Nokia Lumia 630 launches in the UK, priced at £89.95

While many are eagerly awaiting the launch of Nokia’s upcoming Lumia 930 flagship, not everyone can afford a top-of-the-range device. But for those with modest budgets, the more affordable Lumia 630 is certainly worth a look.

Having launched last week in parts of Asia, the 630 became the first device to go on sale with Windows Phone 8.1, and is also the first new handset to be released since Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nokia last month. Today, Microsoft announced that the new Lumia will go on sale in the UK on 29 May, priced at just £89.95 off-contract.

The 630 features a 4.5-inch ClearBlack IPS LCD screen with 854x480px resolution, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. There’s also a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, along with 8GB of internal storage, plus a microSD slot with support for cards up to 128GB. Additionally, you’ll find a 5MP rear camera, but no flash, and no front-facing camera either. Unlike Motorola's recently launched Moto E, which will sell for a similar price, the 630 does not have a smudge-resistant coating for those with greasy fingers.

The device is equipped with just 512MB of RAM too. However, Microsoft says that a key priority in its Windows Phone 8.1 development was to optimise the operating system for use on lower-end handsets, including those with just half a gig of RAM. But while the OS should run smoothly on the 630, some apps and games demand at least 1GB, and therefore won’t be able to run on it.

The UK won’t be getting the dual-SIM variant of the Lumia 630, so buyers there will have to make do with the standard single-SIM version instead. 3G connectivity is the fastest you’ll get on the 630, but if you’re planning to upgrade to a faster 4G device, you'll have to wait for the 635 to launch. Microsoft says that the 635 will come to the UK, but they're not yet ready to say exactly when it will launch there.

Nokia also says that the 630 is "the new entry-level Windows Phone 8.1 device". The Lumia 520 will continue to be sold at lower price points - and will of course be upgradeable to Windows Phone 8.1 - but the company has no immediate plans to launch a new Windows Phone 8.1 handset below the 630.

Sadly, though, if you want the version of the Lumia 630 that includes integrated digital TV, you’ll have to move to Brazil. And if you still aren't sold on the 630, here's a promotional video of someone kicking phones out of people's hands, because.. well we don't know why!