We loved the last entry-level Lumia, the 520, for its practicality and the features that it offered for its price. It was built well, managed to churn out good performance, and had a decent camera.
The replacement for the 520, the new Lumia 530, is one of the first devices to be powered by Windows Phone 8.1, now renamed as Windows OS. Microsoft calls it their best mobile operating system so far, but does the device do any justice to it? We at Technophile find out.
What’s new?
An upgrade, by virtue of the term, usually means that there’s something better on-board. However, the Lumia 530’s specifications left us quite under-whelmed. Storage has been brought down from 8GB to 4GB, and the display, that supports a 854 x 480 resolution, has been replaced by a TFT panel (the 520 had an IPS display).
In terms of performance, this display just doesn’t make the cut based on the standards set by other devices in this price segment, such as the Moto E. The build is plasticky, and unlike the sturdy build Nokia is known for, the 530 feels disappointingly cheap.
However, the latest OS has a lot of good things to offer, such as the surprisingly fast keyboard assist, Word Flow, a new swipe notification area called Action Center, 15GB of cloud storage on OneDrive and Cortana, the new voice-assistant from Microsoft. Windows Phone 8.1 adds an unsurpassed ease of usage to the device, making it an ideal device for a first timer.
To run these features and more, there’s a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor. It’s got 512MB of RAM, which sounds weak but is good enough to manage everyday smartphone usage. The 1,430 mAh battery gave us a battery life of a full day.
The most disappointing feature however is the 5MP rear camera. The images were underexposed, colours dull and lacked sharpness. There’s no autofocus, and that results in a lot of blurred images. Moreover, a front camera is missing.
Verdict
As a device for someone who hasn’t used a smartphone before, the Lumia 530 is a good proposition, but for the younger audience, who like their fair share of gaming and clicking selfies, the Lumia 530 just doesn’t cut it. The build quality isn’t what we expect from Nokia, nor is the camera. With devices such as the Moto E and the new Android One trio, the 530 doesn’t really make a compelling case for itself.
₹7,349
Love – Windows OS features; performance
Hate – Build quality; camera