The subject of our today's review will be the Lumiya 640 mobile phone, a review of which you can find at the end of this article. I remember that until recently in the arsenal of Microsoft there were no devices that were equipped with a screen that had a diagonal of 5 inches and displayed an image in HD quality. Thus, we can say that the company refused to compete with other manufacturers that supplied their smartphones to the most demanded market segment.
But let's not forget that before the device called “Lumia 640”, which can be reviewed by any user, there was another model in the product line. We are talking about Lumiya 535. She just did have a five-inch display. However, the resolution was only 960 x 540 pixels. In addition, the model was characterized by aggressive positioning in terms of price. As a result of all this, the smartphone stood out significantly against the background ofclosest competitors, gaining enormous demand almost instantly.
Intro
The company's engineers decided to take this issue seriously. From their point of view, the advantage of the previous model needed to be strengthened and used to its fullest. What the employees of the company, in principle, did. Interestingly, the Lumiya 640, which we will try to formulate a review based on the characteristics of the phone, was supposed to press its competitors running on the Android operating system. Did she succeed? It is rather difficult to give a definite answer. However, one thing is visible to the naked eye: the device clearly dominates in its segment, leaving almost no chance for similar models.
Flaws
In general, the device is perceived positively by potential buyers. The good hardware of the smartphone has been noted more than once. However, the way the device is implemented is a real nightmare. And such a quality of implementation almost crosses out all the technical points in the bud. Despite the powerful filling, the smartphone, as shown by official sales data, remained of little demand even among admirers of the Finnish manufacturer's devices. There are no global shortcomings. But after all, all big pictures are made up of little things, right? And there are a lot of such moments in a smartphone called “Lumia 640”, a review of which almost every owner of a device running the Windows Phone operating system considers it a duty to leave.
For whom the device is suitable/not suitable
The Lumia 640 smartphone will not be accepted by those who want more opportunities in terms of watching movies, video clips and playing games. Regarding the first two, we can say that the multimedia player in the model is as simple as possible. Well, with games, everything is clear: the Windows Phone operating system is clearly not the platform from which you should expect a variety of entertainment. On this issue, it is best to turn to devices running the Android OS. That's really where there really is where to turn around!
Nevertheless, if you are an ardent fan of Windows Phone, you want to always have a working device with you, equipped with good cameras (and we are talking about both the main and the front), then the Lumiya 640 smartphone is simply created for you. In addition, we note that this is a good solution for people who do not want to overpay money for a device running the Windows Phone operating system. In its price segment, the device demonstrates fairly good performance, but the cost is not too high, unlike similar smartphones.
Two variations
“Lumia 640”, the characteristics of which we will analyze later, is supplied to the market in several versions. First, there is just the 640 model, but there is also the 640 XL. What is the difference between an ordinary device and a device called “Lumia 640 XL”? Firstly, the discrepancies in the diagonal of the screen are noticeable to the naked eye. “Lumia 640 XL” will be larger in size foraccount of this. Secondly, there is a difference in the cameras. The advanced model is equipped with a camera with a resolution of 13 megapixels. The usual 640th main camera has only 8 MP. The chipset is absolutely identical. The third difference lies in the battery. If the “Lumia 640”, the characteristics of which will be listed in the article, is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 2500 mAh, then in XL it is 500 more. However, even though the screen diagonal has become 0.7 inches larger, the display resolution has not changed at all. It's still the same HD quality - 1280 x 720 pixels.
Primary Conclusion
The Lumiya 640 phone was quickly classified by experts as a phablet. Frankly speaking, certain efforts of Microsoft engineers are still noticeable. Nevertheless, the device turned out to be very strange. It is clearly not necessary to speak about the successful sale of the goods. At least right now. No one knows what turns things will take in the future, but our task is to figure out what is happening at a given moment in time. But what was foreseen by the employees of the Finnish manufacturing company was that the Lumiya 640 phone would be of interest to the relevant audience even if grandiose sales were not launched and a new audience was not lured to the side of the company.
Quick Specs
To begin with, let's agree that we will analyze the very first model. That is, the one that was released without support for fourth-generation cellular networks. "Lumiya 640", the price of which in this variation is ten thousand rubles, wasimproved by engineers later. An LTE module has been added to it. However, the cost has increased to thirteen thousand rubles.
Communication
The device supports GSM and UMTS bands. Internet access is possible. For this, standards such as 3G, GPRS, and EDGE are used. There is no WAP technology. But after all, it is already morally obsolete, and why would we need it in this case? The owner of the phone, if there is a SIM card (or SIM cards) in it, can activate the Internet access point. This is done through the built-in modem. Thus, other subscribers can connect to an access point created by the owner of the phone in order to get out to the open spaces of the international network themselves. Smartphones with a Wi-Fi module, as well as tablet computers and laptops can act as subscribers.
“Lumia 640”, the price of which is ten thousand rubles in the usual version, is equipped with wireless data transmission modules. And we are talking not only about Wi-Fi operating in the b, g, and n bands, but also about the Bluetooth version 4.0 function. For users who use e-mail for messaging, there is a built-in e-mail client. It is possible to synchronize the device with a personal computer, as well as a laptop using the MicroUSB connector.
Display
The screen "Lumiya 640" has a diagonal equal to five inches. The screen resolution, as mentioned earlier, is 1280 x 720 pixels. That is, the picture on the display is displayed in HD quality. Color rendition is within reason. Yes, not the bestoption, but the picture is still colorful. There is a margin of brightness, so in natural light, fonts will be read from the screen without any effort. Transmits up to 16 million colors. In general, according to this parameter, there should be no complaints about the phone. The display matrix is made using IPS technology. In fact, this is a good solution that will allow the owner of the phone to tire their eyes less. This will positively affect their he alth. The touch display is a capacitive type, it supports the “Multi-touch” function, which allows you to process multiple taps on the screen at the same time. For added protection, we have 3rd generation Corning Gorilla Glass.
Cameras
The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. The front one is equipped with a worse module - only 2 MP. Nevertheless, she takes very good pictures. Next to the main camera is an LED flash. It allows the owner of the phone to take good photos even in low light conditions (and also in the absence of light). Video clips on the main camera are recorded at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The frame rate is 30 frames per second. Note that in the XL model, the cameras are an order of magnitude better. The resolution of the main one in it is 13 megapixels, the front one is 5 MP. The Lumia 640 case will have no effect on shooting comfort.
Hardware
As a chipset we have a Qualcomm family processor. In our case, this is the Snapdragon 400 model. The chipset includesfour cores at once, the maximum clock frequency of which can reach 1.2 gigahertz.
Memory
The device has a built-in amount of "RAM", equal to 1024 megabytes. Not very much, but not a little either. Such is the golden mean for a budget device. The operating system takes some part for itself, but applications work stably even in multitasking mode. There are no lags and friezes, the OS works quickly and smartly, without causing discomfort to the owner when handling the phone.
A little more than eight thousand megabytes are provided to the user for storing personal data. Not enough to store movies and music. If we also take into account photos, as well as applications … Nevertheless, engineers have provided for the possibility of installing a MicroSD memory card. Its maximum supported volume in the case of the subject of our today's review is 128 gigabytes. A lot, isn't it? To install an external drive, you will have to remove the cover for the Lumiya 640, unfasten the back cover. Only then can the nest be discovered.
Complete set “Lumia 640”
The instruction is unlikely to tell the buyer of the device anything interesting. In addition to it, the package includes a battery for the device (with a capacity of 2500 mAh), a mains charger. Pretty modest.
Multimedia features
The set of functions here is standard. There is an audio player and a video player. It is possible to set ringtones and songs in MP3 format for a call. Availableanalog radio. To use it, you will need to connect a wired stereo headset to your phone, which is not included in the package. However, like the MicroUSB cable. A 3.5 mm standard port is provided for connecting headphones.
Operating system and navigation
The OS on board the subject of our today's review is Windows Phone 8.1. Navigation in space is carried out due to A-GPS technologies, as well as A-GLONASS. At the same time, work with the Chinese BeiDou system is supported. Thus, the phone is quite possible to use as a navigator for the car. The cards work stably, and most importantly - accurately.
Case
Glossy plastic is used as the material of manufacture this time. Cheap, cheerful, but quite comfortable. The phone does not strive to slip out of hands during operation. The form factor is the same monoblock. The battery is removable. In the smartphone market, the device is available for purchase in several colors. This is a classic (black and white), as well as orange and blue. We can say that for the Lumiya line they (together with the green color) have become traditional. The back panels are not particularly impact resistant, but in many cases they successfully protect the smartphone's hardware.
Conclusion
Strong hardware, good cameras and corresponding cost were among the advantages of the phone. You can not ignore the material and design.
The disadvantages of the smartphone are mainly claims to the platform. Cameraworks well only in the light, and in low light conditions, the quality of pictures from the front device changes dramatically. Finally, we answer the question that interests some users, namely, how to set up the Lumiya 640. You can do this using the settings by going to the appropriate menu.
