Microsoft Lumia 640
Introduction
After a few years of being a Windows Insider and enjoying
checking out the latest builds of Windows 10 for the PC, I grew restless and
wanted to find out for myself what Windows 10 Mobile was like. I’ve heard
horror stories over the last year, so wanted to check it out personally and see
if it really is that bad.
I brought my Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE from EBay for a bargain
price of £50. Brand new, these phones are around £150. I wasn’t prepared to pay
that amount for what was only going to be a test phone. I did consider the most
recent Microsoft phones in the low-end market, the 650 and 550, but reviews
have highlighted that although they look pretty, their camera was average and
the processor was not really up to the job. So, I went for a slightly older
model in the 640 which had reviews stating it was an adequate camera and a
processor that was accepted as being decent enough. It also had all the bits
and bobs that I like in my phones; removable back cover to get at battery, sim
and SD card and all those extra communication standards like NFC and Bluetooth,
GPS, accelerometer etc, most of which I never use much but I certainly want
them there just in case!
Regarding EBay, there’s a lot of decently priced phones you
can buy second-hand out there. Mine came in immaculate condition. The only
issue is that the battery doesn’t appear to be in as good a condition as the
phone. It won’t charge over 80%. I ordered a replacement battery for around a
tenner as it’s always nice to have a backup battery, and it’s performed
perfectly. Anyhow, when it comes to EBay, always double check what you’re
actually buying is what you think it is, as the title of what I was buying
wasn’t completely accurate with the description. I didn’t mind what flavour of the
640 I ended up with so didn’t enquire to the seller any further. However, if
you’re picky, check with the seller. Also, make sure the seller has a good
rating and that you can see reviews from other people who have brought the same
or similar item from them. My seller is one of those online only company’s that
must have a warehouse somewhere with stock and flogs everything online. The
phone came quickly and in great condition so I can’t complain, but do your
research before committing to a seller.
To see photos of the phone, take a look at Microsoft’s
Website here https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/mobile/phone/lumia640/
and for detailed specs, go here http://www.gsmarena.com/microsoft_lumia_640_lte-7055.php
I had intended to use the 640 purely as a wireless handheld
without utilising it’s phone capabilities but with my current android phone
being old and my curiosity high (it’s a Samsung S3), I decided I’d trial a week
with my SIM in the 640. Well, that turned into being a permanent move, which is
why I’m blogging about my experiences with the Microsoft Phone and Mobile OS.
You may think the fact that I’ve held out this long using the phone must mean
there’s little wrong with life in the Microsoft fast-lane, but, if you know
anything about Microsoft in the mobile world, you’d know that’s unlikely.
What’s the actual phone hardware like?
Buttons
From a hardware perspective, the actual specifications sound
quite reasonable. Not spectacular, but not awful either. It may not look very
pretty in it’s all black version which I have but the screen itself feels very
smooth and silky. It’s not picked up any marks in the time I’ve used it but
I’ve not dropped it yet, neither have I brought a case for it. The first thing
which caught me out are its buttons, of which there is no front one. Yup, I
know these are being phased out on most modern phones these days but this is
the first phone I’ve had without one and it felt really odd. I wasn’t sure I’d
like it or get used to it but I did. I’d prefer to have the home button I think
but it’s safe to say that I haven’t really missed it on this device yet.
Naturally, the actual home button features are instead on the screen itself via
software rather than a physical button.
Another button I didn’t think I’d get used to is the volume
one, which is on the top of the right side of the phone, which is seriously odd
for my hands when every phone I’ve had previously has had the volume on the
left side panel. Now this has taken slightly longer for me to remember as an
instinctive process.
Just below the volume button is of course the second and
only other button on the phone, the power button which serves to do as the name
suggests and also as a lock button. You’d think there’d not be a lot to say
about this button but I do need to tell you that pressing it once whilst the
phone is on takes you to the lock screen, but holding it in for a little longer
doesn’t power the phone down. Nope, it takes you to the “power off slider” in
Windows Mobile, where you have to then slide the screen downwards with your
finger to turn off the phone. You can keep the power button pressed in for ten
seconds to skip the slider and turn the phone off but it’s safe to say that you
won’t accidentally turn off the phone with this combination of button work.
Back Cover
Woohoo. A back cover that comes off. This was a prime reason
why I was more than happy to have this phone. I’m no fan of having the back
cover sealed. It’s important to be able to get to the battery I believe. Not only
does it mean you can carry a spare battery and swap them when you like (which I
do often), but if the phone goes ape on you and won’t respond to any button
pressing, you can quickly whip off the back cover and take out the battery as a
form of hard reset. I’ve only once had to do that on this phone but I’d rather
have the option than not.
Also under the back cover are the slots for the SIM and SD
card, of which you have to take the battery out first in order to take out/in
these cards. The cover itself comes off easily although there’s no obvious
place to start trying to get the cover off. The first time had me confused but
you just have to grip your finger nails to the edge of the cover around the
front of the phone in order to pull it off. Once you know how, it comes off and
goes on effortlessly. It is however only plastic, as is the whole of this
phone’s outer.
Screen
To me, it looks gorgeous. The whole resolution and screen
technology thing confuses me but I can tell you, from my rather normal eyes,
that I can see nothing unusual or weird about the screen. Everything looks
bright, clear and almost shimmering like the Aero mode did in Windows 7. It’s a
gloss feel as opposed to matt. One still has to pump up to the highest brightness
level in sunlight but probably not as much of an issue as it has been on
previous phones although I’ve not had this phone during the summer yet so never
been in full strength sunlight. The Gorilla Glass cover looks to be doing an
excellent job. Only dropped it once and that picked up no scratches. The finger
smudges don’t appear to be too bad on this phone either.
Camera
In terms of Megapixels this camera is in a decent ball-park
although we all know that MPs don’t make prizes or good photos on their own.
One reason I chose this phone over the cheaper two (550, 650) was that this was
a better camera from the reviews I’ve read. It does indeed take pretty decent
shots. In low light you’ll need the HDR turned on, but most photos do tend to
come out looking very respectable.
Overall
So, in terms of actual hardware in my hands, this phone does
a very reasonable job for it’s price, which was originally £150 but you can now
find it for £100 new or even around the £50 mark that I picked it up on eBay,
although that’s refurbished. When you consider that the high end market is
nearer £600 and mid-market is £300, this phone does a very good job in terms of
performance for money. It looks and feels good, and has a camera no where near
as bad as some tablets and phones of the low-end market normally have. You can
actually take photos in most conditions and use them on social media without
anyone likely to joke about your cheap phone.
External speaker isn’t the best. Perfectly fine for audio
but for music you’re likely to think that your favourite band has forgotten
some of their instruments if you play them on this phone. I’ve not tried with
earphones, which I’d imagine will be much better if you have a decent pair.
The removable back cover is a big plus for me but there are
a few minor issues in terms of the hardware that bug me. I bought the cheapest
640 version in terms of storage, which is 8GB; this is nowhere near enough if
you are going to use the camera and have more than the default number of
Windows OS apps installed. The 8GB itself is further reduced by 3.5GB which is reserved
for the system and 2.5GB for the standard default apps. The 2GB you have to
play with is no where near enough once you actually start using any extra apps that
you install, or add music and take regular photos. You will need to buy an SD
Card and set the OS to use that for apps (most will use the SD card instead of
system drive) and photos and videos etc. Windows does a very good job of
helping you set things up with the SD card after you’ve inserted it and booted
up the phone first time.
Lastly, the one issue that took me a while to get used to
and stop being frustrated over, is that this phone only charges when it’s
turned on. So, there’s no chance of trying to quickly charge it by keeping it
off, because as soon as you insert that power cable it turns the phone on.
You’ve therefore got to turn off Wi-Fi and whack it into Airplane Mode if you
want to get close to the scenario of charging it with the phone as off as
possible. I’ve not had a phone like this before and checked online to find that
most Lumia phones charge this way. It’s not really as much of a problem as I
thought. It just takes a few days to get used to after never having this mode
of recharging before. In case you’re wondering how long the phone takes to
recharge, then I’d estimate 2-3 hours if it’s down to 10%. There’s no fast
charging facility with this phone.
If I had to give it a rating, then in terms of specification per pound, this phone does a very good job and satisfied the majority of my requirements. Sure, this isn't super-fast or super-specifications but it's a long way from being poor. When you add in the actual cost, then it just becomes even better value.
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