Lumia 535 Review

Microsoft Lumia 535 comprises the best of the Lumia 730 and 830. It comes with a 5MP selfie camera optimized for group selfies and Skype. The camera is paired with Lumia Selfie app with enhancements to spice up your casual and more professional selfies. With a 5-inch IPS display and smooth edges, this smartphone shares a little bit of design language with the Lumia 830. The device also features high speed 3G (up to 42.2Mbps downlink) which should make you virtually untouchable on HSPA networks.

First impressions aside, Lumia 535 is a special handset for Windows Phone 8 loyalists since it’s the first to feature Microsoft branding. Granted, better speced devices will be launched into the market soon but if you crave for something fresh and exciting, then Microsoft Lumia 535 is the one to get. The device is expected to launch in select markets by end of this month to early December. With an estimated starting price of about Sh. 14,499 we see this smartphone putting up quite a fight against equally good looking devices such as Tecno F6 and L7. Of course, the market gets to decide who takes the crown eventually.

Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 with denim update powers the Lumia 535. You therefore get to share some of the best features with flagships such as the Lumia 930 and 830. Actionable notifications, intuitive typing experience with word flow and ability to group apps into folders makes the Windows ecosystem more user friendly. Integrated Skype and OneDrive helps you save money on calls and remain productive even while away from your computer. Microsoft promises long term software support for the Lumia 535 and if her recent announcement is anything to go by, then this device is set to receive the next big upgrade to Windows 10.

A 1.2 GHz Quad-core processor will keep the Lumia 535 ticking at a fairly fast pace. This is the same speed offered by its closest siblings with the main compromise being a slightly downgraded chip and a lackluster graphics processor. However, unlike both the Lumia 630 and 530, this smartphone will feature the 1GB of RAM requested for by many Lumia users. This amount can help you multitask some more and bring more app compatibility to your device. If you love reading magazines, then Lumia 535 gives you a smoother experience with apps such as Flipboard and Zinio.