[Real Users] My Lumia 640 Review

[CronoZero]

Hi guys! This might be my first post on Windows Central.

WP history: Had a 710 until the USB port wore out and the phone wouldn't charge or sync anymore. Got a 925, but it took a hard fall onto concrete after 8 months of use and started acting weird. Got a 520 for $50 and used it as an mp3/podcast player and a back up. Got a 1520 which I hated the size of (I'm a muscular 5'4" guy, so things have trouble fitting in my pockets), but loved it otherwise...until I dropped it and shattered the screen. Thing still works, but I'm not sure how long. Was going to switch to the 520, but then I dropped that and now it doesn't boot or charge. SOOOO...bought a 640 from WMart to use while the 1520 gets repaired and to be my new mp3/podcast player/backup. Despite the low price of the 640, I also shelled out for the replacement plan because the 1520 and 520 were broken like 4 days apart from each other with the 925 only 5 months prior. I thought about an 830 instead of the 640, but it was outside my budget considering I'd also like the 940 when it comes out, I'm on TMobile and didn't want compatibility issues (the 1520 I have is also from AT&T and doesn't seem reception as good as the 640) and having 830/940/1520 seemed ridiculous.

I've had my 640 for a few days and so far

Pros:
1, Size. 1520 was too big. 520 too small. 925 was right for me, but I think I'm really liking the 640 as an upper limit for what fits in my pocket.
2. Surprisingly liking the glossy cover, feel, and build. I do have some loose/squeaky corners (unlike the 520), but I'm still pleasant about it so far.
3. I dunno if it's like this for anyone else, but my favorite tactile thing about the 640 is the vibration motor. It feels more like a vibration equivalent of a water drop hitting water instead of the whole phone vibrating.
4. Camera is quite good for $100!
5. Sound is good and loud, with a caveat (see cons)
6. Screen is better than I expected, but I still get some blurry text when I'm pixel peeping
7. Calls are clear, I think.
8. Holy crap, this phone is only $100?

Middle
1. Not really missing detailed Glance, I'm fine with only the time being displayed.
2. Sorta missing Hey Cortana.
3. Animations not as smooth as I expected
4. SD card slot; this is in the middle because you really need it. I filled the internal memory pretty much right after I restored some apps and maps from my 1520, not even getting photos or anything.
5. On screen buttons don't bother me as much as I thought they would

Cons (mostly nit picky):
1. Missing a dedicated camera button (figured I would)
2. Really missing wireless charging
3. The external speaker is very easy to muffle. I put the phone on like 3 sheets of paper on my desk and if it wasn't for a simultaneous alarm on my Band, I would not have woken up.
4. FFC is bad after having the 1520.
5. As much as I like the glossy look and feel, I do wish it were grippier...maybe the sides could've been matte or rubberized a little?
6. Some of the ringtones and sounds that I liked from the older phones are not here anymore...I really liked the Nokia tune and I understand why that particular one isn't on the phone, I was missing a lot of the old sounds...

One thing I don't have is good battery life. Went from 100% at 930 to 18% at 1715 today and usually goes through ~7% an hour at idle. I did not do a hard reset when I got the phone, hoping that it was unnecessary, but I think I'll do that this weekend if people have noticed that the battery drain fixes itself.

If people are interested, I can follow up in a few weeks or months with anything new. Actually, one of my favorite things is the After the Buzz feature that Pocketnow does...uh...now.

 

[JonathonS]

I've had mine since Monday and I love it! This is my first go at a Windows Phone, but I rocked a Zune HD back in the day...so I'm a little familiar with how things work. I got mine from the Microsoft store for $116 + tax, paid a little more than the Walmart price but it's worth it. I'm on the T-Mobile $30 plan (5GB, 100 minutes) for now and it works great.

I bought this phone mainly as a stop gap until I jump back on an iPhone again, but I really love it so far. I'm especially impressed with the OS, I like how things work. The start screen is good and I like the customization there. I like how you can delete any app you want without needing to make any changes first, and that you can install apps to the SD card easily. I have a 16GB microSD in the phone, so 32GB is enough.

I'm actually finding all the apps that I need. My bank is one of the few that has a WP app. And many of the other basics like Uber, Netflix, etc. are available. The camera is also quite good from what I've seen and I like the size of the phone.

 

[SaltCityBoy]

After using L800 and L535 now i decided to get L640 and finally got it for 125€, witch is a decent price since I bought L535 4 months ago for 115€.

First I want to say that phone is looking so awesome ( I took a blue color of back case ) and feels so great in hand. Also, I noticed that screen and touch are so much better then on the L535. Overall performance is also very good and cameras are awesome. Battery is very good, it can hold 2 and a half days of normal usage, or all day of gaming, texting and etc...

If you need a budget phone you will be surprised how good looking and how good quality phone you will get. All recommendations for everyone who want to get it.

 

[CronoZero]

Update to my review:

Still liking the phone, battery appears (?) to be stabilizing, but the idle drain is still kinda high at ~6% an hour (down from 7-8).

I think kik is terrible for battery life, even when idle though. Phone doesn't charge (as in, very slow drain) if I have kik open. So that isn't a fault on the phone, but on kik.

Kinda wish the FFC was better?
Dropped the phone twice today and I don't see any marks.

I saw this week's announcement of the iPod Touch and was like "minus the app store availability...why? You can get a 640, 128 gig card, and 2 year replacement plan for the cost of the base iPod Touch..." Hopefully that doesn't fan too many flames here though.

 

[Quezoy]

I am along time Android user but was following win mobile developments in the last months.
After watching a few 640 reviews, I've decided to give it a go, since my Chinese Android (Kingzone N3) died from a drop.

The build quality of the 640 is good, though not great, mainly because the cover does not fit really tightly. But you do not notice it that much in daily use. The screen is sharp, bright, has vivid colors and the automatic brightness does a good job. The camera does a very nice job in good lighting, not that much in difficult conditions, but this is as good as it gets in this price range.

The two highlights from me are the superb battery, which last for 2.5 days for me, and the very good audio quality during calls.

I like the consistent feel of the win OS and I believe win 10 will offer a great experience. Everything runs very smoothly, is pleasing to the eye and I had no bugs so far (which cant be said for my Android experience).
In terms of apps, yes it could be better, but I've found all I need except 1 app. I am however hoping for a better calendar and email app in win 10 since both are quite poor. I've tried out a few in the app market but neither could match what had on android.

All in all, I am very happy with the purchase and can only recommend it to anyone, who is considering a phone in this price range.

 

[anon(9435020)]

Once I figured out how to properly exit out of apps so they were not running in the background, the battery life was great. The WiFi calling has quite a bit of echo, so that is a last resort for me. I love how responsive the phone is, everything just works with very little waiting.

Only thing is I can't find an epub reader that supports highlighting and internal links or a Starbucks app. Not a dealbreaker, but would have been nice.

 

[Rose640]

Such a long reviews, god. I'll put my thoughts in a short and clear maner.

Hardware

You all know the specs, great hardware for the price actually great hardware. The phone itself doesn't crack at all since its made out of plastic. I've got the black one so it matt, it's not slippery which I can't say for those colored ones, I've got the yellow 535 too, and yes, it's very easy to drop.

Camera

Off, no need to talk about. I compared my HDR photos with mu friends S4, and believe me, mine were way, way better. Manuall mode also comes in handy if you know how to use it properly. Flash is honestly camera's weakest link, even in-door you still can't see clearly.

Performance & battery

Very fast and fluid, doesn't crash or similar to that although this last update did screw things a bit, but yet, nothing that can't be fixed with a simple soft reset. And also, I noticed that my 640 in compare to my 535 has much, much better settings app, with all those sections and stuff.
Battery is amazing, it lasted for 2 days of constant camera and flash use. See pic below.

Overall I do not regret my buy, excellent phone indeed.

 

[Rubidad]

Review of 640 phone purchased from Walmart for under $80!
I currently have a 520 as a music/game phone for my grandchild and have been using a 925 for about a year.
Pluses:
Screen: I find it to be much brighter than the 925. I can easily dial up a number in full sunlight, (something that is impossible with the 520). It is smoother to the touch and also seems to be easier to wipe and keep clean.
Call quality: Much clearer with much better fidelity and reception than the 925.
Battery life: Light years better!
Storage: Although it only has 8 GB of onboard memory, my installed 64 GB SD card takes care of most of my storage needs.
Camera:
I find phone cameras to be very poor substitutes for a dedicated camera. Maybe, the front camera might become useful someday; I?ve yet to use it.
OS
The 8.1.1 OS seems smooth and polished. I look forward to 10, something that might not be available for the 925
Glance screen:
It has a limited glance screen.
Minuses:
The 925 definitely has a more premium feel to it. The buttons are easier to use and are more responsive. The 640 was a first very sluggish. It took over 25 seconds to load up the News headlines! A hard reset rectified this.
Camera:
The camera button on the 925 works well. Any phone with a camera should have a button controller, IMHO. Get rid of the useless flash and keep the dedicated camera button!!!
Speaker:
The speaker on the 925 has much better fidelity for music; the 640 sounds harsh with distortion.
Storage:
Some apps will not work from the SD card, and maps must be on the phone?s internal memory. This eats up the 8 GB very fast.
Glance Screen:
This is much brighter with more information than the 640. I miss this much used feature!

To summarize, I now use the 640 as my daily phone. It fixes the 925?s major weaknesses-poor battery life and limited storage. At $80 it is a steal, and I expect the price to drop significantly in the future.

 

[captaincalamity]

Having the choice between the L930 and the 640, I originally went for the L930, had to return the L930 as the guy I originally swapped my Android S4 wanted to swap back, so being a nice guy I did....hmmm so back with the Android thing again, so this time I sold the S4 and had some cash, not enough to get another L930, but plenty to get myself a brand new L640 and I am totally blown away with this device, even compared to the King L930, here's why:

First thing I noticed was how light and easy to hold/use the L640 is especially compared to the L930, never thought I would really need the glance screen but now you have it its extremely useful, the build quality is strangely cheap but not, the weight, solid feel and screen all add up to good quality, I think its the plastic texture of the back case that gives it a cheaper feel, I do miss the wireless charging from the L930 though, but then again the battery seems to be lasting far longer so far.

The Screen, I know the L930 has an incredible Amoled display that really pops out at you, but this has a very bright and clear 720p that by far outshines its price bracket and is as good if not better than my Nexus 5 was. Pixels are there if you hold it to your nose, but its plenty clear and crisp with some very nice accurate colours, viewing angles are not so great, but actually, I quite like this, as when your sat on the train, the guy next to you cant see your screen as clear, so it has its benefits, and its really not that bad. Overall I would give the screen 8/10

Performance, is seriously excellent on this thing...Haven't noticed any difference to the L930 yet, if even runs GT2 racing, which the L930 all the text was corrupted due to the 1080p screen, but it runs with high quality graphics as smooth if not smoother than my Nexus 7 tablet, it runs Asphalt 8 perfectly even though it looks like the graphics are set to medium, which is fine for a quick racing fix. all apps, people hub, facebook, twitter seem to open as fast as the L930 in my opinion, which I find pretty amazing really, considering its half the processor speed almost and half the ram, I would say resuming apps other than the last few you have had open, depending on what they are have to completely restart where as the L930 would be about 4-5 apps. Overall Performance 9/10

Will see how the battery life lasts over the next few days or so...so far its pretty good considering the initial setup, which also happening a very cool manner, not extreme temperatures coming from the back like my last 3 L930's.

Just would love wireless charging, thats seems to be the only thing I miss.

Oh and the SD card, to be honest ive not noticed it since I put it in, it just works and installs most if not practically all games and apps on there without hick up lag or question...amazing.

Overall this is the 9/10 device, I'm confused how they can manufacture/develop this device at such a low price.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Anyone here who knows me know I am a Lumia ******. This is really my first time using a midrange device. I am a 1520 ******.....in all honesty the screen size is not for me. Its doable but barely. It is too small and the navigation buttons certainly don't help out with this as it takes up space.



The phone feels cheap due to the glossy feel to it.



The camera on front and back are incredibly weak and I expected more from a Lumia device.



I also use a 640 xl and that phone is nearly perfect.



The 640 is not perfect for me. Its something to use in the mean time.



With the negative out the way. I had the experience of using an iphone 6 in July and it is amazing that I paid $107 for this Lumia and people spend 6 times that for an iphone with many of the same specifications.



It performs well for its price range and outperformed my iphone quite a bit as well.

Its not my favorite Lumia. Maybe like #5 but it is a decent phone that is hampered by its camera.

Still a better phone than the iphone and HTC/samsung.

 

[bing722]

I previously used the Lumia 520 and 630 which I liked but then decided to switch to the LG G2 because it was taking too long for new Windows Phones to come out. After owning an LG G2 from 2013, which admittedly costs a little over double the price of the 640, it was hard to get back into this phone. I tried the 640 for fun but ended up returning it.

PROS:

* The price is reasonable at $80
* The rear camera is pretty decent for the price (but won't necessarily impress anyone)
* The phone works great as a phone
* The People app is a really nice feature to have because it syncs contacts with social networks (Facebook, Twitter)
* OneDrive integration is basically flawless, pictures can auto-upload on or off WiFI
* Data speeds are very fast, I clocked over 30 Mbps download speed on a WiFi network
* I like the Disqus app which isn’t available on Android or iOS
* Built-in Podcast app works well
* Battery life seems fine
* The screen size is nice – not too big or too small

CONS:

* The GPS is terrible. I went for a one-mile walk, and my normally trusty Runtastic app had me walking far off the roads and into the woods making squigglely turns everywhere. It then crashed in the background and didn't bother to alert me.
* My Yahoo Mail won't sync. There's no Yahoo Mail app of course so I tried to use the native email app. It refuses to sync. I deleted the account and set it up from scratch several times. I searched the web and these forums. Nothing I've tried seems to work.
* Unable to use multiple apps at once. I like being able to reply to a text or use the calculator while I'm using another app.
* Chrome browser is smoother and far superior to IE regarding functionality, opening menus, etc.
* The "app gap" for me: Yahoo Mail, TV Guide, credit union apps, Bank of America, Scottrade, Big Ten Network, NFL Network, AdultSwim, Pewsitter, IHRadio, Song Kick, Lighthouse Media, Yahoo Fantasy Sports, Centre Daily News app, PennLive, Sound Cloud, Target's Cartwheel, RetailMeNot, Weis Markets, OKCupid, AAA, Flickr, Southwest Airlines, Google Maps (I like the street view), YouTube...
(There are sometimes 3rd party apps in the WP Store, but they're usually not as good or secure as the originals.)
* Outdated and inferior versions of apps:
- The Yelp app on WP doesn't allow you to post reviews. Rather, it saves your typed review as a draft, and you need to go to the website to submit it. It freezes when you try to upload a picture.
- The Twitter app is almost hard to look at after seeing the fancy Android version. It has an unappealing format that I didn't realize before. It doesn't even allow videos.
- Facebook Messenger doesn't have the conversation bubbles like Android that can be used while looking at other apps.
- Gas Buddy's prices often don't load, and the credit prices aren't available.
- Waze's maps are rough around the edges and simplistic. The text is a bit pixelated.
- CVS app is a link to the website and won't let me log in.
- Runtastic app doesn’t show running statistics for the month and crashes every time I use it.

OTHER:

* I don't think Visual Voicemail is available on this phone.
* Lack of security methods for unlocking. I like being able to swipe a pattern. Of course I wouldn't expect a finger-print reader on this phone.

UPDATE:

* I purchased a new Lumia 640 since the price dropped.
- My original 640 definitely had a faulty GPS unit (see the original run tracking below). This new one is much better.
- PayPal app refuses to let me to log in but works on IE.
- Yahoo Mail continues to disconnect periodically.
- LinkedIn refuses to connect to the People app.
* At the end of the day, it's a perfectly good phone for the price. It's a bit simplistic but overall it works well enough. I enjoy using Windows Mobile, and I only wish that apps were better updated and maintained.

 

[neodk]

1. There is visual voicemail on the 640, but you aren't going to get voice to text dictation.
2. Consider (a) the operating system and (b) the entry level status of the Lumia 640. You aren't going to find a fingerprint scanner on the device. I realize people appreciate and use unlock patterns, fingerprint unlocking, etc - pin numbers / passcodes work just as well although not always as fast.

Google Chrome isn't going to come to Windows Phone. It's like buying an Android based device and lamenting the lack of Safari. You won't see the Edge browser outside of Windows, unless Microsoft decides to continue outsourcing its app catalog to iOS and Android. IE works fine on Windows Phone, but it has its quirks. No browser is "perfect".

The app gap is real, but the impact is dependent on your dependency for various services. With Windows 10 and universal apps, this may no longer be an issue. However, Microsoft needs to put compelling hardware on the market and make porting apps to Windows extremely easy, while leveraging the prowess of native apps. I'm not crushed I'm lacking certain apps, as I'm able to make compromises. Not everyone can do this. Should they get a Windows Phone? Probably not. Be realistic with what you need and want in a phone and what you are willing to compromise on / live without. $80 is a nice entry point, but realistically it isn't indicative of the value. It's either a major score or a waste of time and money.

 

[HOTDAWG]

$60? Are you kidding me?

This is my interim phone between my 928 and my 950XL. I have been using cell phones since they first came out, and for $60 this is fantastic. No, it certainly doesn't rival the more expensive ones but if I had kids or less income - this is it.

Pros:
- nice big screen. I haven't had an XL yet, so this seems plenty big.
- snappy! no issues with speed at all
- build seems fine. Yes, the matte plastic back feels a bit cheapy, but - removable battery! SIM card! And you can change out the back.

Cons:
- The screen, while perfectly fine for use, is brighter while on Glance than my 928 was. I use it as my bedside alarm clock, and this is more like a nightlight. Red clock numbers don't show up as brightly either.
- No Qi. I'm spoiled.
- The micro usb plug is on the bottom, I was really used to having it on top (which I thought was very weird at first, but now I prefer it on top :wink: )
- No dedicated camera button. I'm not the biggest phone camera user, but I do like being able to jump into camera without unlocking or fiddling.
- 1GB.

But overall, for $60, wow. I just can't get over that part.

 

[Webmaster2015]

Here's my take on the 640:

I did some research on the 640 before I got the phone. Apparently, it has almost identical specs to the IPhone 6. The only notable differences are that the 640 has a slightly bigger screen and has a quad core (vs dual core) processor. I got this phone for $79 at a Microsoft Store. I don't think there is a reason to justify the price difference between the two phones. But I'm not here to rant and rave about how bad Apple is, right?

DESIGN:
The 640 has a very smooth, rounded design that seems easy (but sometimes slippery) to hold. The screen is very smooth. It also has a flash (which is bright enough to take good close-up photos).

SPECS & FUNCTIONALITY:
The 640 is a big improvement over my previous phone, the 635, since it has a 5'' screen and 1GB of RAM. Believe me when I tell you that the extra 512 MB of RAM makes all the difference. The screen is very responsive, even with tempered glass and a screen protector over it (yes, you can have both).
I'm still testing out the battery, but it lasted me more than a day with the new Windows 10 Insider Preview OS (which sucked the life out of my 635).

Overall, this phone shouldn't be in Microsoft's low-end phone spectrum, taking into account the comparison with the IPhone specs, the performance it has, and the price. Although I mentioned I was running the Windows 10 Insider Preview on it, the pre-loaded Lumia Denim should work even better. I only loaded Windows 10 because I'm a tech junkie. I would definitely recommend this phone to anyone; you won't be disappointed.

 

[NickInLA]

I haven't used Windows phones extensively but for a couple of months here and there. I'm primarily a very heavy Android user and am currently bored with Android. I used a Lumia 920 and 520 before so I can only compare the 640 to those phones. When I think of a Windows phone, I somehow think that these phones are very popular for some reason in India and those parts of the world. Most users on most forums seem to be from there and here in the US, Android and Iphone are popular. I don't know if more people have more access to apps and Windows' lack of apps is the reason but you don't see users of Windows phones that easily here.
Anyway, having a full 1GB of RAM helps this phone but not that much compared to the older 520 that seems on par with the 640. There definitely is a lag in the animations when you go back from settings to the main screen, etc. It's not detrimental to the usage of the phone but it does not seem speedy. maybe it's the Denim OS.
The camera on this phone is very so-so and needs plenty of light to take some decent shots. The call quality on AT&T is pretty good and so are data speeds on the LTE network. The screen while 720P is not a very good panel as it has a bluish hue at times. It does the job well but I haven't watched Netflix yet.
I guess my gripe is more with Windows and the availability of apps. I am not a heavy app user but come on, No CHASE banking app? WTF? Am I not looking for apps correctly? Please tell me so. Also, who is designing the browsers for this OS? Where's Opera when you need it? Opera adjusts the columns perfectly when you pinch in or out. I do a lot of reading on my phone so I found coffee reader which is a good app and the included 'News' app seems good too. Microsoft and Windows need to market these phones better and there needs to be a better involvement from decent developers for Windows otherwise it would be hard to challenge the other two let alone overcome them.
Finally, I picked this up for $65 including taxes and I need to put all things into perspective. For that price, this phone rocks. I mean you get NFC, 720P HD screen, 5 inch screen, etc, in this package. You do not have to worry about cases because I'm sure ebay is already full of cheaper backs for this. A screen protector would be a good investment though.
The problem for Windows is there is STIFF competition because recently Best Buy was selling the ZTE ZMax 2 with similar specs, a 5.5 inch 720P screen and 2GB RAM to boot with 5.1 out of the box for $99!! The going is definitely tough for Microsoft.

 

[aybarrap1]

I just bought the phone since the price dropped to $60. Since I have a "high end" Android, I have been utilizing my Lumia 520 as a backup and bedside table clock for some time. I have been running the Lumia 640 through its paces and I have to admit that I like it a lot. The performance is impressive and on par with Android phones with 2GB+ of RAM. The jump from the 520 to 640 is definitely noticeable in terms of speed (and of course screen size). With the lack of Zeiss optics, I did not expect much from the rear camera, but it is more than adequate considering I don't do much picture taking with any phone (I still use dedicated point and shoot cameras as they process pictures far better than even the best smartphone). I have a screen protector and case on order. Since getting my Lumia 520 a couple of years ago to see how WP was doing, I have been impressed with the WP ecosystem as a whole. This phone has aided my growing interest and I plan on giving this phone a full week or more of dedicated testing. If a few major apps can pop up in the Windows Store, I will be a full convert back to Windows Phone.

 

[WellingtonW]

I had a 520 for two over years and liked it, but was having more and more problems. The battery was getting poor and it seemed hard to source another. The buttons had the usual fault that was fixed by inserting card to keep them clamped to the motherboard. The main issue was the browser, most sites just didn't work properly on it. A lot of emails and websites just didn't format correctly, being a tiny font that I just couldn't fix. No countdown timer was a killer for me. Really missed that. A good few regional apps didn't work, which was annoying but not a big deal if you can use the website. But I has most apps I need. But because IE was rubbish it meant I couldn't. Tried WP10 but it was either truely buggy and/or the 520 was just too under powered to run it. Used and nearly new 640's and other lumia's were becoming very cheap so I though I'd get one to give WP10 one last try. Its meant to work best on 640.

We've a few Android phones but they were stuck on older versions of the OS, and we were using them as gaming machines for the kids, but I was getting fed up, with the old version of Android and the poor memory management, meant I had to clean them up on a regular basis. So I thought I'd give them the 520. Which would eliminate all those issues.

Thus far its worked out well. Almost everything I had a problem with on the 520 is fixed, or vastly better on the 640. WP10 is still a little buggy but its working really well for me. I like the 640. I've a few iniggles. I might get another for the kids to game on/back up phone.

Theres still an app shortage, and as more apps come online for local services, that might eventually make me switch from WP. While Edge is better than IE on WP. It still doesn't replace a good app in my eyes. I kinda expect MS to drop WP so I'm not going to invest much in devices. If I get them cheap on used markets I might pick them. My 640 was a bargain.

 

[aybarrap1]

I admit that MS left a few things to be desired. I don't rest all the blame for a lack of apps on them. I do put some blame only because they have continually lagged behind the competition (iPhone and Android) in bringing basic features people want with the OS. I speak of things like the notification center, file management, folder style options on home screen, "Swype" like functionality just to name a few. And IE was horrid compared to edge. Then there is fact that android and ios devices had app store that were universal across phones and tablets, which MS finally introduced. W10M has potential. Lets hope they put more emphasis on the mobile platform than in the past.

 

[Arunabha Goswami]

For a long time, i was torn between the 640 and the 830. In fact, I really wanted the 830, but it's value-for-money is laughably low. And it never got a price cut - if you managed to get a good deal, it still costs INR20000+. On the contrary, the 640 just costs INR8000 and only lacks the camera and the design. So I decided to go for the 640.
But I was too late, and Microsoft already stopped selling the 640 to promote the 550. Now not only the 550 costs more, no way I was going to buy a phone with W10M. So I had to import one from the USA(an unlocked AT&T Go Phone), and saved INR1000 in the process. Also I managed to get a 4g variant, which never got released in India. Nice!
I've been using it for almost a month now, and here's what I think:
Things I like
- The phone is extremely light, probably the lightest among all the 5-inchers I've seen.
- It's the best looking phone in any room, because all the other phones are in cases and covers.
- The 2500mAh battery lasts forever.
- The display is nice and crisp. Personally, I consider any display with more that 300ppi a bad design language because you can't really see any difference unless you bring the screen closer, while the extra resolution affects performance and battery life.
- WP8.1 is as smooth as it can be. I hardly notice any slowdowns.
- For a 0.9MP camera, the front-facing camera has surprisingly good image quality.
- The speaker is really loud.
Things I am okay with
- The On-Screen Buttons : Truthfully, I thought I'd hate them, but I don't really mind them. I've set them to be always on, and just manually hide them when I want to. Also 19 out of 20 apps can recognise them, so that's better than what I expected.
- The camera takes decent photos in day. The flash is pretty much useless though. Similarly priced android phones have much better flashes.
Things I hate
- The limited glance screen is a big deal. I actually didn't know this to be even a thing, and only found out after I bought the phone. Well, nothing I can do about it now.
- The bezel is just too much. If you are gonna waste so much space, the absence of capacitive buttons is so much harder to justify.
- Touch sensitivity could be better. Double-tap-to-wake doesn't work as reliably as 520, and there's no option to change touch sensitivity.
- I don't know who to blame here, but TrueCaller does not show live caller id.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with my phone. I intend to keep it on WP8.1 for the foreseeable future.

 

[alen14]

I just upgraded from lumia 620 to lumia 640 and its way better phone
very happy