Microsoft

Lumia 535

Review in pictures

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Same Lumia, different branding

• The Microsoft Lumia 535 looks like any other Lumia device, minus the branding

• Features colourful interchangeable shells that extend over the edges

• Not the thinnest at 8.8mm, but fits well in the hand and pocket

• Features an onscreen navigation bar instead of hardware keys

• Supports dual-SIM

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Display that’s bigger, but not better

• Features a 5-inch display, the largest on a budget Lumia

• Gets Gorilla Glass 3 protection, but misses out on an oleophobic coating

• Sports qHD (960 x 540 pixels) resolution, resulting in a low pixel density of

220ppi

• Brightness levels are high, but sharpness isn’t great

• Touch sensitivity is poor, with sluggish responsiveness for even basic gestures

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Big improvements in the photography department

• Sports 5MP front and rear

cameras, with an LED flash at

the rear

• The front camera is fixed focus,

but the wide-angle lens is well

suited to group photos

• Pre-loaded with the Lumia

Camera and Lumia Selfie app

• Former is the same as Nokia

Camera, with controls for white

balance, exposure, focus and

more

• Lumia Selfie offers a range of

filters and effects, and an Auto

Selfie mode

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Front snapper outshines the rear

• Rear camera offers usable, but

average results

• Quick to focus, though colours

tend to be muted

• Daylight shots are decent, but low

light images are grainy

• Front camera is great for selfies

• Enhances skin tone without

making it seem artificial

• In the wide angle mode, even

subjects at the rear and edges are

captured in a decent amount of

detail

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Rear camera

Front camera

Some new software features

• Runs Windows Phone 8.1

(with Update 1), with the

Lumia Denim firmware

• Gets new features like

native app folders and

customisable snooze alarms

• Navigation bar is hidden

by default, and is displayed

only when you swipe up. It’s

annoying, but can be

disabled in settings

• Dedicated SIM

management section

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…with all the goodness of WP 8.1

• Gets Action Center for

drop-down notifications

and quick toggles

• Offers the ability to add a

background image to the

start screen

• Gets separate volume

controls for notifications

and media, Quiet Hours,

Find my Phone, Internet

Explorer 11, etc

• Plenty of pre-loaded apps

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Smooth performance, with a few hiccups

• Powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor with 1GB of RAM

• Reliable for daily use, and can handle multi-tasking

• But some apps lag while opening, and touch responsiveness is an issue

• Can handle most games, including Beach Buggy Racing and Asphalt Overdrive

• Offers 8GB of internal storage, out of which around 3.3GB is user available

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Enough juice for one day

• Features a 1,905mAh li-ion

removable battery

• Can last until the end of a

working day with moderate

use

• Good standby times

• Turning on the Battery

Saver option will conserve

fuel by limiting push

notifications and turning off

background apps

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At a glance…

• 5-inches 960 x 540 pixels (220 ppi)

• 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm

Snapdragon 200 processor

• Adreno 302 GPU

• 1GB RAM

• 8GB in-built storage with microSD

slot

• 5MP primary camera with flash, 5MP

front camera

• Windows Phone 8.1 (Update 1) with

Denim update

• 1,905mAh battery

• Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS

and NFC

Pros and Cons

• Great front camera

• Large screen

• 1GB of RAM

• Decent internal storage

• Display only gets qHD resolution

• Touch responsiveness is an

issue

• Overpriced for its specs

Pricing & Verdict

Price:Rs 9,199

“For its first device without Nokia’s branding, theMicrosoft Lumia 535 is a decent effort. It has set a new benchmark among affordable Lumias, which until now, featured mediocre specifications. At its price of Rs9,199, there are many better Android options such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note, ASUS Zenfone 5, and HuaweiHonor Holly. But, if you’re a Windows Phone fan, theLumia 535 seems like the first worthy upgrade over theLumia 520, and one you should definitely consider.”