Nokia, or should that be Microsoft, launched the Lumia 530 at the end of July, the sequel to the massive-selling Lumia 520. Like the 520, it’s not a high-end super phone, but a modestly specced device loaded with Windows Phone 8.1, ready to be sold by the boat-load around the world. We first heard about the 530 in a leak way back in March.
Updated on 10-02-2014 by Malarie Gokey: T-Mobile and Cricket add the Lumia 530 to their Windows Phone lineup.
At the beginning of October, T-Mobile announced that it will add the budget phone to its Windows Phone lineup. The Lumia 530 goes on sale on October 15 and will cost just $79.20 in total. Cricket Wireless will have the Lumia 530 out a little earlier, on October 3, and the no-contract network has priced it at $50, while its monthly plans start at $35. The phone is also coming to Best Buy and Microsoft retail stores on October 5.
The screen measures 4-inches, and has an 854 x 480 pixel resolution, while the processor is a 1.2GHz, quad-core Snapdragon 200 chip. This improves on the Lumia 520, which had a dual-core processor inside, and a more standard 480 x 800 pixel resolution. The Lumia 530 gets 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and a MicroSD card slot that will accept cards up to a whopping 128GB in size.
3G, a modest camera, and Windows Phone 8.1
This is a budget phone, so it only has 3G connectivity, and the camera has a modest 5-megapixels with no flash unit or autofocus. There’s no front facing camera either, but Nokia has included its voice guidance for using the rear cam to take a selfie. Other camera-specific software, such as Cinemagraph and Creative Studio, are also installed.
The Lumia 530 comes pre-installed with Windows Phone 8.1 and Lumia Cyan, bringing it right up to date. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 1430mAh battery expected to deliver around 10 hours of 3G talktime, and a maximum of 22 days standby. This is up from the 16 days indicated for the Lumia 520, so a marked improvement.
Microsoft sells the Lumia 530 in both single and dual-SIM configurations, and it’s available in the usual white and grey color schemes, plus very bright orange and green models too. The Lumia 520 was a roaring, global success, and accounts for more than 30 percent of the global Windows Phone market, meaning the Lumia 530 has quite an act to follow.
Article originally published on 07-23-2014