This morning, Microsoft has – as expected – unveiled two new Lumias for the Windows Phone line: the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL.With the announcement of the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL, Microsoft demonstrates it can handle Lumia hardware (and improve where Nokia failed)
Announcing mid-range phones during Mobile World Congress is almost routine now for Microsoft (Nokia), and this year's additions are not game changers by any means. They will also not quell the masses yearning for a new high-end Lumia Windows Phone, something we do not expect until later this year when Windows 10 is good and ready. Sorry, folks.
Still, I want to talk briefly about these phones and my time with them. In short, I like what I see, and I think Microsoft is paying attention.
In many ways, the Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 are great phones. Their design is stellar, their displays are surprisingly punchy and both devices even handle Windows 10 quite well.
Let's not beat around the bush though, Nokia dropped the ball on a few features, making both phonesnear hits, but not quite. For instance, both phones had these drawbacks:
- No Glance screen
- 512 MB of RAM, limiting performance and access to certain games on the Store
- No front-facing camera in the age of selfies and Skype
- A middling 5 MP rear camera with no flash
- Lower resolution display (854 x 480) at an antiquated 4.5-inch size
- No ambient light or proximity sensors
The Lumia 635 was tough to love despite Nokia getting so much right in the design.
The Lumia 640 by Microsoft though is a different story. Microsoft gets it. They understand what was holding back the Lumia 63x series, and they are looking to right the wrong, even though the Lumia 63x is hardly an old mid-range phone. Here is what the improved:
- Larger display at 5-inches
- Higher resolution (1280 x 720) HD display
- Glance screen
- Ambient light and proximity sensors are back
- 8 MP rear camera with Zeiss optics
- 1 MP front-facing camera
- 1 GB of RAM
Even with the camera, Microsoft is putting in Lumia Camera 5.0 with Dynamic Flash and built in HDR! Once you have used Lumia Camera 5.0 (now only on the Lumia 830, Lumia 930, Icon and Lumia 1520), you just cannot go back. Being able to use that on 6xx series device is quite awesome.
Okay, some of you will argue that the Snapdragon 400 processor at 1.2 GHz is a bit 'old'. However, having played with this phone I think the performance is on par for its price range. In fact, I'm actually excited about this device, especially if I could run it on AT&T and T-Mobile, which reminds me…
Dual-SIM LTE. Finally!
Dual-SIM devices are usual in emerging markets, but here in the US they are rare. Moreover, when they appear here, they are only 3G, which is unacceptable for our networks these days. Dual-SIM LTE though opens up many new doors, even for those in the US looking for an affordable sub-$200 phone.
Is the Lumia 640 perfect? Probably not and we are sure to find flaws in our upcoming review. However, I feel good about this phone. In fact, I am quite confident I will end up using it on a second line due to that 5-inch display, which, let's be honest, really is the sweet spot these days.