Nokia today introduced two budget priced Windows 8.1 smartphones, which look a lot like the iPhone 5c. The Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 both feature a quad-core processor, 4.5-inch ClearBlack screen, with changeable colored shells. Their main differentiation is the Lumia 635 is 4G LTE capable, while the Lumia 630 is limited to HSPA+ speeds. Also, the Lumia 630 will come in a dual-SIM variation. Pricing is set at $159 to $189, which competes with Motorola’s budget priced MOTO G Android smartphone.
The Lumia 635 is distinguished by a high-gloss finish and a unique dual-layered, luminous tonal surround that glimmers and glows, offering the first taste of the Lumia colors for 2014, with swappable covers available in bright orange, bright green, bright yellow, and white and black. Both the single and dual-SIM Lumia 630 ship with a new matte finish and the same vibrant colors.
There’s a 5MP rear camera with autofocus, for great shots with Nokia Camera and Cinemagraph, reliving your memories using Nokia Storyteller and to get creative with Nokia Creative Studio. Home movies and downloaded videos, content, apps and Xbox games look better on the Gorilla Glass 3 screen with visibility in bright daylight conditions improved thanks to the exclusive ClearBlack technology.
These funky new smartphones are the first Lumia phones to see the Windows Phone navigation keys integrated into the user interface (UI), disappearing when watching video and when the phones are locked, as well as slick volume buttons, matching the shell.
They also introduce ‘SensorCore’ low-power sensing, a landmark for a value smartphone to enable the next generation of exercise and exploration apps like Bing Health and Fitness, which provides real-time monitoring and data storing like steps taken, calories burned, and miles walked, all day without eating up the big 1830mAh battery.
Windows Phone 8.1 features will enable new Live Tiles, one-swipe notifications with the Action Center, and faster socializing with the Word Flow keyboard and apps like Instagram, WhatsApp and Vine. You’ll also find the latest Xbox games and Internet Explorer straight out of the box for fun, and Enterprise updates that make these phones even better for business with Microsoft Office and OneDrive.
Price and Availability
The Nokia Lumia 630 is expected to rollout in May 2014, beginning with Asia, Russia, China, India and Europe, from $159 for the single-sim variant, and $169 for the dual-sim variant. The Nokia Lumia 635 will be broadly available, including in the US starting in July 2014, from $189.
Key specifications
| Nokia Lumia 630 | Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM | Nokia Lumia 635 | |
| MSRP | $159 | $169 | $189 |
| Operating System | Windows Phone 8.1 | Windows Phone 8.1 | Windows Phone 8.1 |
| Display | 4.5-inch FWVGA display, ClearBlack LCD, Gorilla 3 | 4.5-inch FWVGA display, ClearBlack LCD, Gorilla 3 | 4.5-inch FWVGA display, ClearBlack LCD, Gorilla 3 |
| Battery | 1830mAh | 1830mAh | 1830mAh |
| Connectivity | HSPA+ 21Mbps/5.76Mbps, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), BT 4, micro-USB | HSPA+ 21Mbps/5.76Mbps, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), BT 4, micro-USB | LTE 100Mbps/50Mbps, HSPA+ 42Mbps (dual carrier)/5.76Mbps, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), BT 4, micro-USB |
| Processor | 1.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 | 1.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 | 1.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 |
| Camera | 5MP AF | 5MP AF | 5MP AF |
| Memory | 512 MB RAM, 8GB eMMC with 128GB micro SD card support | 512 MB RAM, 8GB eMMC with 128GB micro SD card support | 512 MB RAM, 8GB eMMC with 128GB micro SD card support |
