It has been a while since I have tried a new Windows Phone device, so why not. Here are my quick thoughts on the Microsoft Lumia 640, after spending a bit of time with it.
For a sub S$300 device, it feels remarkably well-built. Something I have come to expect of Lumia devices. The design is a pretty uninspiring rectangular slab, but having the option of exchangeable brightly coloured shells does help. The phone does feel a little lighter than expected though for a phone this size.
The back shells are not the only thing that is removable though. Like many lower-tier Windows Phone devices, the battery is removable as well, and it also comes with a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage.
The front houses a 5.0-inches, 720 by 1280 pixels, IPS LCD display, protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. The display looks pretty good for a low cost device. It has nice colours, along with decent viewing angles. With Microsoft's sunlight visibility tweaks, like boosting the brightness and contrast, the display maintained highly visible even under bright sunlight.
Powering the phone is a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2GHz, with 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Windows Phone has always been known for its low system requirement, and the processor is definitely more than capable of providing a smooth user experience. I did noticed dramatic slowdowns, and lag in the UI initially when setting up the phone, and installing a bunch of apps.
Under normal usage, the UI is smooth, and generally snappy. I did however notice dropped frames in the UI animation occasionally. Touch responsiveness also seems to be just a little bit tardy to me, but really, nothing worth actually complaining about.
The 8GB of internal storage might be an issue for some users, but Windows Phone 8.1 does allow for app installation on the MicroSD card, which does help alleviate the issue. Not to mention that the weaker app ecosystem compared to iOS and Android, means that you probably will not be installing a huge amount of apps.
The position of the speaker on the rear, and the tiny cut-out, means that just placing the phone on a flat surface with the screen facing up will muffle the speaker. It does get decently loud, but it sounds rather tinny. Even at this price point, I have definitely heard better speakers on other devices.
Keeping the phone powered, is a 2,500 mAh removable battery, which is definitely a plus point of the phone. Based on my short time with it, I am seeing great standby battery life. A day of regular use can be easily achieved, and for lighter usage, I can definitely see the phone lasting 2 days or more. It also helps that Windows Phone does have a frugal battery saver mode when it comes to making that last bit of battery count.
Software wise, it is running Windows Phone 8.1 update 2. While I personally do like Windows Phone's Live Tile system, it is probably not going to be for everyone. Personally, I think the Live Tile system is a lot more customisable compared to anything iOS and Android has to offer when it comes to home screens. I do like the simple, and bold look of it as well.
(A quick search on Windows Phone app store shows tons of Google apps,
but the only official app from Google itself is the 1st "Google" app.)
The main problem I have with the platform is just its ecosystem. In particular, the lack of Google support. Other than a "Google" search app that has not been updated since 2013, there are no other Google apps available. Not even an official YouTube app, or Google Maps app. While there are other third party alternatives, it is just not the same as official apps when it comes to support.
The same can be said for a lot of other apps. Often than not, you are going to have to rely on third party alternatives since the "official" apps are often non-existent, or has not been updated in a long long time. Most Windows Phone user will be quick to point out that the third party alternative of Instagram "6tag" is much better than the official app, and it is true. If you have paid for the app to remove ads, the app's functionality and UI is better than the official client on iOS or Android to me. But really, this is just one of a few examples in which the third party alternatives are better.
Most of the time, third party alternatives offer sub-par experiences over the official version available on other platforms. Even when there are official apps, often the experience they provide are not as good as compared to their iOS and Android counterpart. It does not help that Microsoft is doing the same too. Office 365 for example, gives a much nicer experience on iOS compared to Microsoft's own Windows Phone. Just a few days back they rolled-out new features to OneNote, and even that debuted on iOS first.
On the back of the phone, we find an 8MP camera. The camera on the Lumia 640 is actually surprisingly good. The Lumia Camera app is dead simple to use on full auto mode, and it gives you manual controls if you wish to. The Lumia Camera app is still has the most intuitive manual camera app I have used on a smartphone thus far.
(Simply pull the shutter button to the left slightly to get manual settings,
and if you want to reset the settings slightly pull left again to go back to full auto)
Image quality is good, and it really showcases
(Indoors with a single ceiling lamp,
Auto Mode, ISO: 640, Exposure: 1/13)
(Indoors with dim ambient light,
Auto Mode, ISO: 3200, Exposure: 1/8)
In lowlight/night, the camera is pretty decent too for a phone without OIS. Shutter speeds are kept fast enough most of the time to ensure a decent shot, but the image quality is not going to blow anyone away. The plus side is that you can use manual camera mode for more control, like using a slower shutter speed, and limiting the ISO.
(Auto Mode, ISO: 640, Exposure: 1/15)
(Manual Mode, ISO: 800, Exposure: 1/6)
(Manual Mode, ISO: 64, Exposure: 1.6s)
(Manual Mode, ISO: 64, Exposure: 4s)
It is really nice to see that a lot of sub S$300 smartphones having decent camera these days, like the Moto G 2nd Gen, and the Xiaomi Mi 4i for example. While I think that the camera hardware on the Lumia 640 might not be as good as the other two,
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Overall, I think that the Lumia 640 is a rather nice little device for its price. It has good battery life, good looking screen, good looking hardware, solid build, and a camera that punches above its price point. Not to mention that it will also be amongst the first devices to receive the latest Windows 10 update when it arrives. However, its appeal hinges heavily on how reliant you are on Google's services, and other apps. Something that I hope would be improved come Windows 10.
If you are not heavily reliant on Google's services, or a heavy app user, the Lumia 640 is a competent little device at its price point. Not to mention that I think Windows Phone's UI makes it a great platform for first time smartphone buyer. But it does face stiff challenges from Android-powered alternatives like the Xiaomi Mi 4i. Offering much better specifications on paper, and not to mention a matured ecosystem to boot.
Like with most Windows Phone devices, it is hard to really recommend the device to anyone at this point unless they really want a Windows Phone. It is not that Windows Phone is inherently a bad platform. It is just that at this point, it comes with too many caveats, and trade-offs that I think most consumers would not be willing to live with.
