Triple threat
mICRosoFT has launched three new Windows Phones, namely the Lumia 640 Dual sIm, Lumia 640 XL and the Lumia 430. The smartphones sit in the affordable range, with the most expensive going for just under Rm1,000.
all three models run on Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim and will receive free upgrades to Windows 10 when it's released later this year.
The Lumia 640 XL is the largest of the devices with a 5.7in display although it only has a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels. It has a 1.2gHz snapdragon 400 quadcore processor, 1gB Ram, 8gB of internal storage, microsD card slot, 3,000mah battery and 30gB of free oneDrive Cloud storage.
The Lumia 640 XL has a 13-megapixel rear camera with Zeiss optics while the front-facing camera is 5 megapixels.
Like many of the Lumia models, the 640 XL comes with dual sIm slots which is great for frequent travellers – both only support 3g, however.
The Lumia 640 has similar specifications as the 640 XL, including the same processor and amount of internal storage. However, while the screens have the same resolutions, the Lumia 640’s is a little smaller at 5in. Its battery is also only 2,500mah.
The camera resolution is also lower – the rear-facing camera is an 8-megapixel model while the front-facing camera is only 1 megapixels.
However, it has one feature that trumps the 640 XL – the Lumia 640 comes with dual sIm card slots which support LTE.
Finally, at the entry level is the Lumia 430, which comes with a 4in display, dual-core 1.2gHz processor, 8gB storage, 1gB Ram, microsD slot, dual sIm slots and 1,500mah battery.
as this is a budget phone, the cameras are pretty basic – the rear camera is 2 megapixels while the front-facing camera is just Vga (640 x 480-pixels).
as mentioned, the prices are reasonable – the Lumia 640 goes for Rm739 while the 640 XL has a recommended retail price of Rm929 and both should be available by the time you read this. The Lumia 430 is priced at an even more reasonable Rm319 but will only be available at the end of the month. additionally, microsoft is offering a free one-year subscription to
for consumers who purchase the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL from now until June 30.