A great-quality budget smartphone
Microsoft's Windows Phone has always been a distant third behind iOS and Android in popularity, even though it has been available on some high quality, low cost phones. This latest Lumia is one of the first to be released under the Microsoft brand - the company has decided to phase out the Nokia name.
The 640 is as stylish and sturdy as previous Lumia's. It may be plastic, but it’s well made, glossy and available in blue, orange, black or white. The back panel comes away easily, letting you access the battery. Hidden behind that is a microSD slot essential for boosting the meagre 8GB storage.
The responsiveness of the 640’s touchscreen is almost flawless - something which can’t always be said of Android phones at this price. Despite the phone’s quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, performance wasn’t quite top notch because of the insufficient 1GB of memory. This will limit its appeal for those who want to play games, which use a lot of resources. The choice and quality of apps available for Windows Phone still lags far behind those for iOS and Android (although this could change with Windows 10).
The 640’s camera is okay in an emergency, but it’s unlikely to be your first choice if you take a lot of photos due to its below-average image quality. Even in bright daylight, the focus was a tad soft and it really struggled to capture accurate colours when the weather was slightly overcast. It fared better indoors, but only in bright lighting. Photos taken in low light were far too dark.
It lasted a touch under 40 hours when connected to Vodafone’s 4G network in central London and used for photography, web browsing, calls and GPS. This is an exceptional score. It also fared well when playing videos on a loop, lasting just over 10 and a half hours. Call quality was also impressive, with callers able to hear our voices loud and clear above the racket of a nearby building site effectively suppressed.
Despite its poor camera, the Lumia 640 has a lot going for it. Its battery life, build quality and responsiveness are all very impressive for such an affordable smartphone. Its biggest letdown is its software the continued lack of choice and quality when it comes to apps. For this reason alone the second-generation Motorola Moto G remains our favourite budget phone, even though it too has a few niggles. Nevertheless, if your app requirements are modest then the Lumia 640 is a pretty good option.
VERDICT
Lengthy battery life, smooth performance and a sturdy build - all at a low price.
SPECIFICATIONS
5in 1280x720-pixel touchscreen • 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor • 1CB memory • 8CB storage • 4G • MIcroSD slot • MIcroSIM • Windows Phone 8.1 • 145g • 141x72x9mm (HxWxD) • One-year warranty