Despite Windows Phones fans clamoring for a new flagship from Microsoft, the tech giant has instead delivered two more mostly nondescript windows phone devices this week: the Lumia 532 and the Lumia 435. Neither device is really all that impressive, but they are definitely cheap–both phones ring in at under $100.
Both devices run Windows 8.1 with the Lumia Denim update and core features like Microsoft Office for mobile, Skype integration, OneDrive cloud storage, HERE Maps and the sassy digital assistant Cortana. Both devices feature a four inch screen, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB of storage, 1560 mAh battery and SD card support up to 128 GB. In select markets, they will also both be available as dual-SIM, which I admit is pretty cool.
The Lumia 532 is expected to retail for $90 – $100 and features a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, a 5 MP front camera and a VGA selfie camera. The Lumia 435 is Microsoft’s least expensive camera at around $80 and has a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor, a 2 MP front camera and a VGA user-facing camera.
The new Lumia devices are expected to be launched in Europe starting next month, but official release to the United States has not been announced. While I can certainly see the benefit in such a cheap phone, I can’t help but hope that Microsoft will start listening to their fans and produce a flagship phone at their event next week. But, with the continual releases of cheaper and cheaper phones, I’m not holding my breath.]]>
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