Nokia has just announced their cheapest Windows Phone 8 smartphone. Say hello to the entry level Nokia Lumia 620 smartphone. Running on Microsoft's latest and greatest Windows Phone 8 OS based on the new NT kernel (ditching the CE kernel of by gone Windows Phone iterations), WP8 is Microsoft's (and Nokia's) last bet to capture a fair share into the smartphone market. Currently dominated by Android and iOS, Microsoft's WP8 is the much needed OS to take the fight to a whole new level. WP8 is Nokia's last bet into the smartphone race. They literally have put everything into this. And hence after Lumia 920, Lumia 820 (and it's derivations in the US with different carriers) comes the cheapest (and perhaps much needed) budget Lumia 620 smartphone.
Nokia Lumia 620
The Nokia Lumia 620 is based off Nokia's mid range Lumia 820 smartphone. Deriving similar specifications (while being cut down for a cheaper price tag) from it's bigger brother, including a somewhat similar design, the Lumia 620 might perhaps be that budget smartphone which will save Nokia, and provide that volume sales boost to Windows Phone 8 in developing countries (where a very tiny percentage of people spend money on smartphones costing above $300 price range) like India.
The Lumia 620 packs a some what mixed bag of specifications. Let's have a look:
Nokia Lumia 620 Full Specifications
Chipset & RAM
Packing a 1 GHz Snapdragon S4 dual core based on the Krait CPU architecture, you can be assured of excellent CPU performance from the Lumia 620. The GPU is a new kid in town, the Adreno 305 GPU which is the successor to the Adreno 205 GPU. It's performance is unknown, but if the Adreno 320 is any indication the Adreno 305 will give sufficient performance to please most.
512 MB of RAM is an issue we have to deal with on lower end WP8 handsets. However, Windows Phone has more than proven itself that it is capable of holding it's ground with reduced RAM amount too.
Display & Camera
The display is a Clearback sporting 3.8 incher which packs a decent WVGA (800x480) display. While on the lower side, it's still better pixel density than a WVGA display on the 4.3" Lumia 820. Clearback technology from Nokia has proven itself to be a nice addition to normal displays for improved sunlight legibility.
The camera is a 5 MP autofocus unit capable of shooting 720p videos @ 30 fps. Additionally, the camera is boosted by a LED flash for low light photography. A front VGA camera enables self portraits for you Facebook DP addicts, as well as video calling.
Design & Storage
The Lumia 620 sports a design similar to the Lumia 820. That being said, the phone is a 11 mm thick (far away from today's smartphone standards, super slim smartphone lovers run away!) but a decent 127 grams heavy.
The phone has 8 GB of internal storage. The most crucial feature here is the ability to expand storage by upto 64 GB using an external micro SD card, a feature missing even in the flagship Nokua Lumia 920 and HTC 8X WP8 smartphones. We wonder why one of the most sought after features, after finally being implemented in WP8, was abandoned in the company's flagship.
Battery & OS
Packing a lowly 1300 mAh rated Li-Ion unit, we simply expect about a day's usage from this smartphone (that because WP8 is very well optimized. If this were an Android, our expectations would have been cut by half).
The OS here is Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 8 OS. We expect Nokia and MS to support their WP8 devices for at least 18 months with all the latest software updates.
Pricing & Conclusion
The Nokia Lumia 620 is priced at $249. That puts it around Rs. 16,000-Rs. 17,000 price bracket, which is an excellent deal for such a smartphone, and for those who want to try out the Windows Phone ecosystem but not spend a bomb on it.
We expect this model to sell by the millions, especially in developing countries with no contracts.
PROMO VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rjG5l6vk8bs
Nokia Lumia 620
The Nokia Lumia 620 is based off Nokia's mid range Lumia 820 smartphone. Deriving similar specifications (while being cut down for a cheaper price tag) from it's bigger brother, including a somewhat similar design, the Lumia 620 might perhaps be that budget smartphone which will save Nokia, and provide that volume sales boost to Windows Phone 8 in developing countries (where a very tiny percentage of people spend money on smartphones costing above $300 price range) like India.
The Lumia 620 packs a some what mixed bag of specifications. Let's have a look:
Nokia Lumia 620 Full Specifications
- Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset
- 1 GHz dual core Krait CPU
- Adreno 305 GPU
- 512 MB of RAM
- 3.8" WVGA (800x480) Clearback display
- 8 GB of internal storage
- upto 64 GB of expandable storage, micro SD card
- 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash
- 720p video @ 30 fps
- VGA front facing camera
- 1300 mAh Li-Ion battery
- 127 grams weight, 11 mm thick
- Microsoft Windows Phone 8
Chipset & RAM
Packing a 1 GHz Snapdragon S4 dual core based on the Krait CPU architecture, you can be assured of excellent CPU performance from the Lumia 620. The GPU is a new kid in town, the Adreno 305 GPU which is the successor to the Adreno 205 GPU. It's performance is unknown, but if the Adreno 320 is any indication the Adreno 305 will give sufficient performance to please most.
512 MB of RAM is an issue we have to deal with on lower end WP8 handsets. However, Windows Phone has more than proven itself that it is capable of holding it's ground with reduced RAM amount too.
Display & Camera
The display is a Clearback sporting 3.8 incher which packs a decent WVGA (800x480) display. While on the lower side, it's still better pixel density than a WVGA display on the 4.3" Lumia 820. Clearback technology from Nokia has proven itself to be a nice addition to normal displays for improved sunlight legibility.
The camera is a 5 MP autofocus unit capable of shooting 720p videos @ 30 fps. Additionally, the camera is boosted by a LED flash for low light photography. A front VGA camera enables self portraits for you Facebook DP addicts, as well as video calling.
Design & Storage
The Lumia 620 sports a design similar to the Lumia 820. That being said, the phone is a 11 mm thick (far away from today's smartphone standards, super slim smartphone lovers run away!) but a decent 127 grams heavy. The phone has 8 GB of internal storage. The most crucial feature here is the ability to expand storage by upto 64 GB using an external micro SD card, a feature missing even in the flagship Nokua Lumia 920 and HTC 8X WP8 smartphones. We wonder why one of the most sought after features, after finally being implemented in WP8, was abandoned in the company's flagship.
Battery & OS
Packing a lowly 1300 mAh rated Li-Ion unit, we simply expect about a day's usage from this smartphone (that because WP8 is very well optimized. If this were an Android, our expectations would have been cut by half).
The OS here is Microsoft's latest Windows Phone 8 OS. We expect Nokia and MS to support their WP8 devices for at least 18 months with all the latest software updates.
Pricing & Conclusion
The Nokia Lumia 620 is priced at $249. That puts it around Rs. 16,000-Rs. 17,000 price bracket, which is an excellent deal for such a smartphone, and for those who want to try out the Windows Phone ecosystem but not spend a bomb on it.
We expect this model to sell by the millions, especially in developing countries with no contracts.
PROMO VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rjG5l6vk8bs