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| Nokia Lumia 630 |
Post the acquisition of
Nokia, Microsoft has launched its first device, the Lumia 630, noticeably
without the Nokia name. The phone is the first of its generation and requires
several modifications. However, it is the start of something new which is
appreciable.
The Lumia 630’s Dual SIM
version has been released in India with the Windows Phone 8.1. Although it is
cheaper than the Lumia 620, it is actually in a lower segment and not a patch
on the phone. With new software and hardware to boast of, the Lumia 630 could
become the next big thing.
Feel and Look
The shape of the phone is
more block and flat than usual. The phone has sides along the rectangular body
that taper back which makes it easy to grip the phone. The back part of the
phone does not bulge too much.
This mobile phone has a matte
textured colourful casing. It is nothing similar to the highly glossy finishes
that were seen on the other Lumia models and this sort of a finishing picks up
dirt and specks as soon as you expose the phone.
The front part of the phone
does not have anything except Nokia’s logo on top as navigation is taken care
of by soft keys. The volume and power buttons are on the right edge although
there is no shortcut key for the camera. The left side is left completely blank
while the bottom and top have the microUSB port and headset jack each. The rear
has been left fully blank too with the rounded speaker hole and camera lens
poking out apart from the hardly visible Nokia logo right centre.
The phone does not come
with a USB cable or headphone. The charger is connected to a microUSB plug with
a fixed wire.
Specifications and Features
A steady Qualcomm 400
Snapdragon powerful has been used in the Lumia. The processor clocks 1.2GHx on
a quad core SOC with Adreno integrated 305 graphics. Only 512MB of RAM has been
provided which is quite a downscaling from the 1GB placed in the Lumia 525.
The built in storage space
given is 8GB which offsets the requirement to include external storage cards.
Earlier models of Nokia could support up to 128GB external memory cards. The
screen measures 4.5 inches diagonally although it has an abysmal resolution of
480X854 pixels. The pixel density on the devise is very low and it does not
appear premium quality at all. It does not live up to the already low standard
of Nokia’s device which offers bad viewing angles and limited colour accuracy.
Even though the interface is not very grainy, the textual matter on websites
and applications might remind you of high quality 10 years ago.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
connectivity of the device is up to date along with GPS. Only an accelerometer
has been included among the sensors. Screen brightness needs to be adjusted
manually for the lack of an ambient sensor. The list of amenities offered by
the Lumia 630 is lopsided and other phones in this price range out do it.
Software
The biggest attraction of
the Lumia 630 is its Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. The update is much
significant and there have been minor and major improvements. Outside India,
Microsoft may boast of the Cortana, which is a voice based intelligence
assistant. However, the feature does not exist for the Indian version of the
phone. There are roundabouts which will get the feature working on the phone,
although it is not much needed.
A notification shade has
been added which users were waiting for very long. Microsoft has called it the
Action Centre. Like in iOS and Android, swiping down from the top of the
display unit will reveal an overlay that shows notifications that have not been
taken care of yet. When the Action Centre is pulled down, expanded information
about the icons on the notification bar like battery percentage are revealed.
There are also some useful shortcuts like brightness, camera, Bluetooth and
these are customizable, although not more than 4 can be added at one go.
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| New Nokia Lumia 630 |
The device is the first
Windows Phone that supports 2 SIMs and there are some new touches for it. For
example, there are 2 distinct messaging and phone apps which is a little odd
and confusing. The icons for the 2 SIMs are quite similar in colour while the
first set becomes transparent in case the new option of background photo is
selected. Fragmented inbox and call history lists need to be dealt with. However,
contact lists are shared and making calls and sending texts from the other
SIM’s app is allowed. It is quite useful for keeping personal and work
communications separate. However, not everyone would appreciate this technique.
Camera
Nokia has always included
numerous camera apps and this time it is no different. The Lumia 630 has
Creative Studio, Cinemagraph and Glam Me for numerous effects that range from
face enhancement to animation. The camera app by Nokia includes options such as
manual focus, shutter speed, quick access to white balance settings and ISO.
The photographs clicked in
daylight are quite impressive. Clarity and details are comparable to that of a
camera on a phone which is twice as expensive as the Lumia 630. However,
photographs clicked indoors are not that good and photographs become noisy very
sharply even when they are clicked in office floors that are well lit.
Photographs clicked at night did not have too many details and had too much of
noise. The video appeared compressed and blocky and had an artificial feel to
it.
The Lumia 630’s interface
is quite smooth although browsing the internet is quite a task and playback of
non HD video clips produced glitches too. The Lumia 630 will probably not last
you more than one year or two, particularly if you include a lot of apps and
the future operating system updates need heavier specifications.
The battery life is quite
impressive as it lasted more than 11 hours in a continuous video loop test. The
phone can be confidently used intensively through the day and you would not
need to grope for a power outlet for charging your phone.
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