Microsoft has announced the first Lumia smartphone without Nokia’s name attached – a “No-Nokia,” if you like – and it’s the affordable Lumia 535. Microsoft says it fits in with something called the “5x5x5 proposition,” meaning its 5 series smartphone come with two 5-megapixel cameras and a 5-inch screen. That’s right, the Lumia 535’s screen is much larger than previous generations.
While the screen is an inch bigger than the one fitted to the Lumia 530, the resolution isn’t quite what we’d hope for, at 960 x 540 pixels. The processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 running at 1.2GHz, backed up by 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage space. Happily, Microsoft has added a MicroSD card slot to the 535’s body to give this figure a boost by up to 128GB, plus there is 15GB of OneDrive cloud storage included with the phone.
Going back to the 5x5x5 philosophy, the rear 5-megapixel camera has an LED flash, and Microsoft has tapped into the selfie trend by fitting a 5-megapixel front camera with a wide angle lens – which is the same as the one fitted to the Lumia 735. Thanks to the Windows Phone 8.1 software and the latest Lumia Denim software, both the Lumia Selfie and Lumia Camera photo apps are installed, plus Cortana is onboard to take care of day-to-day activities and plans.
Microsoft has put its name where the Nokia name was once found – above the screen and across the rear panel – but the Lumia name is nowhere to be found. The 535 will come in several bright colors, and a folio-style case will be available to protect it, plus the phone will be sold in both 3G single SIM and 3D dual-SIM configurations. The price has been set at 110 euros, or about $135, and Microsoft will have the Lumia 535 on store shelves later this month.
