Microsoft's first non-Nokia branded mobile phone was released by the software giant recently. The phone has been named Microsoft Lumia 535, and builds upon the earlier model of Nokia Lumia 530.
The phone seems to be a budget category phone and given the advent of Android One and other budget choices of late, the move makes good sense as well.
The specs are definitely nowhere near anything to suggest that Microsoft planned a flagship phone. It is apparent that the phone is more like entry level candidate and hints at Microsoft's intent of consolidating its position in the segment.
The phone has some interesting features, and should be able to attract Windows based phone user's attention who are on a budget.
1. The phone comes with a Quad Core Snapdragon 200 processor, clocked at 1200 Mhz. Giving it company is 1GB of RAM.
Given the processor, expect the phone not to be blazing fast, but capable enough for its segment. In fact, this is one of the areas where Microsoft has beefed the phone compared to Lumia 530 which came with just 512MB RAM.
The phone is slimmer than its predecessor Nokia Lumia 530, but on the other hand, it is a bit bigger as well.
2. The phone will come with Microsoft's Windows 8.1 Operating System, along with Denim update.
Microsoft has assured, that despite the low pricing, the phone will not compromise on the regular services. The Lumia 535 will have five integrated Microsoft services, namely: Office, OneDrive, Cortana, Skype and OneNote.
Other user interface features include Double-tap to wake, Voice commands, Word flow keyboard, Action Center notifications hub, Live Folders, Tactile feedback, and Vibrating alerts.
3. The phone comes with qHD display. Coming with a 5-inch IPS LCD screen, the 960 x 540 resolution results in a pixel density of 220 ppi.
This figure will be disappointing for some, but given the price range, it is understandable. The good news is that the display is not lacklustre even with the lower ppi count.
Including the auto brightness feature is a pretty good move. Microsoft also claims that the screen will not pose issues with outdoor visibility either.
4. Microsoft has made sure that if not the on board memory, they provided ample memory option for the phone at the least. The phone comes with 8GB of on board memory, and if the user desires, it can be extended up to 128GB with the help of a memory card.
5. The camera department is pretty nicely beefed up with the new Lumia 535. Both the cameras on the phone are 5MP each. Compared to Nokia Lumia 530, which in fact came with no front facing camera at all, the Lumia 535 seems to have a better performance as well.
With a wide-angle front-facing camera, this should please the selfie addicts more than anybody else, as group selfies should come out with better results. The rear camera has been supplied with a flash. Expect some decent only pictures from this device.
6. Springing up a surprise with the battery, Microsoft has made the 1950 mAH battery a removable one. With a non-HD screen, the 1950 mAH battery should be up to the task for the Lumia 535.
According to Microsoft, the battery is capable of 11hrs worth of talk time, and 23 days of stand by time. This definitely sounds impressive.
7. Microsoft will be releasing the phone in single and dual sim variants. Tentative pricing for the Lumia 535 has been pegged at $136 (~Rs 8300).
Given the specs, this seems to be justified.
8. Cost cutting measures mean that the phone will come with 3G variant only. In today's times, one could have expected a 4G compatible phone, but that would have seen Lumia 535 crossing the Rs 10k barrier if not more.
9. The phone will be launched in November 2014 itself, with Asian countries like India witnessing the immediate launch.
Russian and West Asian markets will be the next recipients. No immediate plans for the Lumia 535 to be heading towards the USA.
10. Microsoft has provided five colour choices for the Lumia 535 back panels. The glossy covers include orange and green options, whereas the matte panels comprise of cyan, black and white options.
