 "Lumia 630 opens new Windows")
The name Nokia carries nostalgic value for many. The first mobile phone my family owned was a Nokia.
Hence, when the Finnish company sold its devices business to US software giant Microsoft, which produces the Xbox and Surface product lines, it turned several heads. The Lumia 630, the first Nokia-branded phone launched by Microsoft after the deal was inked, was bound to be subjected to serious scrutiny. The dual-SIM version of the Lumia 630 is Nokia's first device to run the much-awaited Windows Phone 8.1.
Look and Feel
Microsoft has continued with Nokia's practice of having dozens of variations on the same theme: colourful polycarb shell, black front face, buttons all on one side and simple lines but different shapes and curves.
The 630 is no exception although this time the shape is more flat and blocky than usual. It's a clean rectangle with sides that taper towards the back, giving it a fairly easy grip. The rear bulges only slightly.
The front face is blank apart from a Nokia logo on top, since navigation is taken care of by on-screen soft keys. The power button and volume rocker are on the right edge but there's no camera shortcut key. There's nothing on the left edge and the top and bottom have only the 3.5mm headset jack and micro-USB port, respectively.
Features and specifications
The Lumia 630 has a powerful processor, the trusty Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. It's a 1.2GHz quad-core system-on-a-chip (SoC) with integrated Adreno 305 graphics. There's only 512MB of RAM, which is a significant step down from the 1GB in the 620 and the cheaper Lumia 525. As other manufacturers have done recently, Microsoft has used a dedicated processor for sensor input, which allows the main SoC to power down and save battery life.
The SensorCore, as it's called, ties to the Bing Health and Fitness app that can act as a pedometer and activity tracker. This won't be a big feature for the Lumia 630 given it lacks an advanced sensor.
You get 8GB of built-in memory that is expandable up to 128GB with a microSD card. The screen is 4.5 inches diagonally but has a low resolution of 480x854 pixels.
Software
The biggest story, of course, is the latest Windows Phone version. Microsoft's update is fairly significant, with plenty of improvements.
The other visible change is, finally, the notification bar, named Action Centre. Just like in Android and iOS, you can swipe down from the top of the screen to an overlay that displays pending notifications. When you pull down the Action Centre shade, you'll see expanded information about your notification bar icons.
The much-publicised background photo option works only with some photos if you arrange your Start screen tiles carefully.
Verdict
We're impressed with most of the improvements we have seen in Windows Phone 8.1 but there is still work to be done. At Rs 11,500 for the dual-sim version, the Lumia 630 is a competent Windows Phone device - a good option for someone who doesn't want to buy a smartphone running on the Android operating system.
Hence, when the Finnish company sold its devices business to US software giant Microsoft, which produces the Xbox and Surface product lines, it turned several heads. The Lumia 630, the first Nokia-branded phone launched by Microsoft after the deal was inked, was bound to be subjected to serious scrutiny. The dual-SIM version of the Lumia 630 is Nokia's first device to run the much-awaited Windows Phone 8.1.
Look and Feel
Microsoft has continued with Nokia's practice of having dozens of variations on the same theme: colourful polycarb shell, black front face, buttons all on one side and simple lines but different shapes and curves.
The 630 is no exception although this time the shape is more flat and blocky than usual. It's a clean rectangle with sides that taper towards the back, giving it a fairly easy grip. The rear bulges only slightly.
The front face is blank apart from a Nokia logo on top, since navigation is taken care of by on-screen soft keys. The power button and volume rocker are on the right edge but there's no camera shortcut key. There's nothing on the left edge and the top and bottom have only the 3.5mm headset jack and micro-USB port, respectively.
Features and specifications
The Lumia 630 has a powerful processor, the trusty Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. It's a 1.2GHz quad-core system-on-a-chip (SoC) with integrated Adreno 305 graphics. There's only 512MB of RAM, which is a significant step down from the 1GB in the 620 and the cheaper Lumia 525. As other manufacturers have done recently, Microsoft has used a dedicated processor for sensor input, which allows the main SoC to power down and save battery life.
The SensorCore, as it's called, ties to the Bing Health and Fitness app that can act as a pedometer and activity tracker. This won't be a big feature for the Lumia 630 given it lacks an advanced sensor.
You get 8GB of built-in memory that is expandable up to 128GB with a microSD card. The screen is 4.5 inches diagonally but has a low resolution of 480x854 pixels.
Software
The biggest story, of course, is the latest Windows Phone version. Microsoft's update is fairly significant, with plenty of improvements.
The other visible change is, finally, the notification bar, named Action Centre. Just like in Android and iOS, you can swipe down from the top of the screen to an overlay that displays pending notifications. When you pull down the Action Centre shade, you'll see expanded information about your notification bar icons.
The much-publicised background photo option works only with some photos if you arrange your Start screen tiles carefully.
Verdict
We're impressed with most of the improvements we have seen in Windows Phone 8.1 but there is still work to be done. At Rs 11,500 for the dual-sim version, the Lumia 630 is a competent Windows Phone device - a good option for someone who doesn't want to buy a smartphone running on the Android operating system.
NOKIA LUMIA 630
Price: Rs 11,500 (dual-sim), Rs 10,500 (single-sim)
Main camera sensor: 5MP
Display: 4.5 inches
Resolution: 854x480 pixels
Processor name: Snapdragon 400
Battery capacity: 1830mAh
Price: Rs 11,500 (dual-sim), Rs 10,500 (single-sim)
Main camera sensor: 5MP
Display: 4.5 inches
Resolution: 854x480 pixels
Processor name: Snapdragon 400
Battery capacity: 1830mAh