Last month, Nokia launched its low end, affordable Windows Phone in India for INR 12,999. The device was previewed in MWC earlier this year. It was meant to be the competitior for the low end androids to provide the same Windows Phone experience at a low cost but was it able to do so? To find out read the detailed review below.
Box contents:
The sales package of the device consists of the handset, charger, usb cable, in-ear headset with extra ear plugs, and the user manual.
Hardware:
The smart phone runs on a 800Mhz ARM Cortex-A5 processor with 256MB RAM ( Yes, 256! ) and Adreno 200 GPU. It has a sharp 65K capacitive 3.7-inch touchscreen display with 480×800 pixels (252 ppi). It has 8GB non-expandable in-built memory which is sufficient for its survival, though additional cloud storage is readily available. Accelerometer, proximity sensor, and compass (no gyro) are also present along with Bluetooth, WiFi(b/g/n) (finally with hotspot), and microUSB (v2.0) support. The device is powered by a 1300mAh battery, which can easily last for two days of normal usage or a day with heavy usage. Thanks to the low power requirement of the Snapdragon SoC and the operating system.
Build:
The device weighs 131.5g and measures 119 x 62 x 12 mm. It has the plastic glossy look which is very shiny, but the curves and the small size makes it a perfect fit in hands.
On the top there is a 3.5mm audio-out jack and a microUSB port for charging and synchronization.
The speaker and proximity sensor are in the front.
Then there’s the 5MP camera with LED flash on the back.
On bottom, there is the microphone along with the three touch keys in the front and speaker at the back.
   
Then there is the volume rocker, power key, and the two-step camera button on the left following the standard Windows key pattern.
Software:
The smartphone runs on Windows Phone 7.5 with no plans for upgrading to Windows Phone 7.8. The mobile OS runs very smoothly even on 256mb RAM with some bundled proprietary apps like Nokia Maps, Nokia Music etc.
                        
   
Nokia is always known best for its maps and it has proved it again. In addition to this, Nokia has introduced Mix Radio with Nokia Music starting with this device, which offers free unlimited online streaming of their collection. No matter you wanna hear Bollywood, Bengali, Punjabi, or English, they have a separate database ready for you.
There is another application from Nokia which is an add-on for the camera. It is called Camera extras and needs to be downloaded from the Marketplace. It adds a host of new features to help you get great clicks in all sorts of conditions. It adds three shooting modes ie: panorama, group shot, and action shot.
Adding to this, Microsoft has also brought gaming into action with Xbox LIVE. It is an online game hub which provides a platform where Xbox users can create profiles and customize their avatars and play games (obviously). All the games downloaded from the marketplace get added to this game hub, and the users can share scores, interact, and challenge other players around the globe.
Camera:
The device has a 5MP camera with LED flash which can take decent photos. Unfortunately it can only shoot videos up to 480p, but still they are usable.
Here are some of the shots:
              
       
Conclusion:
The device when used just out of the box leaves a very good impression. It works very smoothly but as we get the applications installed, the actual performance of the phone comes out. The major drawback is the 256mb RAM. The popular games like ‘Angry birds’ and some of the applications, which could run even of the first gen Windows Phones, are not compatible on this just because of the low memory. If we keep the compatibility issues aside, the phone otherwise runs very smoothly with the bundled apps. But this is not what is expected of a Windows Phone 7.5 device. Nokia has tried to bring down the price mark by compromising with the resources, which simply doesn’t work out. If you are looking for a budget Windows Phone, then I’ll suggest to spend a few more and go for Lumia 710 or HTC Radar, else you always have this as an option.
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