The Lumia 630 was announced last month at Microsoft’s BUILD conference, alongside its counterpart, the 635, and the new flagship handset, the Lumia 930. Designed around Windows Phone 8.1, and targeted squarely at the lower end of the market, the 630 has assumed the role of the first device to go on sale with the updated OS.
Microsoft’s newly acquired Nokia division launched the 630 in India a couple of days ago, where it will go on sale from Rs.10,500 INR. Many other markets will soon see the affordable handset too, including Russia and parts of Asia, such as China and the Philippines, among others.
The Lumia 630 is also heading to Europe later this month, and today, Nokia confirmed pricing for Eurozone markets. Both versions of the 3G-only Lumia 630 will be made available in Europe: the standard single-SIM model will be priced at €119 EUR (excluding taxes and subsidies), while the dual-SIM variant will cost a little more, at €129. The company had previously announced dollar-pricing at its launch event in San Francisco, but exact prices for each market around the world tend to differ slightly.
While the dual-SIM capabilities of the device have been introduced primarily to target those in emerging markets - where not everyone can afford their own smartphone, and handsets are often shared between family members - the ability to use two SIMs concurrently in the same phone may also be of use to individuals wanting to switch easily between personal and work numbers on the same device, for example.
The Lumia 630 offers a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC and 8GB of onboard storage, along with a 4.5-inch ClearBlack IPS LCD protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display’s resolution is just 854x480px - relatively low for such a large screen, but not at all surprising, given the handset"s low cost. There’s only 512MB of RAM too (bizarrely, even less than the entry-level Lumia 525), and no front-facing camera, but you will get a 5MP rear camera, albeit with no flash.
The Lumia 635, which adds 4G connectivity into the mix, will also be coming to Europe; it is expected to cost around €149 (before taxes and subsidies), although Microsoft has not yet confirmed local pricing for that device. The 635 will also go on sale in the United States in July, priced at $189 USD (before taxes and subsidies).
We’ll be reviewing the Lumia 630 later this month, so stay tuned to Neowin to find out if it’s any good!