With the release of the Lumia 550, we see Microsoft offering the first budget handset to run on Windows 10. But with a price point under £100 can it really live up to the Windows expectations?

The Lumia 550 is a light and resource efficient handset, with an impressive 4.7 inch display offering 720p resolution, and a sharp pixel density of 315ppi. It matches up to previous generation Lumia handsets, with LTE support and a sleek minimalistic polycarbonate casing. We can’t help but notice a similarity to the Lumia 640 in terms of spec, and the latest flagship Lumia 950 in terms of exterior styling.

Under the hood:

Running on Snapdragon 210 chipset, with quad core 1.1 GHz Cortext A7 CPU and Adreno 304 GPU the handset has decent specs for the price point. There is 1GB of RAM and 8 GB of in built storage within the handset, however the Lumia 550 does offer expandable memory via a microSD slot.

Cameras:

Cameras include a 5 megapixel rear offering, with auto-focus, 7 2.4 aperture, LED flash and 720p video recording (at 30 frames per second). On the front is a 2 megapixel camera, 480p.

Connectivity:

Connectivity includes 4G (also impressive for the price), Wifi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou and FM radio.

Measurements and Battery Life:

Microsoft’s Lumia 550’s dimensions measure up at 136.1 x 67.8 x 9.9 mm and 142 grams in weight. Equipped with a 2100 man Li-Ion battery, the 550 promises up to 14 hours of talk time and up to a whopping 670 hours standy.

Windows 10:

The Lumia 550 is one of the first handsets to come with Windows 10 Mobile out of the box, which is extremely generous considering the price. The usage is very similar to that in the Xbox One’s Windows 10, and the interface has a familiar feel thanks to the tiled homescreen. But we can’t help but notice that nearly 5GB out of the 8GB storage is taken up by the new OS (leaving us very grateful for that expandable micros SD slot). You’ll also be able to enjoy Microsoft’s new web browser, Edge, on the handset too, which offers some nice new features such as bookmark sync and reading mode.

Conclusion:

All in all the Microsoft Lumia 550 is a great choice for those looking for the benefits of Microsoft Windows 10 mobile without the hefty price tag of the Lumia 950XL and 950.

Here’s the specs at a glance:

• Size: 136.1 mm x 67.8 mm x 9.9 mm
• Weight: 141.9 g
• Memory: 8 GB (expandable via MicroSD card)
• User data storage: In device, OneDrive cloud storage, App and data storage on memory card
• Display: 4.7 ”, HD720 (1280 x 720), TrueColor (24-bit/16M), LCD, 315 ppi
• Battery capacity: 2100 mAh
• Standby time: up to 28 days
• Talk time (4G): up to 17 h
• Music playback time: up to 60 h
• Wi-Fi network browsing time: up to 10 h
• Video playback time: up to 7.1 h
• User interface features: Glance screen, Tactile feedback, Vibrating alerts, Voice commands
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 210, Quad core
• Main camera: 5.0 MP, Auto focus, 2 x digital zoom, 1/4 inch digital zoom, f/2.4, LED flash
• Other Camera features: Auto and manual exposure, Auto and manual white balance, Automatic photo upload to web services, Full resolution photo and video upload, Full screen viewfinder, Geotagging, Touch focus
• Front camera: 2 MP, f/2.8, : Still image capture, Video call, Video recording
• Main camera video resolution: 720p (HD, 1280 x 720)

Purchase the Microsoft Lumia 550 Sim Free today, and check out the Mozo Lumia 550 back cover case for added grip and high quality impact absorption.

Don’t forget to Subscribe to our brand new youtube channel to be the first to view our unboxing, firsts impressions and tech news videos.

Like us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook

Yesterday saw the launch of the Microsoft Lumia 650, a budget friendly Windows 10 handset, with a decent set of specifications for the price tag. Marketed by Microsoft as a budget friendly, smaller alternative to the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950xl we take a look at what this has to offer in comparison to the flagship handsets.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL are the more powerful of the Windows devices being compared, but they also have the higher price tag to match. The Lumia 950 offers 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory with microSD expansion and a Snapdragon 808 processor. The larger Lumia 950 XL offers the same as the 950 in regard to RAM and memory, but runs on has the Snapdragon 810 chip.

The more budget friendly Lumia 650 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage with microSD storage expansion. This is obviously a compromise in spec compared to the flagships, which is also seen  in terms of camera and battery capacity, but in our opinion it does offers more than the other budget friendly Lumia, the Lumia 550 in most specifications.

When comparing cameras on the handsets, the Lumia 650 does reveal it’s budget friendly price tag, with a mere 8 megapixels – quite a drop from the 20 mega pixels of the 950 and 950xl. However all models offer the same 5 megapixel front facing camera, which is useful when holding FaceTime meetings or capturing selfies.

The recently released Lumia 650 is the thinnest and most lightweight Windows 10 device currently on the market, making it good for those who travel frequently. The 650 offers an AMOLED display similar to the flagship handsets, but it is slightly smaller at 5-inch, with a pixel resolution of 1280 x 720.

All handsets offer the best of Windows 10, including OneDrive and Office allowing you to be more productive thanks to the ability to sync across Microsoft devices. However, Microsoft have left some disappointed with the lack of one useful Windows 10 feature from the new Lumia 650: Continuum.

Microsoft has responded to the lack of Continuum, stating:

“We are aiming to deliver the most productive Windows 10 Mobile devices at all price points,” said an official Microsoft Spokesperson. “With the Lumia 650, our goal was to create a beautiful device that’s affordable for businesses to buy and deploy.”

“In this price range we are giving customers smart business tools, including seamless Office and OneDrive integration and Cortana, so users can stay productive and synced across all Windows 10 devices. We encourage users looking for Continuum productivity features to explore the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.”

You can purchase the Lumia 650 Sim Free and the Mozo Back Cover Case for the 650 with next day delivery today.

If you decide on one of the flagship handsets, don’t forget to check out our Mozo cases for the 950 and 950XL to keep your device sae.

What can you expect from the upcoming Microsoft Lumia 550? Whilst the specs aren’t quite on par with the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, the Microsoft Lumia 550 does offer a budget friendly Windows 10 experience that impresses for the money.

As you’d expect from a Microsoft phone, you can access all the Microsoft sevices and apps including Cortana, Office, Powerpoint, Excel and the all new Microsoft Edge browser.

Connection is super speedy thanks to the 4G LTE connectivity and the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor and 1 GB of RAM. The 2100mAh battery should keep you going all day long.

The 5 megapixel rear and 2 mega pixel front facing cameras are an adequate offering for a handset of this price point. The 4.7’’ HD display excites us thanks to the new Glance Screen feature for a quick view of important information.  You’ll also enjoy orientation sensor, Sunlight readability enhancements, Lumia Colour profile, Wide viewing angle and Automatic brightness control.