Lumia 530 with Windows Phone 8.1 arrives at T-Mobile and Cricket (updated)

By Andy Boxall Published October 2, 2014

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.

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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

Former Senior Mobile Writer

Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.

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