Lumia 521 versus 530

[brusbrother]

I just bought the Lumia 521 last week for $50 and can still return and buy the Lumia 530 for the same price. I already installed DP 8.1 on the 521 but obviously the hardware is not optimized yet (or will it ever be?)
530 has faster processor, less memory, dual sim and Windows 8.1. Lesser spec camera
Every tech spec sheet I've seen says 530 is only 3G. The 521 is 4G. Why is there an apparent step backwards??
Are there any other steps backward?

 

[Pacus1x]

Last i check, the L521 only have 3G like the 530.

Keep in mind if you want a better performance, you phone may need the Cyan firmware which T-Mobile is taking too long to get it released. I can guarantee that Cyan makes the phone more stable, in my case i had no problems with my L920 and the L625 with 512MB of RAM same as the 521.

Maybe could be a good idea if you could pump a little extra cash and get the L630/635.

 

[ygtgngr]

My friend bought 630 for 80 bucks on amazon last week. That's probably the most logical think you can do if you decide to return your device.

 

[brusbrother]

I thought the 521 was 4G as per the advertisement on the box??

 

[Pacus1x]

Well it seems the 521 can handle up to HSPA+, it's like a super 3G enhanced connection or some kind of 3.8G, the fastest of 3G networks and T-Mobile promote it like 4G network...

The 521 can't handle the real 4G/LTE connection.

 

[brusbrother]

Well it seems the 521 can handle up to HSPA+, it's like a super 3G enhanced connection or some kind of 3.8G, the fastest of 3G networks and T-Mobile promote it like 4G network...

The 521 can't handle the real 4G/LTE connection.

Odd but when I am in an area with good reception, my L521 indicates 4G.
But could it be that bit of trickery is built into the phone?
Or if it is as you say just high end 3G, are they allowed to falsely advertise it as 4G?
Save your receipt for the class action...

 

[xandros9]

Odd but when I am in an area with good reception, my L521 indicates 4G.
But could it be that bit of trickery is built into the phone?
Or if it is as you say just high end 3G, are they allowed to falsely advertise it as 4G?
Save your receipt for the class action...

In the US, the carriers advertise HSPA+/3.5G data speeds as "4G" (often called "fauxG" on the internet)
True, actual 4G is advertised as "4G LTE"

I remember a long time ago, the iPhone 4S received a software update that changed the 3G indicator to 4G without any increase in speeds. (but it apparently qualified for "4G" so that's what they did)

I would stick with the 521, I'd say a better choice to move to would be the 630.
REMEMBER: The 530 IS NOT an upgrade to the 520/521. The 630/635 best fits that bill. The 530 is just an even lower end Lumia, pushing the price floor lower.

 

[WPBrony]

I would post pic of my box if I knew how but I have 530 for Wal-Marts Family Mobile that use T-Mobile towers. Tmo isn't fully 4g.... They use a souped up version of 3g even though indicator says 4g

 

[fdalbor]

With the new 535 coming out I would get a 635 and hold on until the 535 is released in the US. The 635 is a better phone than the 521 or the 530. But the 535 is better than all three. In fact it should have been called the 640.

 

[trekgraham]

The Lumia 635 is LTE where the Lumia 535 is a 3G phone. I'd say if you want LTE fast grab a Lumia 635 and then save up for a Lumia 1520.3