Honor Holly, Moto G and Lumia 630 in India.
Key specs
Model | Microsoft Lumia 535 |
Display | 5 inch qHD |
Processor | 1.2 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 200 |
RAM | 1 GB |
Internal Storage | 8 GB, Expandable up to 128 GB |
OS | Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim |
Camera | 5 MP/ 5 MP |
Battery | 1,905 mAh |
Price | 110 EUR |
What we Like
- 5 MP selfie camera with wide angle lens
- Latest Windows OS with Lumia denim update.
- 5 inch display with Gorilla Glass 3
Conclusion and Price
Nokia Lumia 535 is a much welcome replacement for Lumia 530 and perhaps will be the first selfie centric smartphone from a tier one manufacture to launch around 10k INR(expected). Microsoft Windows has a reputation for being a better performer than Android counterparts. If you are open to Windows platform, this could be one of the best available options for under 10,000 INR