Microsoft launches the Lumia 535, hits the low end sweet spot

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In the middle of the (UK) night, Microsoft quietly launched its first Microsoft-branded Windows Phone, the Lumia 535, firmly hitting the low end 'affordable' sweet spot with a 5"-screened device that contains nothing surprising to AAWP readers but which should surprise plenty of newcomers to Windows Phone in the shops.

Lumia-535-with-cover

From the Lumia Conversations blog:

Today sees the launch of the new Microsoft Lumia 535, our “5x5x5” smartphone package bringing a 5-inch screen, 5-megapixel front- and rear-facing camera, and free integrated Microsoft experiences (such as Skype and OneNote) to more people at an affordable price.

Lumia 535 comes in two flavors: 3G Single SIM, or 3G Smart Dual SIM, both loaded with Windows Phone 8.1 and the Lumia Denim Update right out of the box. That means you’ll get a hugely personal experience with features including one-swipe Action Center, Word Flow, Live Folders and Cortana (where available).

Featuring the same wide-angle, 5-megapixel front-facing camera as the Lumia 730 and Lumia 735, the Lumia 535 not only provides you with crystal-clear imagery and the Lumia selfie app, but you’ll also be able to get more in shot during those Skype calls. For all those other non-selfie photographs, the rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with flash and the Lumia Camera app are at hand to beautifully and effortlessly capture the world.

The Lumia 535 as a 5-inch qHD (540p) display, 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and 1GB RAM, so familiar specifications, though the inclusion of the 735's great front camera is a great touch (and makes you wonder why someone might now buy the latter). With 8GB of internal storage plus microSD, the Lumia 535 comes in cyan, bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, and black, and should be available in the next few weeks in China, Hong Kong and Bangladesh.

Having said that nothing here is surprising, the price perhaps changes that, at only 110 Euros (before local taxes), SIM-free. For a 5"-screened smartphone, with Windows Phone's great UI speed and some decent components, the 535 is going to be insanely good value.

As usual from Microsoft, there's a promo video:

Equally usual is a personal hands-on video:

As I say, the thing to get excited about here is the price and possible market penetration worldwide. The 520 was a big seller, the 530 starting to make inroads and the 535 should cement that, not least because its screen size is 100% like for like with the Android and iOS flagships now - at first glance anyway. The previous budget Lumia to get close was the 625 and the 535 should knock that into a cocked hat.

There's an official product page too, here, complete with full specifications:

  • Lumia Denim
  • 140x72x9mm, 146g
  • Snapdragon 200 processor, 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM
  • 5" qHD display, 540x960 pixels, Sunlight readability enhancements, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3, High brightness mode
  • 8GB mass memory plus microSD up to 128GB, 15GB OneDrive storage
  • Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor
  • 1905mAh replaceable battery
  • 2G, 3G: GSM network: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, WCDMA network: Band 1 (2100 MHz), Band 8 (900 MHz)
  • microSIM
  • 5MP 1/4" rear camera, LED flash, FWVGA video capture
  • 5MP wide angle front camera

Of particular note is that there's no ClearBlack Display tech listed, but there's enough other brightness modes that maybe CBD isn't so essential. Also, we're not used to seeing CBD on the 5xx range. Watch this space for a review, should we manage to get our hands on a 535 in the next few months.