Microsoft doesn"t exactly have a shortage of entry-level smartphones these days. The range of low-end Lumia devices still available to buy in stores has grown in recent months to include the Lumia 530, 535, 630, 635, 636 and 638 (although not all of these handsets are available in every market), while the Lumia 520 and 525 continue to be sold in some parts of the world too.
But today, Microsoft expanded its range of affordable Windows Phones with two new devices that come with the latest OS version and Lumia Denim firmware.
Lumia 532
Like the Lumia 530, the 532 offers a 4-inch display with single- and dual-SIM variants - but the new handset is more than just tweaked specs in an old body. The Lumia 532 has been subtly redesigned compared with the 530, including Microsoft branding rather than that of Nokia. Its key specs include:
- 4-inch LCD with WVGA (800x480px) resolution and Glance
- Quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB onboard storage (plus microSD support up to 128GB)
- 5MP rear camera with fixed focus
- 0.3MP front-facing camera
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- 1560mAh battery
- Dual-SIM variant available
- 118.9 x 65.5 x 11.6mm; 136g?
The Lumia 532 will go on sale in parts of Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East next month, and Microsoft has set a guide price of €79 EUR (roughly $93 USD / £61 GBP / Rs.5,800 INR) off-contract before taxes and subsidies.
But alongside the 532, Microsoft also unveiled its first 400-series handset, which has become the company"s most affordable Windows Phone ever.
Lumia 435
Like the 532, the new Lumia 435 comes in single- and dual-SIM versions. It shares a similar design - though not an identical body - with the 532, and there are some (small) differences on the spec sheet too.
The Lumia 435"s key specs include:
- 4-inch LCD with WVGA (800x480px) resolution
- Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB onboard storage (plus microSD support up to 128GB)
- 2MP rear camera with fixed focus
- 0.3MP front-facing camera
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- 1560mAh battery
- Dual-SIM variant available
- 118.1 x 64.7 x 11.7mm; 134g?
The Lumia 435 will also begin rolling out in markets across Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia-Pacific and Africa next month, but it will be a more affordable option than the 532. Microsoft"s guide price for the Lumia 435 is €69 EUR ($81 / £53 / Rs.5,000) off-contract before taxes and subsidies - but as we"ve seen in the past, it won"t take long for prices to fall further.
The Lumia 530, for example, was unveiled just six months ago with a guide price of $115 off-contract; just three months later, carriers were selling it for as little as $50 in the US, and prices are continuing to drop around the world.
This article was updated after publication to correctly state that the Lumia 435 has a dual-core processor, not a quad-core one.