Phone Review: Microsoft Lumia 640

Microsoft has introduced a new range of Lumia phones launched under the banner of a new consumer campaign dubbed #AchieveMore, which seeks to inspire users to increase their productivity by doing more with their Lumia phones, whether at work or at home. One of the devices launched is the Microsoft Lumia 640 and its counterpart the Lumia 640XL. I’ve had the Lumia 640 for just over two weeks and these are my thoughts.

Price

The phone is retailing at an incredible Ksh 19,999. Looking at the device, it’s not possible to guess that the phone goes for under Ksh 20,000. I guessed it was around Ksh 25,000. The 640XL retails at Ksh 25,750.

What’s in the box?

The box comes with the phone, battery and charger. Note that it doesn’t come with earphones.

Design and Display

The Lumia 640 is 5 inches and is delightfully light at 145g. In true Lumia fashion, the phone comes in an array of colours including black, orange, blue and white and has a plastic back. I have a blue one that has a shiny finish and is quite stylish. The screen resolution is 720 X 1280 pixels with a pixel density of 294 ppi.

Sim Card     

There are two models available for the Lumia 640. One is a LTE Model that is single SIM and a 3.5G Model that is Dual SIM. I have the LTE Model. It is worth noting that the sim is a micro sim.

Memory and OS

The Lumia 640 runs Windows 8.1 and is Windows 10 so you can upgrade as soon as it’s available. It’s powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and has 1GB of RAM with 8GB of built-in storage.  The memory is expandable via microSD to up to 128GB. This is pretty good for a mid-tier phone and more than gets the job done. The phone comes preloaded with Microsoft Office, OneDrive and Skype.

Camera

The back camera is 8MP with the front being 1MP. I am an avid instagrammer and so the 8MP camera is something I really enjoyed using. The 1MP front camera is a bit disappointing though, considering the Lumia 535 and 540 which go for a little less have better front camera capabilities. It’s still decent enough for some great selfies.

Connectivity

The phone is capable of accessing both 2G and 3G. It also has the option of WiFi. I haven’t experienced any issues as far as connectivity is concerned.

Battery

The battery is a 2500mAH replaceable Li-Ion battery that lasts a little over a day with average use.

Where is it available?

The Microsoft Lumia 640 is available in phone shops all over the country.

Verdict

To be honest, the Lumia 640 is all the Lumia one needs, especially if you don’t have the money to spend on a higher tier device. It performs just as well as more expensive devices (even within the Lumia range) and demonstrates Microsoft’s campaign to give customers value for their money.

Promotion Alert

A national consumer campaign has been unveiled to reward customers who buy any Lumia phone (including the Lumia 640) with five Chevrolet Cruze cars and 40 Lumia 640 XL devices to be won over the promotion period. To participate in the consumer campaign, all you need to do is purchase any Lumia phone with a valid 12 months warranty in Kenya, activate it and send a text message containing the device’s IMEI number to 22860 during the program period. Winners will be contacted via +254 2301641 and announced on the Lumia East Africa Facebook and Twitter pages.