An entry-level smartphone based on Windows 8.1 with very good technical specifications is the Lumia 640. Its capabilities, as well as all the nuances associated with operation, will be discussed in detail in this review. There will also be a list of the pros and cons of this device, starting from which recommendations will be given regarding its purchase.
Smartphone positioning
Technical parameters do not allow referring even to the middle segment of mobile devices Lumia 640. Reviews in this regard highlight the central processor, which is outdated both morally and physically. But at the same time, we do not forget that the Windows operating system for mobile gadgets boasts a high degree of optimization. Therefore, in comparison with direct competitors represented by Android, it requires much less hardware resources to ensure its normal functioning. It is this plus that distinguishes the devices of this software platform against the background of direct competitors. Accordingly, this device is perfect for those who need an inexpensive entry-level device with modest technicalspecifications, but with an acceptable level of performance. This “smart” phone can boast of just such a combination. It should also be noted that this smartphone is based on the developments of NOKIA, absorbed relatively recently by Microsoft Corporation, whose logo is printed on the gadget's body.
Device equipment
The equipment of this device is very, very scarce. Smartphone Microsoft Lumia 640 boasts the following list of accessories, documentation and components:
- The smartphone itself with a removable battery installed in it.
- Charger.
- Warranty card and multilingual instruction manual.
New owners of this device will immediately have to additionally buy a protective film for the front panel, a case, a memory card, a stereo headset and an interface cord. Without these accessories, it will be simply impossible to unleash the full potential of this "smart" phone.
Appearance and ergonomics
Phone Lumia 640 is a familiar candy bar with support for touch input. On its front panel there is a high-quality 5-inch display, the lower part of which is occupied by the usual control panel of 3 standard buttons. Accordingly, there are no separate touch buttons on this device. Below is only a black strip, on which there are no controls or communications. Above, above the screen, there is a speaker, the manufacturer's logo, a hole in the front camera and a wholeset of sensory elements. On the left side of the smartphone, controls are intelligently grouped: the smart phone lock button and the gadget's volume controls. This allows, even with such a large display diagonal as 5 inches, to control it only with the fingers of one hand (in this case, the right one). There are no important elements on the opposite side of the device. Above is a port for connecting wired acoustics. Well, at the bottom - a micro-USB port and a hole for a spoken microphone. On the back cover is the main camera with a single LED backlight. There is also the logo of the manufacturer. There are four options for the design of the body of this device. In addition to the usual white and black, there is also orange and blue. The matte surface of the body is only in the black version, and all the rest - with a glossy finish. The front panel of the gadget is protected from possible damage by Gorilla Eye and, of course, the third generation.
Central processing unit
A very modest CPU model is installed in the Lumia 640. This is the Snapdragon 400 chip, developed by Qualcom, a leading manufacturer of CPUs for mobile gadgets. It consists of 4 computing clusters, each of which is based on the energy-efficient Cortex A7 architecture. But at the same time, the required level of performance is achieved by increasing the computing modules. In this case, there are 4 of them, and this is quite enough for the normal operation of multi-threaded applications. The frequency of each core changes dynamically and canreach 1.2 GHz. This processor is manufactured using 28nm technology. For the latest versions of Android, the capabilities of this semiconductor crystal are clearly not enough. But Windows Background is no longer so demanding on the hardware resources of a mobile device. Accordingly, all the software that is available for this software platform will run on such a gadget as the Lumia 640 smartphone without any problems.
Display and its characteristics
The regular version of this smartphone is equipped with a 5-inch display. Its resolution is 1280x720, that is, the picture on it is displayed as 720p. The pixel density in this case is equal to 294ppi, which is quite good by today's standards. The screen matrix itself is made using the IPS technology. This ensures excellent color reproduction on this smartphone, as well as an acceptable level of energy efficiency. Another plus of the device is the presence of a special sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness of the touch screen. There is also a more advanced model of this smartphone - Nokia Lumia 640 XL. The difference between these devices lies in the diagonal of the screen. In this case, it is increased by 0.7 inches and is 5.7 inches. But the resolution of the screen itself has not changed. As a result, on a device with a larger diagonal, the image quality is worse than on the younger model.
Graphics accelerator
"Adreno 305" - it is this model of the graphics accelerator installed in the Lumia 640. This video accelerator cannot boast of a high level of performance. But himthe main task is to free the central processor from processing graphic information and thereby increase the overall performance of the mobile system. And he does an excellent job with this task. Separately, it should also be noted that this operating system is optimized for "modest" hardware. As a result, we get a completely balanced solution, both from the standpoint of hardware and software.
Cameras
Sufficiently high-quality cameras are installed in the Lumia 640. Their characteristics are not impressive, but this does not mean that they cannot be used to get high-quality pictures. The main camera has an 8MP sensor. There is a high-quality system of automatic focusing of the image and a single LED backlight. Also, the developers did not forget to equip it with digital zoom. Other highlights of this camera include a BSI sensor and f/2.2 aperture. As a result, the photo quality is really excellent, especially for an entry-level gadget. Video this smartphone can record with an image resolution of 1920x1080. In this case, the picture will be updated 30 times per second. Therefore, with the recording of videos, this smartphone is also all right. A more modest 0.9 MP sensor underlies the front camera. But this does not prevent her from recording video in 720p format (that is, calls will be made in exactly the same quality). It does not have an autofocus system, but it is quite enough for an average-quality selfie.
Memory
No complaints and the memory subsystem in Lumia640. Its characteristics are really good for such a software platform. The amount of installed RAM is 1 GB. For the simultaneous launch of several resource-intensive applications, this is quite enough. In this case, the interface will work smoothly and without "glitches". The capacity of the integrated disk drive in this device is 8 GB. Some of them are occupied by the operating system. As a result, you can't do without an external drive in the form of a flash card. Its maximum capacity can be 128 GB. The only drawback in this case is that you will have to buy this accessory separately and for an additional fee. Also, Microsoft Corporation, to stimulate sales of mobile gadgets based on its software platform, provides buyers of this device with 30 GB free of charge for a period of 1 year on its OneDrive cloud service. As a result, the above parameters of the memory subsystem are quite enough for comfortable and convenient work on a device such as a Microsoft Lumia 640 smartphone.
Battery and autonomy of the device
As noted earlier, the battery is removable in the Lumia 640. Reviews highlight its rather high capacity of 2500 mAh. This, according to the manufacturer, is enough for 26 and a half hours of continuous communication in second-generation cellular networks. For 3G, this value decreases by 6 hours and is already equal to 17.5 hours. If the gadget is used as an MP3 player, then one battery charge will last for 86 hours. In standby mode, this device can last 36 days. In reality, the owner of this gadgetcan count on 2-3 days of battery life at an average load level. If you increase it, the time will be reduced to 10-12 hours (this is true for the most demanding games of the latest generation). Well, in the most saving mode, you can count on 5 days of work without recharging.
Data sharing
By the number of installed SIM cards, this smartphone model can be with 1 or 2 slots for installing them. The last one is called Lumia 640 Dual Sim. Reviews highlight the high quality of work of this model with two cards installed. However, no major problems were found. The device itself can work in any GSM networks: from 2G to 4G. He has no problem with all of this. At the same time, its information transfer rate varies from several hundred kilobits per second to a solid 150 megabits per second. The gadget also supports the most common Wi-Fi standards: b, g, and n. Since the remaining standards a and ac are compatible with the three above, there are no problems with the operation of such wired networks either.
The developers have not forgotten about the "Bluetooth". In this case, we are talking about its 4th version, which allows, in addition to exchanging data with similar mobile devices, also connect a wireless headset to a smartphone. Navigation capabilities of the device are implemented using GPS technology. As noted earlier, using the HERE service, it allows you to determine the location of the gadget even without an Internet connection. Additionally, the device is implementedA-GPS technology. It determines the location by a signal from cell towers. However, an internet connection is required. If this method's accuracy within the limits of the settlement is acceptable, then there may be problems on the track. Another important interface is NFC, which allows you to quickly transfer a large amount of information to a similar device in a matter of minutes. But there are only two wired interfaces in the Microsoft Lumia 640. Reviews emphasize the high quality of sound received from the audio port. Well, the second interface is a micro-USB, located on the bottom of the smartphone.
Soft
Initially, version 8.1 of the Windows operating system was installed on this gadget. Lumia 640 functioned perfectly under her control. But the hardware of this device made it possible to update the system software. As a result, in June of this year, an update for this model to the 10th version of Windows Phone was released. A similar upgrade of the software part occurred for the older model - Nokia Lumia 640 XL. But the level of sales of gadgets of this platform is very modest. In order to somehow stimulate this process, Microsoft decided to supplement this smartphone with a number of nice bonuses. The first of them (it was mentioned earlier) is 30 GB on the cloud service of this company OneDrive for a period of 1 year, and absolutely free. Another plus of this gadget is the pre-installed Microsoft Office suite. In addition to it, smartphone owners also receive a one-year subscription to Office 365 absolutely free of charge. For implementationphoto editing on the device is preinstalled "Photoshop Express" from "Adobe". But the navigation functions of this “smart” phone can be performed by the HERE + mapping service developed by Nokia. Its main advantage is the ability to determine the location without an Internet connection. For this, only the GPS signal is used. But for making video calls on this device, the most popular product to date, Skype, is preinstalled.
Price
The Microsoft Lumia 640 was originally available for $223. But even at that time, a device with similar parameters on other platforms was much cheaper. Therefore, after a significant decrease in demand for this gadget, the price dropped to $160. Now the cost of the gadget has decreased even more and is $ 150. Such a price tag fully corresponds to the software and hardware capabilities of this smartphone.
Owner reviews about the device
Essentially, only one significant minus in the Microsoft Lumia 640. Reviews highlight the software platform of the gadget. So far, the operating system called "Windows Background" has not received much distribution. Therefore, in the segment of entry-level solutions, Android-based smartphones still dominate. But, as can be seen from the previously presented material, Microsoft is trying to change the current situation in its favor. Moreover, she has everything necessary for this. Otherwise, the Microsoft Lumia 640 phone is a worthy alternative to any similar gadget on the other hand.platforms. Its software is highly optimized for hardware stuffing. As a result, the performance of the system is quite enough to solve any problem. Well, software bonuses are a nice addition.
And what do we have?
If it were not for the software component, the Lumia 640 gadget would be out of competition in the budget segment. But still, this is a very tempting offer among entry-level devices.
