Lumia 640 and 640 XL

[darkswordsman17]

I personally really like Nokia's, their design, and they seem to do a pretty good job on the overall quality of the phone, so have been really hoping they'd bring out some new mid-range and low end phones ASAP as they have several that are long in the tooth and the updates to some of them have been quite lackluster.

Well we kinda got a big update in the 640 and 640 XL. 720p screens now, 5" and 5.7" sizes, upgraded cameras, 1GB of RAM, LTE, even dual SIM support, and significant battery increases (3000mAh in the XL, 2500 in the regular, compared to 1850mAh in the 635). And all of that for $185-$245 (for the top of the range dual LTE SIM XL version). Plus if how the value Lumias are handled continues, it means the carrier specific versions might end up really enticingly priced.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/microsoft-buffs-its-mid-range-with-lumia-640-640-xl/
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/hands-on-lumia-640-ought-to-be-enough-for-anybody/

For the price range they're mostly excellent and should be great phones. But what are they thinking sticking the Snapdragon 400 in these? Yes Windows is smooth on it, but come on it was a value SoC when it came out what 2 years ago. On the positive side, they can just upgrade the SoC (and maybe 1080p on the XL) and these should be nice value for a while. I think it'd be smart for Microsoft to do that for the Windows 10 release.

But compared to the Mote E and G (sad that the E has the best SoC on all of these...), it basically boils down to how much you love Android, as the Lumia's seem like they're better (other than the E having the best SoC of the bunch), and should be fairly similarly priced. Still cannot fathom why the G and these are still using the 400 though. Guess Moto and Nokia just bought so many of them.

 

[kpkp]

The G (2nd g) was released a while ago, so it would need to be one of the first phones with 410, I was surprised it had the same SoC as the 1 year older Moto G (1st g) and in general think the first generation was way more impressive.

On the Windows Phone side, does it even support Snapdragon SD410?

 

[Denly]

I am a WP user and I wonder wth is going on with all those model #.

4xx/5xx/6xx/7xx are basically the same thing?

And you have 8xx/9xx/1xxx

They should have combine 400-700 for lowend, 800 for mid range, 900 for flagship and 1000 for the niche.

 

[maevinj]

I am a WP user and I wonder wth is going on with all those model #.

4xx/5xx/6xx/7xx are basically the same thing?

And you have 8xx/9xx/1xxx

They should have combine 400-700 for lowend, 800 for mid range, 900 for flagship and 1000 for the niche.

I believe Microsoft is starting to change that. The 640XL is really a replacement for the 1320, so it is eliminating the 1300 series from the low end. Given time, I believe they will have the numbering situation straightened out.

 

[vi edit]

I'm giving WP a second chance after ditching it a few months after it's release back in 2012. I picked up a Lumia 635 for $50 and using it on Tmobile for a work phone. For phone calls, checking email, sending text messages, calendar functions and reviewing basic office documents it's a positively functional and pleasant device. App support continues to suck in the WP market, but these entry level Lumia's completely redefine what a cheap phone can do. They are great at being phones and good enough at being "smart" for most people. Web browsing sucks on them because the screen crappy, they are RAM limited and IE mobile blows. But they work.

It's crazy to think that an Iphone costs 10-15x more.

I really think you are going to see a trend reversal in how people use their phones over the next couple years. We'll hit a critical mass in how much and what people want to consume on their mobile devices and then we'll start going backwards and peeling back how much we really need them. I think MS/Nokia will start getting an uptick as you see people taking notice of these dirt cheap devices and realizing that they are "good enough" and getting out of the $200 every 2 year upgrade cycle.

We are seeing some of that with the slowdown in flagship devices from Samsung, LG and HTC. They are hitting a bit of a wall on what they can do to innovate. Microsoft may find a foothold going forward for those looking to simply and save on their mobile devices.

 

[Denly]

I believe Microsoft is starting to change that. The 640XL is really a replacement for the 1320, so it is eliminating the 1300 series from the low end. Given time, I believe they will have the numbering situation straightened out.

Nay, they just release 4xx and now 640. 730 is just a few month old, same go for 530(? can't remember).

We have 830 and Blu HD in the house and there isn't a lot of reason to pick Lumia 4x0-7x0 over a Blu HD, if you want a lumia go for a 8xx/9xx/10xx. The camera rock.

 

[Denly]

I'm giving WP a second chance after ditching it a few months after it's release back in 2012. I picked up a Lumia 635 for $50 and using it on Tmobile for a work phone. For phone calls, checking email, sending text messages, calendar functions and reviewing basic office documents it's a positively functional and pleasant device. App support continues to suck in the WP market, but these entry level Lumia's completely redefine what a cheap phone can do. They are great at being phones and good enough at being "smart" for most people. Web browsing sucks on them because the screen crappy, they are RAM limited and IE mobile blows. But they work.

It's crazy to think that an Iphone costs 10-15x more.

I really think you are going to see a trend reversal in how people use their phones over the next couple years. We'll hit a critical mass in how much and what people want to consume on their mobile devices and then we'll start going backwards and peeling back how much we really need them. I think MS/Nokia will start getting an uptick as you see people taking notice of these dirt cheap devices and realizing that they are "good enough" and getting out of the $200 every 2 year upgrade cycle.

We are seeing some of that with the slowdown in flagship devices from Samsung, LG and HTC. They are hitting a bit of a wall on what they can do to innovate. Microsoft may find a foothold going forward for those looking to simply and save on their mobile devices.

What drive me nut is WP have so many great features but MS simply can't tie them together, hopefully W10 can right the ship.

 

[maevinj]

Nay, they just release 4xx and now 640. 730 is just a few month old, same go for 530(? can't remember).

We have 830 and Blu HD in the house and there isn't a lot of reason to pick Lumia 4x0-7x0 over a Blu HD, if you want a lumia go for a 8xx/9xx/10xx. The camera rock.

I think you missed my point.
They our consolidating the lines and making them more consistent. You will still have some of the SKUs 400x 6xx 7xx etc. but it will make sense from a performance perspective now. The 7xx will be better than the 6xx. Unlike today where you have the 1320, but it isn't really better than the 1020 or 930.

 

[midwestfisherman]

I really like what they did with the 640 and 640XL. I'm currently using a 635 and really like it. I like a larger phone so I'm planning on going to the XL once it is released.

Video review: http://www.windowscentral.com/t-mob...e=related&utm_medium=module&utm_campaign=next

 

[notposting]

I'm giving WP a second chance after ditching it a few months after it's release back in 2012. I picked up a Lumia 635 for $50 and using it on Tmobile for a work phone. For phone calls, checking email, sending text messages, calendar functions and reviewing basic office documents it's a positively functional and pleasant device. App support continues to suck in the WP market, but these entry level Lumia's completely redefine what a cheap phone can do. They are great at being phones and good enough at being "smart" for most people. Web browsing sucks on them because the screen crappy, they are RAM limited and IE mobile blows. But they work.

The screens on these are IPS with Clearback and sunlight readability. Should be pretty darn good screens (plus Nokia's auto brightness is just right). 1 GB of RAM (which on WP is plenty). And somewhere in the 8.1 range IE just started straight up emulating mobile Safari and works fine for everything. (Will be interesting to see how the Spartan browser works).

WP7 launched in 2010.

 

[vi edit]

That should have said WP8. That came out in 2012. I tried using a Lumia 920 when it came out and couldn't deal with the OS at that time. App market continues to suck, but the devices in general are pleasant to use for basic phone and light web duties.

There's no ambient light sensor on the 635 so no auto brightness. Also it's DPI is like 220. Compared to the 620 DPI on my Droid Turbo, it's a grainy, ugly screen. Apps take a lot longer to open and respond and it's just generally a slower device to navigate around.

That being said for $50 straight up and no contract, it's a wonderful little phone that is "good enough" for a lot of people.

 

[notposting]

That should have said WP8. That came out in 2012. I tried using a Lumia 920 when it came out and couldn't deal with the OS at that time. App market continues to suck, but the devices in general are pleasant to use for basic phone and light web duties.

There's no ambient light sensor on the 635 so no auto brightness. Also it's DPI is like 220. Compared to the 620 DPI on my Droid Turbo, it's a grainy, ugly screen. Apps take a lot longer to open and respond and it's just generally a slower device to navigate around.

That being said for $50 straight up and no contract, it's a wonderful little phone that is "good enough" for a lot of people.

Oh -- yeah, I was referring to these new phones. Not sure wtf they were thinking with the 530, 630/635. Must have been the people getting let go in the Nokia acquisition responsible for those: "yeah, don't worry, we'll make sure these are top notch guys! Going out on top!" :awe:

435, 535, 640, 640 XL, 735, 830, 930, 1520 is pretty much the lineup now. Actually pretty sensibly done for specs and steady upgrades. Though the high end (and niche devices, like 1020) needs refreshing.

 

[vi edit]

Oh -- yeah, I was referring to these new phones. Not sure wtf they were thinking with the 530, 630/635. Must have been the people getting let go in the Nokia acquisition responsible for those: "yeah, don't worry, we'll make sure these are top notch guys! Going out on top!" :awe:

435, 535, 640, 640 XL, 735, 830, 930, 1520 is pretty much the lineup now. Actually pretty sensibly done for specs and steady upgrades. Though the high end (and niche devices, like 1020) needs refreshing.

The 520 is the most important Windows phone in the world. At one point, something like 80% of all WP devices were a 520 variant.

I had a 520 as a little toy for my kids to use in the car. The 635 is a nice build on it. LTE, larger screen, bit better feel in the hands. For $50 it really does make you scratch your head and wonder what is really worth 10x-15x the cost of it.

I do think we're seeing the commodization of cell phones and these fully functional devices in the $50-$150 range off contract are going to start gaining more traction in the more affluent markets that were once ruled by ultra expensive flagship devices bought through carrier subsidies.