521/520 - - ->635 Is it worth it? Plus/Minus

[Harry Wild]

I wanted to change the color of my existing 521 smartphone and I was thinking of buying a T-Mobile 635 and a yellow shell from Microsoft store.

How do you like the 635 compare to the 521/520?

How much better is it comparable to the 521/520? I know the 635 is LTE so do not compare this!

Is the screen a little weaker?

How about the camera?

Thanks.

 

[aa125690]

635's screen is bigger but has the same resolution as 521's. The camera is probably exactly the same for both models. The CPU is 200 MHz higher in frequency, and is updated to support SensorCore.

For me though, the upgrade for my 520 will need to have at least 1 GB of RAM and flash and hard button for the camera. For a 635, I would only consider it an update instead of an upgrade.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Honestly, I think the 520/1 is better. You get a better screen, and even if it is slightly smaller it's still a good size for a budget phone. It's still 4g and still a little cheaper than the 4g 635.
The camera is pretty much the exact same. You get decent pictures, better than you'd expect from a 5 mp camera in a budget smartphone. Reds are a bit toxic though.
But this is the main difference: The 635 has a larger 4.5 inch screen compared to the 520's 4 inch screen, but the 635 has a lower resolution. The bigger screen is NOT a good thing in this case. Contrast is good, but the blacks have a blue hue. It's not too noticeable or detrimental, but it's there. Overall:
635 is bigger, worst screen
They have same camera, same specs, and both have expandable memory. Both are 4G.
520 is cheaper, better screen.

 

[sdc1]

Guys, what?

Of course the 635 is an upgrade.

Hold a 635 beside a 520, you'll see the screen is better. It's brighter, had ClearBlack and has Gorilla Glass 3. The 520 is so washed out by comparison. You're the first person I've heard saying the 520 screen is better, it just isn't. Compare them side by side in a shop. I would doubt that anyone who says the 520 has a better screen has used both phones, the difference in quality is huge.

The specs aren't the same either. I've mentioned Gorilla Glass 3. The 635 has the quad core processor, it's noticeably quicker than the 520, I have a 520 to compare it to. It's snappier. Just look at the benchmarks.

The cameras are both 5mp but the 635, thanks to updated firmware and software, takes better shots. It's no 1020 but it's definitely sharper and more accurate and has less noise in the images.

The 635 is expandable up to 128gb. This is a big plus.

The 635 is nicer to hold and use, it ships with 8.1 and Cyan, it has onscreen buttons, it has LTE 4G.

The biggest plus though is battery life, the 635 has a bigger battery which I am finding to be brilliant, much much better than the 520.

Overall it's an upgrade in every way and I'm laughing at people saying it's not. Go for it.

 

[VS729]

Go for 635..it is the true successor of 520/521.,.

 

[Harry Wild]

Thanks for the replies. I going to go and look at one myself or I may go to Walmart and see if I can get it for $99! LOL! That cheaper then I purchased my 521 - $149! I know I was one of the first to buy it! Kind of a sucker since it has gone as low as $60!

I like to hear more opinions on the 635!

 

[anon(4054009)]

Guys, what?

Of course the 635 is an upgrade.

Hold a 635 beside a 520, you'll see the screen is better. It's brighter, had ClearBlack and has Gorilla Glass 3. The 520 is so washed out by comparison. You're the first person I've heard saying the 520 screen is better, it just isn't. Compare them side by side in a shop. I would doubt that anyone who says the 520 has a better screen has used both phones, the difference in quality is huge.

The specs aren't the same either. I've mentioned Gorilla Glass 3. The 635 has the quad core processor, it's noticeably quicker than the 520, I have a 520 to compare it to. It's snappier. Just look at the benchmarks.

The cameras are both 5mp but the 635, thanks to updated firmware and software, takes better shots. It's no 1020 but it's definitely sharper and more accurate and has less noise in the images.

The 635 is expandable up to 128gb. This is a big plus.

The 635 is nicer to hold and use, it ships with 8.1 and Cyan, it has onscreen buttons, it has LTE 4G.

The biggest plus though is battery life, the 635 has a bigger battery which I am finding to be brilliant, much much better than the 520.

Overall it's an upgrade in every way and I'm laughing at people saying it's not. Go for it.

I agree how can someone post the 635 has a worse screen than a 521, seriously? Clear Black is awesome, then they are both 4G yeah but LTE another minor difference. Too funny.

 

[lolstebbo]

But this is the main difference: The 635 has a larger 4.5 inch screen compared to the 520's 4 inch screen, but the 635 has a lower resolution. The bigger screen is NOT a good thing in this case.

Incorrect! The 635's screen is, once you subtract the on-screen buttons, the same resolution as the 520's screen. It's the pixel density that's lower.

 

[salmanahmad]

I wanted to change the color of my existing 521 smartphone and I was thinking of buying a T-Mobile 635 and a yellow shell from Microsoft store.

How do you like the 635 compare to the 521/520?

How much better is it comparable to the 521/520? I know the 635 is LTE so do not compare this!

Is the screen a little weaker?

How about the camera?

Thanks.

The camera has slight improvements possibly due to newer hardware or software optimizations.

Why not save up for a Lumia 730 instead? The Lumia 635 is an upgrade from the 520 however not a very huge one.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Teeeerex]

Guys, what?

Of course the 635 is an upgrade.

Hold a 635 beside a 520, you'll see the screen is better. It's brighter, had ClearBlack and has Gorilla Glass 3. The 520 is so washed out by comparison. You're the first person I've heard saying the 520 screen is better, it just isn't. Compare them side by side in a shop. I would doubt that anyone who says the 520 has a better screen has used both phones, the difference in quality is huge.

The specs aren't the same either. I've mentioned Gorilla Glass 3. The 635 has the quad core processor, it's noticeably quicker than the 520, I have a 520 to compare it to. It's snappier. Just look at the benchmarks.

The cameras are both 5mp but the 635, thanks to updated firmware and software, takes better shots. It's no 1020 but it's definitely sharper and more accurate and has less noise in the images.

The 635 is expandable up to 128gb. This is a big plus.

The 635 is nicer to hold and use, it ships with 8.1 and Cyan, it has onscreen buttons, it has LTE 4G.

The biggest plus though is battery life, the 635 has a bigger battery which I am finding to be brilliant, much much better than the 520.

Overall it's an upgrade in every way and I'm laughing at people saying it's not. Go for it.

I've had and used 630 and 520 side by side. 520 has a better, more legible display, with automatic brightness control. I saw that it was better instantly. Refused to believe it at first, but I kept having them side by side, and realized that my first impression was correct. The colors were better by a mile.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Pixel density goes a long way. The 635 has a 854x400 ppi while the 520 has an 800x400 ppi. Because the 635 is actually bigger, it gives the 635 a blocky, pixelated look. The smaller screen of the 520(and the 620) make them look sharper by comparison.
This does not mean the screen is horrible. Contrast is good, and blacks are reasonably deep. But compared to other budget phones, and even compared to the 520 the screen is mediocre.
There's a slight blue hue to blacks, so Nokia labeling this ClearBlack is pushing it a little. But for a budged phone screen it performs well. It uses an advanced IPS LCD screen that looks more vital and recessed than other low end IPS LCD screens. This gives the 635 a more immediate look.
Viewing angles are good, there's no real shift in contrast.
But there's no automatic brightness as the 635 lacks an ambient sensor.
Brightness isn't the best on the 635 and not quite as good as the 520. Also there's a dim area at the top of the screen that seems to be where the downward-firing backlight LCD's live.
The 635 houses a Snapdragon Qualcomm 400 processor and 512 mb of RAM though, which makes loading apps sluggish compared to other budget phones at the same price. Because of the newest versions of Android and Chrome, Microsoft's performance lead doesn't really exist anymore.
And because the 635 comes with Windows 8.1, this even emphasizes the resolution issue more, since you can fit more smaller tiles onto the screen.
Because of this, and the 635 screen actually being lower resolution than most other budget phones of the same size, it would probably be more beneficial to spend a little bit of extra money to buy an upgraded version.
Overall...the 635 is an upgrade in some ways, but in others it might be better to stick with the 520. If you're willing to sacrifice screen sharpness for a larger screen and slightly upgraded software, go for it. It may take a little of time to get use to the lack of physical soft keys, as the 635 uses software soft keys. Also, the 635 has no dedicated camera button, but this is just a lack of convenience more than anything.
The design of the 635 is more colorful and cute though, and still has a durable and strong feel that comes with Nokia.
It's what your preferences are.

 

[sdc1]

I've had and used 630 and 520 side by side. 520 has a better, more legible display, with automatic brightness control. I saw that it was better instantly. Refused to believe it at first, but I kept having them side by side, and realized that my first impression was correct. The colors were better by a mile.

There are 3 possibilities here;

1) the 630 had the brightness setting at low.

2) the 630 was defective.

3) you need to visit an optician.

I mean that in good humour by the way.

I can't accept that the 520 had a better screen, I have both a 520 and 635 here right now. The 520 has paler, washed out colours. The 635 is brighter with better contrast and looks more vibrant. It just does. The larger screen doesn't suffer from any resolution issue, any difference is pretty much illegible in those terms.

 

[Teeeerex]

There are 3 possibilities here;

1) the 630 had the brightness setting at low.

2) the 630 was defective.

3) you need to visit an optician.

I mean that in good humour by the way.

I can't accept that the 520 had a better screen, I have both a 520 and 635 here right now. The 520 has paler, washed out colours. The 635 is brighter with better contrast and looks more vibrant. It just does. The larger screen doesn't suffer from any resolution issue, any difference is pretty much illegible in those terms.

Have you tried comparing them at the same brightness levels?

 

[canadian1der]

I totally agree with this, it is by far a nicer phone than the 520/521. Everything about it is a nicer quality, they did a much nicer job finishing the phone. It has fantastic build quality. You sacrifice things such as the camera button, the proximity, and brightness sensors, but it's obvious those savings went elsewhere in the phone.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

I don't think the 635 is a bad phone. Far from it. But I'm looking at it compared to other budget phones.
Perfect example: The Moto G 4G.
You get a 720p screen, and performance easily rivaling phones twice the price.
Camera is decent.(the 635 is better with details but for the price of this phone it's good)
You get 4G, 8 gb of on board memory with expandable memory(microSD)
And a 4.5 inch screen.
A front facing camera
A clean interface(Android)
Comfortable design, and a feel that's high quality. It looks and feels more high end than it is
Gorilla Glass 3 screen
1.2 GHz and 1 GB RAM
Lots of colors and types of backs

The only thing the 635 really has going for it is Windows Phone 8.1, which I prefer, but the Moto G 4G is in the same price range as the 635.

 

[sdc1]

Have you tried comparing them at the same brightness levels?

Yes, absolutely. The 635 is consistently better, brighter, more vibrant, more accurate and much much nicer to use. I'm not biased, I own both phones along with a 625 and 1020. The 635 is also a lot nicer to use than the 625.

 

[sdc1]

I don't think the 635 is a bad phone. Far from it. But I'm looking at it compared to other budget phones.
Perfect example: The Moto G 4G.
You get a 720p screen, and performance easily rivaling phones twice the price.
Camera is decent.(the 635 is better with details but for the price of this phone it's good)
You get 4G, 8 gb of on board memory with expandable memory(microSD)
And a 4.5 inch screen.
A front facing camera
A clean interface(Android)
Comfortable design, and a feel that's high quality. It looks and feels more high end than it is
Gorilla Glass 3 screen
1.2 GHz and 1 GB RAM
Lots of colors and types of backs

The only thing the 635 really has going for it is Windows Phone 8.1, which I prefer, but the Moto G 4G is in the same price range as the 635.

I've posted her before about the Moto G. I had a Moto G since launch, the 8gb 3G version. At first it was good, but it quickly for bogged down and started lagging. I kept having to delete apps to free up space to speed it up a bit. I know they say KitKat is optimised for cheaper handsets but in practise that's not what I found.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

I noticed that as well but it's only a problem if you hoard apps and have a lot of processes running in the background, I found. Both the 635 and the 520 have the same problem with becoming sluggish(with loading apps) when a lot of apps are open in the background. Not to the same extent(Windows tends to be majorly more efficient than Android), but it's still there. You can't expect much else from a budget phone, and the Moto G 4G has a phenomenal screen for the price you're getting it at.
All in all, the Moto G is a fantastic value, and can do 90% of everything most people want it to do.

I love Windows Phones, and the 635 is a fantastic value, but I'm just saying there's a lot of competition at that price range.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Also, it comes with the wide selection of apps optimized for Android.

 

[mhc48]

I've got both.

635 Pros: Cyan Update; faster processor; bigger screen. I won't get into the pixel debate, for my eyes I can see words on the 635's larger screen better, especially information in the Metro squares. Also I can happily use 3 rows of tiles on the larger 635 screen, the same layout is much too small on the 520. Motion Data. Okay, it's hokey, but I like tracking my steps in Health & Fitness and having better input to my running apps.

520 Pros: for me the smaller size means I can use it one handed, the 635 is a tad too large for that. I also like the rounded more tactile back of the 520, it's more secure in my hand (I already dropped the 635 a few times).