Microsoft has made a habit of releasing affordable smartphones, we can’t help but admire Microsoft for this. The Lumia 640 XL is the latest in that long line of budget friendly devices that i strongly recommend. It’s a solid device that won’t rip off your pocket.
The design is immediately familiar to anyone who’d used or even seen a Lumia device before. The front is a perfectly flat piece of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and the rear has a removable plastic shell. This is the matte finish white shell, which is both attractive and comfortable to hold, and there are more colorful and glossy options for those who want them. Apart from the contrasting simple matte Microsoft logo on the back there is the 13 MP Carl Zeiss camera, the LED flash and a small speaker whole. The edges around the device are almost entirely flat, except for the small raised hump on the back where the 3.5 mm jack is. I am impressed by the placement and the click-ability of the Lumia 640 XL volume and power button, they give just the right amount of feedback and that’s pretty impressive considering they aren’t built into the phone itself but rather the case. It is respectably light and weigEveryone does the same thing when they pick up a new smartphone: They try out the camera. The camera on this newLumia 640 XL is great, which means everyone will, initially, be very happy with this big Windows phone. It’s probably the best camera you can get on a smartphone that costs between $200 and $300—relatively inexpensive for a device with a 5.7-inch screen. It’s coming to the US soon (on AT&T, T-Mobile, and MetroPCS) and is already available in Europe in different configurations, including 4G LTE, 3G, and dual-SIM.
The handset sports a Carl Zeiss lens on the center of its back. Inside is a 13-megapixel sensor, and the aperture is rated at f/2.0. The 640 XL does not boast the best camera software on a phone ever, but it comes with intriguing features like burst mode, HDR capabilities, and something called Dynamic Flash. This feature captures images automatically both with and without flash, giving you the power to decide the balance between the two shots afterwards. For having such a powerful camera, it’s curious that there’s no dedicated physical shutter button. Still, the camera is easily accessed by swiping down the notifications panel from the top and tapping on the quick-action camera icon.
As in previous versions of Lumia Windows phones, the Lumia Camera app supports additional “lenses” that let you add options and features. The Selfie lens lets you snap good-looking self portraits using the main camera, and the Refocus lens allows you to disregard focus entirely. It takes a picture and lets you adjust the focus later, as many times as you want.
But why do these “lenses” need to be downloaded separately instead of packaged into the phone’s camera software? Microsoft is still following the path Nokia laid years ago, and it unnecessarily complicates things here. Regardless, the features work. Outdoor images show vivid colors and details; though not everything is perfect. Shooting in low light conditions renders more noise and grain, but photos are decent. Videos can be shot in 1080p at 30 frames per second with either camera—there’s also a 5-megapixel f/2.4 wide-angle front-facing lens.
All of the camera hardware is great, especially for a budget phone. But the screen is where the 640 XL’s low-tier limits surface. The IPS LCD panel suffers from reflection issues, and its 720p resolution is a bit too stretched for its 5.7-inch size—the same size as theGalaxy Note 4. But while Microsoft scores a pixel density of just 259 ppi, Samsung’s device in the same size class tops at 515 ppi. While the Lumia’s screen can’t compete with the Note’s clarity, it’s still a decent display with good resolution and color accuracy.
The big display is really utilized well by productivity apps as Outlook, and Excel—not to mention Cortana. The last-generation 1.2 GHz quad-core processor is powerful enough to support good multitasking and still lasts a whole day without entirely draining the 3,000 mAh replaceable battery. During my review, I charged it about every two days—one of the things I most appreciated. The RAM is another important upgrade: With 1GB of memory, the 640 XL has better software compatibility and app support than most of the budget phones on the mid-lower range. Windows Phone runs smoothly here. Images flow nicely when streaming videos and playing games, and since some apps no longer support devices with 512MB of RAM, the bump up to double that amount is more than welcome. Such specs are meant to sustain the phone through Windows 10, too: This Lumia will get the update as soon as it becomes available later this year.
Meanwhile, the Lumia Denim update has brought some other improvements, such as Kids Mode, Guest Mode, and Glance Screen (which adds detailed notifications on the display, along with the floating clock). One of the features I prefer is Data Sense: It’s an option that compresses images in the browser and blocks some ads, reducing the data you consume while surfing the web. You can even use it to set one-time or monthly limits, to avoid unexpected charges.
The more you use Windows Phone, the more you see how its matured, and how much attention to detail drove the last update—at least until you open a third-party app. Then, the inevitable disappointment hits. Really, how can such a big screen show me a measly two tweets at a time? How is it even possible that I still can’t turn off notifications from a single Facebook conversation? Why do I have to awkwardly scroll through Flipboard, instead of—you know—flipping? It’s like using the first, hacked-together versions of most apps, or even unofficial ones. It’s depressing.
This phone is a great pick for somebody’s first smartphone. It has kick-ass hardware at an affordable price: In Europe, the 3G model currently starts at 189 euros (around $210 USD), while the LTE model is priced at 219 euros ($245 USD). Translation: really inexpensive. In the US, the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL is coming later this summer on AT&T, T-Mobile, and MetroPCS. Costs will likely be comparable. You can choose between four different colors: matte cyan, orange, white, and black. Note that the glossy white finish shows off fingerprints like crazy—so please, whatever you do, go for the matte look.hts less than Samsung’s metal phablet. As an overall package it’s good looking and it feels well made, but it isn’t the top premium feel.
To save on cost Microsoft opted not to go with a 1080p display on the 640 XL, but i can’t help it feel that it wasn’t the right choice. Instead we have a 5.7 inch 720 x 1080 Clear Black LCD panel, and it has a pixel density of just 259 pixels per inch. I have to say the large display isn’t terrible, far from it, it has a lot of contrast which isn’t usual for an LCD display. Blacks almost looks completely black like. This extra contrast gives the illusion of sharpness when gaming or watching videos, so the experience of using it is actually rather good. Colors are vivid to when looking at them had on, it’s when you look at txt is when you notice the issues, edges are a little fuzzy and you can distinguish individual pixel when you are looking at the screen closer than an arms length. Still the size and the light from the screen should easily make up for that.
One area that really surprised me was the camera. I was expecting the Carl Zeiss lenses to amount of nothing, but i was so wrong, the rear sensor packs in 13 megapixels and doesn’t just produce sharp images, but great color to. On a sunny day the balance of tones and colors is truly impressive, blues, greens and reds all come through brilliantly, leaving me with an image i wasn’t even expecting and this was all in Auto mode. The only criticism i have is that it wasn’t quick enough for my liking, there was noticeable delay when trying to capture an action shot, but for still photographs the Lumia 640 XL is one of the best sensors i used on any phone, regardless of price.
There are several models of the Lumia 640 XL including LTE and dual-sim versions and the price varies depending on which you go for. The XL isn’t currently available in the US, but in the UK the price is around 200 pounds, that’s 30 pounds less than a Lumia 830 and slightly more than a Lumia 735. For that kinda money it is hard to criticize the phone.
Microsoft Lumia 640 XL complete specifications
| Manufacturer | Microsoft Mobile (Microsoft) |
|---|---|
| Series | Lumia |
| Compatible networks | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 HSPA 900/2100 (+ 850/1900 for RM-1018/RM-1020) |
| Availability by country | Available (Dual-Sim and Single Sim variant availability depends on region) |
| Predecessor | Nokia Lumia 630 Nokia Lumia 635 (LTE) |
| Type | Smartphone (Microsoft Lumia 640) Phablet (Microsoft Lumia 640 XL) |
| Form factor | Slate |
| Operating system | Windows Phone 8.1 (Lumia Denim) |
| System on chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 |
| CPU | 1.2 GHz quad-core QualcommKrait |
| GPU | Qualcomm Adreno 305 |
| Memory | 1 GB RAM |
| Storage | 8 GB Internal |
| Removable storage | 128 GB,[1] microSD |
| Battery | 2500 mAh (Lumia 640) 3000 mAh (Lumia 640 XL) |
| Data inputs | Multi-touch capacitivetouchscreen |
| Display | 5-inch IPS LCD, HD 1280×720 resolution, 294 ppi (Lumia 640) 5.7-inch IPS LCD, HD 1280×720 resolution, 258 ppi (Lumia 640 XL) Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Rear camera | 8.0 MP auto-focus, f/2.2 with LED flash, FHD 1920×1080 video (Lumia 640) 13.0 MP auto-focus, f/2.0 with LED flash, FHD 1920×1080 video (Lumia 640 XL) |
| Front camera | 1.0 MP, 720p video (Lumia 640) 5.0 MP, 1080p video (Lumia 640 XL) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) Assisted GPS GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou Micro-USB 2.0 Wi-Fi :802.11b/g/n, WiFi Hotspot Wi-Fi-based positioning system (WPS) FM Radio, Internet Radio |
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