The Microsoft Lumia 550 SS LTE smartphone, reviews of which we will try to consider today from different points of view, did not become something special. This is the company's standard solution. Not so bad, but not the best either. Of course, I would not want to compare Android devices with the newly minted Lumiya running Windows 10 Mobile, but the latter clearly loses in its price segment in terms of characteristics. Let's first look at the parameters of the device.
Microsoft Lumia 550 LTE. User feedback on features
Initially, let's list the device parameters. The weight and size characteristics are as follows. The device reaches a height of 136.1 mm, a width of 67.8 mm, and a thickness of 9.9 mm. In this case, the mass of the device is 142 grams. In principle, according to the owners, it’s not so bad. Although the ultra-thin smartphone of the 550th “Lumia” is still far away. The user is greeted by the operating roomWindows 10 Mobile in its unfinished version. The display is nothing to love. It demonstrates good color reproduction, but only within the segment. Diagonal - 4.7 inches.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 family processor is deployed as a hardware filling. The Microsoft Lumia 550 smartphone, reviews of which can be found in this article, is based on four cores. The rest of the hardware platform does not deserve special attention. Gigabyte of "RAM", eight GB of internal long-term memory for user needs. This volume will not last long.
Nokia Lumia 550, reviews of which we will give at the end of the review, is equipped with a lithium-ion battery. For calls, use a SIM card processed in the nano format.
Lumia 550, reviews of which quickly spread, has two cameras - the main one and the front camera. The device supports cellular networks of the fourth generation. An analog radio is built into the software. To listen to it, you will need to connect wired headphones, which will play the role of an antenna. Among other wired and wireless interfaces, we can note the presence of a Wi-Fi module, “Bluetooth” version 4.1, MicroUSB.
Users on many resources estimated such a set of characteristics as not worth the money for which the company offers the device. Buyers complain about the weak power of the filling, insufficient RAM and very mediocre cameras. Users note that the characteristics of the subject of our today's review, as they say, are to hell. Probably this andexplains such a small demand for this product.
Device positioning
“Nokia Lumia 550” has entered the line of devices that Microsoft has launched on the market running the Windows 10 Mobile operating system. This happened in 2015. In general, the development of the OS was in a hurry, so it is logical that the company failed to bring it to a normal state. Moreover, very prominent persons of the company suggested abandoning plans altogether, postponing them for later. But this all meant incurring obvious considerable losses, since the components for future smartphones were already manufactured. As a result, the company's specialists left two flagships from the entire series in order to at least somehow get the proceeds. But still, the full range of proposed devices was not put into production. Thus, on the eve of the release of the company's first devices running the Windows 10 Mobile operating system, their list consisted exclusively of Lumi 550, 950 and 950XL.
Sometimes there is no visible logic in the actions of Microsoft. This can be understood, for example, by looking at the Lumiya 540. Devices running the Windows Fawn operating system are not being sold as quickly as the company would like. Therefore, now in the market, "Microsoft" is faced with internal competition almost more often than with external ones. For example, many models (including the Lumia 540 mentioned earlier) bypass the subject of our today's review in a number of characteristics. They also have a lower price. Yes, they may not be equippedan LTE module. But they have a larger screen size, a much better camera and, most importantly, a stable version of the operating system.
Design
Microsoft's position on this issue has remained unchanged. The designers thought: "Why reinvent the wheel in a new way, if before that there was one concept?". We are all used to the fact that devices running the Windows Fawn operating system look about the same. Nothing has changed in the case of Lumiya 550.
Microsoft Lumia 550 LTE, reviews of which the reader can find in today's review, is still the same plastic case, built on the so-called "shoe" principle. By the way, it is put on the base. If we talk about color combinations, then there is nothing special to mention. There are only two of them in this case. These are classic colors: white and black. As we know, Microsoft has always tried to work to offer customers the greatest number of device colors. However, now it was initially clear that the sales level of Lumiya 550 would be quite low. And if so, then why waste extra money and time?
The smartphone lies well in the hand, we can say that it is reliable. As for the quality of plastic, there is not much to talk about. The quality is standard, the first time it keeps well, but then scratches will definitely appear. The same disadvantage, by the way, is also manifested in the screen, since the protective glassnot very high quality and expensive.
The top end of the device accommodates a 3.5mm wired headphone jack. Below you can find a socket for connecting a microUSB cable. On the right side there is a double key that allows you to adjust the playback volume and change the sound mode. There is also a screen lock button. The sound speaker goes to the back cover. It is located near the camera and LED flash section.
The device is easy to open. To do this, pull the body towards you. It feels like we are dealing with a case. This type of design has been tested by Microsoft on a huge number of models. And, it should be noted, it is very, very reliable. Time-tested, so to speak. After "opening" inside, you can find a lithium-ion type battery. There is also a slot for installing a SIM card. There is a slot for integrating an external MicroSD memory drive.
The engineers behind the speaker grill did not see. The designers also did nothing to protect it from clogging with dust. After a while, this element will look untidy, at least. However, no problems with the voice of the interlocutor during multiple tests were noticed. Quality will not suffer either.
Screen
Well, what can you say about this element? Everything is pretty standard for a budget device. The display has a diagonal of 4.7 inches, with a resolution of 1280 by 720pixels. This means that the picture is displayed on the screen in HD quality. Matrix type IPS.
Actually, for a budget smartphone, such characteristics are quite typical, and usually this is not surprising, but in the "Lumia 550" such a screen just took root, became something integral and significant. It will not impress the user's imagination, but even with fairly demanding tasks it copes truly excellently. The entire set of necessary parameters is present. There is even more than we used to demand from budget devices. The only negative quality of the display is its work in sunlight. It begins to change the contrast somehow unpredictably, and if the situation is more or less good with the picture, then the text becomes hard to read. In general, for its segment and such a price, "Lumiya 550" has a quite high-quality screen.
Battery
A lithium-ion type battery is installed in the device as a source of battery life. It is rated at 2,100 milliamps per hour. In standby mode, the smartphone can work for about one month. Or rather, 28 days. In the third generation network, work is provided for 16 hours. Music can be played up to 60 hours. But when connected to a Wi-Fi access point, the device will live no more than a full working day. That is 8 hours and no more. Even less when watching a video.
With standard use of "Lumiya 550" it will be possible to squeeze out a day or two of work without additional charging. Butit is interesting that there is still no unequivocal answer to how much the device is really capable of working. Here the problem lies in the fact that the operating system is not finalized. That is why different users call different numbers. By the way, you can charge the device in two hours from 0 to 100 percent.
Communications
The user is unlikely to be happy with it, since a completely standard set of protocols and capabilities is available for "consumption". This is, for example, Wi-Fi operating in the b, g and n bands. There is "Bluetooth" version 4.1 and MicroUSB. To rejoice, perhaps, it is possible for the LTE module. But not more. In general, in terms of its communication capabilities, the smartphone outperforms not so many competitors in the same price category.
Hardware platform
Inside you can find no less standard solution provided by Microsoft. We are now talking about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor. It runs on four cores. The maximum clock frequency is 1.1 GHz. Thanks to the chipset, the system interface works quite quickly. Although this is also typical for the "template" solutions of the company. At the same time, lags may occur in third-party applications, and a lack of power will appear in medium-sized games. As we can see, the data is not particularly impressive.
Photos & Videos
"Front camera" of the device has quality 2megapixel. There is nothing to pay special attention to here. There is no quality, no additional advanced settings. The main module has a resolution of five megapixels. The camera is standard, equipped with the function of automatic focusing on the subject. Shoots well in sunlight. However, interference becomes noticeable indoors. Nevertheless, according to this parameter, the Lumia 550 is capable of "breaking" many devices running the Android OS that have camera modules with a resolution of eight megapixels.
In the settings we will not find anything special. Changing the white balance, exposure, other parameters - it's all there. But there is nothing special, characteristic of photographic devices, here. For comparison, you can take the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser. This is not a good example because the device is based on the Android OS. Nevertheless, the Taiwanese company has invested its soul into this phone, not just money, but it perfectly demonstrates what settings should be in a phone equipped with cameras.
Software
So it's time to talk about the main problem that the Microsoft Lumia 550 (Black) smartphone has, whose performance reviews clearly do not agitate us to buy this device. Although the developers themselves tried to present it as the main feature, thanks to which the company was counting on the main sales. We will not go into the features of the Windows 10 Mobile OS. This topic deserves detailed consideration in a separate context. All you need to knowusers about the operating system is that it is crude and extremely unfinished. At one time, the Windows Fawn OS also passed this stage. And if things are still bad with her, then with the new product it is even worse. In this light, none of them looks like a worthy alternative for Android. Although the developers themselves are trying to convince us otherwise. We can talk about claims to Windows 10 Mobile for a long time. But is it worth it now? Better continue our review.
Conclusion and general impressions
If we talk about sound quality, then everything is in order. Standard for the vast majority of Microsoft devices. There is only one microphone. The vibrating alert is pretty quiet. But in most situations, when an incoming call is still felt.
At the beginning of sales Microsoft Lumia 550 White, reviews of which you can find below, cost 10 thousand rubles. Almost immediately, the price fell by a thousand, since there was no tangible demand. It is possible that soon the price will fall even more. The model has a large number of internal competitors. However, the most successful of them is Lumiya 540.
Microsoft Lumia 550 smartphone. Reviews about the device
Many users who bought the device described it as "not good for anything". It will not work for entertainment: it does not have the necessary performance. But as a "workhorse" for calls and gatherings in the international network, too, it will not be particularly useful: dampnessoperating system affects the rapid discharge of the battery. Who can purchase this device? Probably only the most ardent fans of the Windows operating system. In any other case, it is simply impossible to explain such a zeal to use the device, which, in fact, is an absolutely useless investment. There is a huge number of both external and internal competitors for the model, which for a more modest amount offer a greater range of features, both operational and hardware.
We are talking about the speed of the OS, software in general, the results that both smartphone cameras demonstrate and so on. Clinging to the screen and arguing your choice with its characteristics will also fail. It turns out that there is nothing special in the subject of our today's review. And indeed it is. The smartphone that was the topic of our discussion is not bad for gatherings on social networks, reading books and articles on the Internet, but nothing more.
