The Lumia 535 fixes Microsoft's low-end problem with Windows Phone but will anyone see it?

The Lumia 535 fixes many of the Lumia 530's ills, but comes at an odd time

Late last night, Microsoft announced the Lumia 535, the latest addition in the admittedly growing and confusing Lumia line. The Lumia 535 is confusing because it borrows many of the strong points from the Lumia 630 and Lumia 730 line, blurring the differences between the two.

Having said that, the phone itself is in many ways a welcome addition, mostly because it addresses many of the concern reviewers have had with the 5xx line of Lumias.

What is gained by the Lumia 535

For around $135 USD (110 EUR before taxes and subsidies), the Lumia 535 seemingly hits on all the important factors that go into an affordable, entry-level Windows Phone. For instance, over the Lumia 530, the Lumia 535 gains the following in features:

1-inch larger IPS-type display
Double-tap to wake
Ambient light sensor
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
8 GB of internal memory (vs 4 GB)
1GB of RAM (vs 512 MB)
Larger 1905 mAh battery (vs. 1430mAh)
5 MP front-facing camera (vs. no FF camera)
Auto-focus for the rear camera (vs fixed focus)
LED Flash (vs. no flash)

Granted, the Lumia 535 does tack on around 25 Euro (or around $30 USD) for those extra features – nothing is free. Still, if there were ever complaints about the Lumia 530, the Lumia 535 goes the extra mile to address them.

Features like front-facing cameras, especially ones at 5 MP, along with larger displays is where the market is heading in late 2014. Adding a flash for the rear camera along with a higher quality Gorilla Glass IPS display is also a perfect addition. Finally, the 1 GB of RAM address the biggest complaint, since 512 MB can often limit the ability for users to install certain games.

Differences between Lumia 630 and Lumia 535

There are a few differences between the Lumia 630 and Lumia 535, but the are few:

Lumia 630 has a ClearBlack Display polarizer for richer colors
Lumia 630 has a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 400 CPU
~1 hour less battery life (Wi-Fi browsing time)
BeiDou for GPS navigation

The Lumia 635 is a 4G LTE variant of the Lumia 630, something that is not available for the 3G-only Lumia 535.

However, what is lost pales to what is gained by the Lumia 535 over the Lumia 630, including:

More RAM (1 GB vs. 512 MB)
Larger display (4.5-inch versus 5-inch) with no loss in PPI density
Flash for the rear camera
Front-facing camera
Ambient light sensor

Considering the Lumia 535 comes in at around $25 cheaper than the Lumia 630, you can begin to see why the Lumia 630 is not seen as much as a value anymore.

Limited availability?

Perhaps the one catch is right now the Lumia 535 is only starting sales in China, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. For US markets, sources familiar tell us that no carrier here has yet picked up the phone for release, which would happen until early 2015 at this point. With its lack of 4G LTE, I do not see the Lumia 535 ever coming to the US. It is also not clear if the Lumia 535 will make it to other markets, including Europe or India.

Indeed, the Lumia 525, is a device that also had very limited availability, despite it adding more RAM to the Lumia 520's chassis. The Lumia 535 may be following in its footsteps, though I hope to hear more in the coming months.

Mixed messages

On paper, the Lumia 535 is the type of entry-level Windows Phone users would like to see around the globe. It hits all of the sweet spots for modern hardware, while still coming in at an affordable price. In that sense, Microsoft nailed it.

The flipside is Microsoft's Lumia line is becoming increasingly fragmented and confusing. The Lumia 525 merely doubled the RAM of the Lumia 520, but otherwise it was exactly the same phone. The Lumia 535 though is different in every which way from the Lumia 530. Heck, it even outpaces the Lumia 630, making its 5xx designation, well, odd.

To be fair, Microsoft has inherited a lot from Nokia, though it behooves them to reconsider so many different Lumias, and instead focus on fewer models with a more consistent differentiation between price-points.

Having said that, I am excited about taking the Lumia 535 for a spin and hope to see a global release of the new hardware in the near future.

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

448 Comments

So Microsoft did released today only info on Lumia Conversation website about Lumia 535 or there will be kind of event when they unveil Lumia 535 and possibly something else ?
I'm so used to Daniel being the first to comment on his own article that I had to go back and check if he changed his surname to Fibikar. Lol.
Hahaha :-) I suppose i should change to some kind of nickname to not be confused with Windows guru Daniel Rubino :-))
Seems Daniel
I am seeing conflicting reports about their also being a press conference or not.
That was probably the smoke screen MS sent out so the excitment can be generated at launch. It was rumored that L535 would have a VGA front camera and then they surprised you with a 5MP camera instead. People love surprises. Band is an example.
The question is of value. These are suppose to be smartphones. And if on contract these phones are not the value give a 3 gig contract for one year and barely a middle of the road device if anything the low end of middle. In other words these devices undercut the value of contract of which is about $80 per month and 960 for just one year. So, I am thinking these devices are no more than a year value over two years $1920 which is overkill. I am not an accountant but seems Microsoft could build a better value device.
So true
Any discussion of the value this phone may or may not represent needs to consider the markets it's aimed at. It's not coming to AT&T, Verizon, etc. on a two year contract.
Not sure how your comment relates to the comments above. Anyway.. :) In contract driven markets, the main point is probably not, unfortunately, to offer value to you as the end consumer. The main point is to offer the carrier a phone that has good features for a low wholesale price, so that neither the carrier or MS needs to subsidize it humongous amounts (ala iPhone) in order to be able to provide it free or at a very low cost on contract. :)
This phone is not for US. You'd be surprised but in other countries where people are not ripped off you get decent 1000 min package + 3Gb/month for $20.
Well said, but note how this just isn't meant to be on contract at all. It is made specifically for markets where most people prefer to go for prepaid. It says it probably will not come to Europe, for example.
Yes but look at the target markets.... also these are most often purchased not sudsidized. If you are happy to pay 80 per month then obviously you would get a premium phone. its really 2-3 different market segments. and country to country its a completely different set of rules by carriers. I think there will always be markets where a phone wont be a good fit. There are enough Lumias out there that I think you can find the "right" good deal.
It has been released on Microsoft sites. L535 looks like a winner which can meet all the Android low end phones head on. It is a super smart move for MS to add a 5MP front camera to L535 which would please young crowd on budget. MS should quit making 512MB phones without front camera. In the market like China, front camera is a MUST. I hope that MS would come out a 4G/LTE version for L535 so it can penetrate into most markets. It should be a hot seller.
Now that can be considered as the real successor of lumia 520 but Microsoft should now think about high end flagship device like 1020s camera with 930 's hardware or more than that
Most websites suggests Microsoft is now about low-end smartphones and cheap prices. Which is bad for their image... Instead of making true quality they chose to go with the low-end market to boost their market share instead of wowing the world with a good device before the holidays. I'm not sure if Lumia will ever be what we expected from MS or if they simply don't understand the fact that people need to see a new flagship every year to keep the level of interest high enough to keep most of your customers... If the customer doesn't have enough choice then they'll pick something else when its time for an upgrade.
Ya that's right maybe in a next few months may be there is a flagship as leaked online
So why they upgraded the firmware to support 55MP sensors????
I don't believe MS will release any flagship before wp10...
It's Snapdragon 805 that would support up to 55MP sensor. I haven't heard that MS firmware upgrade would support 55MP yet.
In April; the Snapdragon 810 will be release! 805 will be 6 month old by then! Not sure why Microsoft is alway behind the times? I sure they can get protypes of the 810 for development! They just choice not to go with the current technology since it may be too pricey for them!
Its still the problem of power efficiency that wp os known for
Windows Phone: All about that bass (lows)
>Most websites suggests Microsoft is now about low-end smartphones and cheap prices. Which is bad for their image... Instead of making true quality they chose to go with the low-end market to boost their market share instead of wowing the world with a good device before the holidays. Yea, I wont buy a mid or low end phone (unless I had no choice, high end phone broke and needed a phone this second, kind of thing). If all the new phones are only low to mid end models it's time Windows Phone fans should start looking towards other brands for the tech we desire. Nothign even close or better than the ICON/930/1520....just low end stuff. No interest.... will not think of a iPhone so Android looks like the only other choice I have... Thanks Microsoft !!!
gosh thank you!! i was really hoping this was going to something worth it, i have my 2 year upgrade in 12 days and have a 925.... i guess 1520 here i come :/
You forget Microsoft is not only about Lumia, there are other manufacturers too. One of the phones of the year on Android is HTC One which is now available with WP, so what is the problem?? Another thing is 930 and 1520 ARE high-end devices so stop whining. What you really want is something to distract you for 5 minutes from boredom. Well, that's not a compelling reason for a company to invest heavily in a new device.
What's the problem? One word: availability. I wish Microsoft would just sell unlocked, carrier-unbranded versions of every Lumia model. But, it wouldn't surprise me if carrier agreements prohibit that, just like how they dictate what other stores, like Best Buy, can and cannot sell.
I agree with most of this. But I've been wanting a 41MP+ phone for a while. But I want a bigger screen and faster cpu than what the 1020 offers. Also, new features like recording in 4k, if we wait for carrier updates, we'll never get them. It's just easier to buy a new phone.
i was getting restless waiting for a 930 successor as i had vowed to wait for something with sd, but boredom kicked in one evening after a few beers and watching a 930 on ebayand i made one of DOh! purchases you regret in the morning. The thing is, inhavent regretted it for one second , the 930 is a highend device, a worthy update to my venerable 920 and is at a very affordable price point. dont for one second think the 930 isnt highend, it looks good the camera is great, sounds is good, the miracast of movies to tv is cool. The new 535 delivers where the 530 failed, i hope this product is widely released, worldwide as it could be another smash hit
There are a few companies also making low end junk phones and one single company releasing year old hardware with the MS operating system that is barely available to consumers (T Mo just cancelled the release). It is a joke of a platform at this point with no effort to compete with the iphone and top tier android devices.
Yeah, but they're so cheap they're great as gifts or spares! You can never have too many I say... @_@
Truth is, if they want to push more phones out, low to mid range phones are the only way. I don't think that at this point, Microsoft can pull off a Apple when it comes to making lots of people pay ridiculous amount of money for a mobile. I think MS is just concentrating on getting the word out for now. If you take a developing country like India, people here go crazy over the Moto G's and the Xiomi's because of the cost vs value factor. L520 was actually sold-out in certain places when it launched, where as I was told that I was the first guy to purchase a L830 at my local Nokia Store!! But yes, I AM worried that the 930/Icon was the only flagship that was released this year!! A flagship that while impressing a lot of folks, just did not make the cut for a lot of folks too including me too due to its shortcomings. What we need is a phone thhat just HAS-IT-ALL!!!
I hear your concern Simon, but a flagship Windows Phone this year for Microsoft would have been suicide.
INSANITY is defined as doing the SAME thing repeatedly and expecting a DIFFERENT result. Microsoft has, since the reboot of their Phone OS, has launched a flagship literally EVERY year ( if I'm not mistaken) and literally every year they (we) were crushed by the competition. Carriers were left with unsold 900's, 920's, 1020's, 1520's, Icons etc on thier shelves! Of course carriers aren't happy with unsold inventory(that they eventually relocate to some obscure corner of thier stores more often than not). It's costly for them. It can't be easy for MS to barter deals with carriers, and get support(which they rarely get anyway) with promoting WP's either when the track record for Windows Phone's ENTIRE history has been, generally, customers just don't know about the platform at all, or barley enough to see it beyond Apple and Android. The phone that came closest to creating respectable mindshare was the 1020, and that too was a market failure.
Look I'm a BIG Windows Phone fan, I tweet it, write about it, converting about 9 people close to me to it, even got Cortana T-Shirts and carry both the 1020 and 1520 daily! But the truth is with the world seeing only Apple this year, with thier record sales, 10million in 3 days, (boy if we hit that in a quarter we're happy!), investing in a high end device would have likely been generally MISSED & would have garnered little to no market share being an expensive (priced around the same price as the more popular high end iPhone 6, 6 Plus, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note LG G3) device on an unpopular platform when more popular equally priced alternatives were available.
So I think it would have been insanity, MS doing the SAME thing, launching a high end device and expecting a different result, if they went that route. So they did something DIFFERENT.
Yes high end devices are available, maybe a bit older like the 1520, or repurposed Android, like the HTC M8(and its making its WA around the carriers). But they are there, not everyone's flavor, and I get it, I know we want sequels to the 1020 and 1520. But MS is doing something different.
The Lumia 830, the affordable flagship! Decent specs, low price, $99 is around that reasonable gift price for the holiday season, or that inexpensive upgrade price for someone looking for all the basics and a decent build and wants or needs to save $100.
The specs are such that with the 830, you essentially will do everything an iPhone or galaxy device will do( there are some compromises) but at a decent price.
So it "competes" with those brands without technically going head to head, because its not positioned as a high end device.
This just might be the device that gets in enough hands that ends up creating that much needed mindshare. High end devices in sure are coming-next year. But I think MS needed this strategy. Lets hope it works.
@elderjlward, It's good to see your post. Not too many OEMs supporting WP is only a big problem here, and MS is forced to cover lowend to highend or diff markets of WP users all alone. If there are strong international OEMs that support WP to some extend, and MS can focus on only some segments like Pureview Tech with 1020 and its successors.Plus MS must bring a lot of uniqueness to WP ecosystem with their services that are offered on iOS and Android. For example, as I mentioned in the past, What percentage of iPhone users know iPhone runs iOS? may be 30%?!!! What all they know is iPhone, they simply go and ask "Do you have latest iPhone". It was happening with Android as well and Google was seriously frightened when people went to ask "Do you have galaxy?" MS must make a flagship for highend, like "surface" WP phone and keep it out of carriers and sell it unlocked or sell it on all carriers like iPhone. This experiment of only 1 flagship must give very good idea to MS.
Many of us would like to go Windows Phone. I am sick of Android, but I have a Galaxy S4 because I need the swappable battery and want the SD card. Microsoft (or Nokia) never released a flagship device with those features, only on low end devices. I personally believe the reason Samsung became so dominant was they didn't cut choice the way other Android OEMs did in their quest to become like an iPhone. If Microsoft offers a flagship phone with those two things I will glady leave Android behind.
Interestingly, the Surface programme is now the exact opposite, with a focus on high-end. Surface 2 is still around, but only barely. It's all about the Surface Pro 3 selling nearly a billion dollars (at wholesale) per quarter.
Makes sense that a surface phone would follow.. It would be the only high end device MS will ever need. It makes sense that the Lumia brand will stay at the low to mid end, then a Surface branded phone would lock the high end. Just makes sense.
+1.
Surface 3 is a different story. People are becoming wary of toy-tablets like ipads and samsungs. Having a full-blown os in a tablet is a fantastic thing. Then Windows 8.1 unlike WP has a greater mindshare and aknowledgement as a mature (even if a bit strange) OS.
Microsoft should develop a Surface phone to compete with the iPhone 6S and Galaxy S6 in 2015. Instead of pricing it the same ball park; price it about $500 more then the 6S with the same storage. Have 32, 64, 128, 256GB models. Use a current SoC maybe 810, 2K resolution, 4.7"-5" screen size and see how the phone sells. It would be the top end phone period! Of course, it lower then the ones with the diamonds, gold plated backs, etc....
You gotta be kidding me. I need a high end windows phone device. Or else I'll get the iGarbage6Plus
Honestly, I think it's time for Microsoft to simplify the market. One low end cheap phone to satisfy the same crowd that went for the Lumia 520, a reasonable sized powerhouse like the Lumia 930 for the powerusers/gamers, a phablet, and a specialty phone like the Lumia 1020 that has just one outstanding feature.
There doesn't need to be a level of simplicity akin to iPhone, but the fact that we had a Lumia 630, 635 then a 530 that fit the exact same needs makes me feel they're not thinking things through.
With that said, the 535 is a good move. If they play their cards right, it could easily be even more of a sleeper hit than the 520.
I agree, except I would also add a middle tier. Something between a 730 and 830 and very competively priced.
You might have noticed a shift in Microsoft's strategy for Devices unit after acquisition. Phones released under them like 530, 730/735 and newly announced 535 gives some of the best value for money among smartphones(830 being an exception). They are thinner, lighter, with SD slots, removable backs and batteries. And with inclusion of flash and front facing snapper and 1GB RAM with 535, tells us that Microsoft is listening. And taking the feedback into account for future releases.
That's probably why they haven't released a flagship this year. They don't want to repeat the half baked software and hardware fiasco that WP8/8.1 was. They will lay the groundwork with Windows 10 for Universal App development plus latest and greatest hardware support and come out with a bang in 2015 with 1030(best smartphone camera), Surface Pro 4(Best convertible), 1530 and 940.
If they muffed the WP8/8.1 release, it's hard to be confident that the arguably more complex upgrade/unification to Universal Apps will go smoothly. It definitely sounds to me like the "Point Zero" release of 10 will be one to avoid, at least on the phone platforms. If they don't get a flagship out running the Denim version of 8.1 BEFORE they tackle the release of 10.0, I'm disinclined to wait till the dust settles on 10... next summer? fall? ... before upgrading from my old 900. Lots of 920 owners are in the same boat.
Ofcourse Windows 10(1st version/firmware) won't be perfect. But at least it will have solid foundation. Bugs and glitches can always be rectified through patch updates(if MS can find a way for that).
And by half baked I meant transition versions towards their goal of one windows. In terms of performance for what it brought, it was stellar. Maybe, MS will surprise us and come out with a polished point zero release of Windows 10.
Flagship with denim or GDR2 will only mean one thing, cranky users desperate for Windows 10 and when preview for developers won't be as polished as they hoped, they will bash MS. I think it is a great strategy for MS to release new flagships with new OS release. That way they can polish both the OS and firmware for their flagship products BEFORE release(just like Apple does with its iPhones or Google with Nexus).
Oh wow, you are still rocking a 900? You sir have amazing patience. I would have at least upgraded to a 635 for now. If anything, to get WP8.1.
Yeah your point is definitely right but they should do it as fast as possible
You people really don't get it, NO HIGHEND PHONE IS COMING BEFORE WINDOWS 10. Until then they have top tier options that rival any O.S.
M looking forward to it...
What would be in 6xx/7xx/8xx series then..??
Awesomeness...
6xx might be gone but both the 7xx and 8xx series beat this one pretty badly
Waiting in India. People will buy, as they already going crazy for 730.
yupp india needs it.
I will take the 535 easily now
Fits in my pocket ;)
This'll be a *true competitor* to all those cheap droids flaunting all over the market here in India and yeah, a real *upgrade* for the 520 / 620 userbase.
The choices we had till now had its own ups and downs...
BUDGET MINDED GAMERS: Lumia 525 (lacks features and hardware is too old)
BUDGET MINDED: Lumia 530 (newer hardware, but lacks features)
FEATURE SEEKERS: Lumia 630 (newer hardware, feature oriented to some extent but not meant for gamers)
LUMIA 535: Here comes the ultimate low end savior !!!
..... Now what remains to be seen are:
1) Price (which I suppose should be below 10K INR)
2) Availability
3) Marketing
If the three are done correctly, then it'll be a sure hit. No, a big mega hit to the market share by a noticeable figure I suppose!!!
(I believe Microsoft don't get a good profit margin from the low end device sales although these are the ones which really keep the platform alive!)
Nicely written bro!! But not only the low-enders but also the devices like 930 yields only a 4% profit..!!
Thanks! And yeah, that's bad. What were their profit margins for 930 be like, had it included the "type of AMOLED" that allows glance and an SD slot! (I remember Microsoft once told they had to compromise on these features to keep the price low!)
Yeah Yeah..Duck Ye..
Hmm... Duck you too! =P
Microsoft websites list it as coming soon so it definitely is coming to India
+520 730 is quite a success in India.
apparently it has already been tested there http://www.nokiapoweruser.com/2014/10/14/the-new-lumia-rm-1090-already-g... And the same site reports that the dummies for it are already in India.
A Priority store in Hyd mentioned that 535 will be available in a month or less
Dude, that's great news!
I'm content with my 930 but I miss my storage freedom I had on my 520. Will surely get a 535 by the end of this year to fulfill the needs (movies, music on the go...)
Totally. We need a phone like that.
It will definitely come to India. Of the 5 available colors 3 are from the indian flag. I don't think that's a coincidence.
@Daniel its definitely coming to india.. the MS India phones site lists it as coming soon ;) http://www.microsoft.com/en-in/mobile/phones/all/
I agree that the device line up right now is head scratching, and saying that it's confusing is being kind. Stick to three devices for all markets: one low end, one mid-ranger, and one high end flagship, and refresh these about once a year. Boom, done.
Bit too much like the iPhone line. No thanks. c:
It works because it's easy to grasp. The way it is now, it looks like Microsoft throwing figurative spaghetti against the wall, and seeing what sticks.
It could work if there were some rhyme or reason: 530 --> 430 630/635 --> 530 535 --> 530+ 730 --> 730 (gap to indicate start of midrange) 830 --> 830 1030/1035 --> flagship, matches 10 for Windows 10 (which may be the last version number we see a la OSX) 1130 --> photography flagship 1530 --> phablet flagship add a 5 to any phone for dual-sim version.
Who cares? It makes sense. It's a hell of a lot less confusing than a 5xx designation that is better than the 6xx, while the 5xx shares the 7xx camera, and the 6xx has the same SoC as the 8xx which is still supposed to be a "flagship" even though the only flagship thing about it is its camera, kind of, even though its a great phone. It's getting confusing. Should I buy an 83x or a 92x? One is the higher major number, while the other is a higher generation. If Microsoft narrowed things down to a three "main" models instead of the 8 (5,6,7,8,9,10,13,15), there would be a LOT less confusion.
I think the realities of different markets make that hard. A version of the 535 with LTE would be a nice US phone. I would agree with your model to a point, though it doesn't incorporate screen sizes. Personally, I think a low-end phone with a 4.7" screen is a nice opener. A 5" mid-ranger like the Lumia 830 would be a nice second tier. And the upper echelon could be split between a 5" and a 6" screen. I'd also like to see them get rid of the numbers. Go with names for each model, like the Lumia Icon or the Lumia Spark or whatever and stick with it. Branding is important and numbers only tend to work for BMW.
Totally agree. Then they could do numberings eg. Lumia Icon 2
I wish they would make the three models and then have region variants. They could even use letters (535A or 535N) to distinguish regions or even alternatives (such as a larger version). That would make more sense than having eleven tiers (5xx through 15xx). Heck, what happened to switching to names? I though the Icon was going to start a trend of named Lumia phones.
The problem is goofy names like Icon or Spark (lol) tell you nothing about the device. At least with the numbering system you can at least tell what model it is and where it fits in the Lumia family.
Would be easier with 6 devices + special devices like 41MP Shooter. Low mid and High end - big and small version + 41 Shooter + Low and High end Phablet That is actually what i expected under Nokia Names
This
Thing is, the numbering system is inherited from Nokia. I think this IS the new low-end phone. Think of Nokia Lumias and Microsoft Lumias as two separate entities, and this number makes a little more sense. Almost ignore the Nokias for a second. This isn't then a replacement for a Nokia...but the start of a whole new line. If it weren't for the "lumia" name, MS would have just started again, but they want to connect their new phones to the legacy of Nokia's.
I agree . may be just the start of a new line up ... Completely new... Under MS
Exactly. The 5xx may just be a tie in to Nokia Lumia days when that meant "low-end".
You might be right, but in that case the timing is awful since they've released a slew of low and mid tier devices this year.
Ah, but following from my point, they haven't released any low-end or high-end phones. Nokia has. I'm sure mid and high end phones will follow soon with this phone being the new benchmark for the low end phone (possibly seeing an end to certain low-end drawbacks - no FF camera, sub 1GB RAM, etc.
Too restrictive, but they could be more strict with their lineup: A standard low level device, a low level device with quality camera, a low level device with large screen, and repeat for mid and high tier, with an extra high tier device with both large screen and the best camera, ie the flagship. Nine devices, which are easily distinguished from each other and clearly segmented.
Now market might demand variety. But I really appreciate this awesome move by Microsoft.
This phone is sized and specced nearly identically to the Blu Win HD. There's evidence that that phone is selling very well, and consumer direct no less (without carrier support). Perhaps Microsoft is responding to that. If so, that's very smart. A friend just bought a Blu Win HD, and I look forward to checking one out.
The Nokia Pakistan page says coming soon! This phone is great.
In before flagship cry babies
Too late.
Troll...
There are definitely way too many models, I think 3 is the sweet spot but 4 could work: Low level entry phone for emerging markets/pay as you go, mid level free on contract phone, flagship and then your niche flagship (either camera like the 1020 or huge screen like the 1520).
It's not way too many models.. These devices are made to target specific markets, and demographics.. No single market will see every Lumia device in the current lineup, and that has never happened... MS/Nokia has always had to make several devices in order to pick, and choose, which ones are for specific markets.. Everyone OEM, minus Apple, does this, and for the most part it's necessary..
This is a really good phone, a perfect competitor to the Moto G. However, I wanted to see a flagship but maybe Microsoft doesn't care about what the people want.
Flagship comes for Windows 10. I've said it since July, not sure why you folks aren't hearing it.
Wants outweigh reason in most cases, especially with phones. Lol
It's because they want a new phone every year like the iPhone and galaxy.
Yeah! I think you need to make an article about it! I'm sick of "waiting for this" comments on every article :/ Its obvious they would release flagship with Win10 mates.
I understand what you are saying Daniel, but a few announcements for a flagship handset coming soon wouldn't go amiss (especially knowing MS would prob release 3-6 months after any announcement)
That's changing. The Microsoft Band was released day-and-date with it's announcement. Surface Pro 3 had a shorter delay than previous Surfaces. I think we'll see that with phones too, the delay getting shutter shorter.
Well that's a shame. But it's undestandable i guess. Lumia 930 is good, but still it's the same phone as Lumia Icon released in 1Q 2014... it's sad that we will see more Flagship possibly in Q2/Q3 2015...
Just make the 930 available EVERYWHERE!! I could deal with until next year if I could buy one that worked on T-Mobile US.
This will be a marketing disaster since the new surfaces are slated at the same period. Theres no room for people to get a breather to buy both devices.
They're hearing but they just aren't listening.
Any word on when will we get to see those?
daniel, i think a pat on their head will work... with a hammer. it's getting annoying to read these tantrums wanting a wp flagship.
anyway, i believe 535 is the perfct fix for those prior low end dvices. previous handset always lack something on one aspect. smh. i will definitely purchase this! been always wanting a gray lumia since 925. will the release be as early as dec 2014?
Of course you have and I think most have heard you Daniel. Unfortunately that means the next flagship will be available next fall. I've been a WP supporter since 7, so 2 cycles it 4 years. I guess I was hoping for a 920 upgrade, not a lateral move. I can't believe I'm actually considering an iPhone 6. Waiting a year is too much for even a diehard fan boy ;-)
+520 , and it makes sense too. Just stick with your old flagship for a few months. With windows 10, MS ll definitely brings its flagship device. Doesn't 930 a flagship?? Confused.
The probem is that might not be til october 2015. For the US thats almost 2 years .
Isn't that the target date for Windows 10 for ARM devices anyway? Expecting anything sooner, all the up to and including March/April/May of next year, is way too optimistic. Any new Lumia flagship rollouts are definitely going to be a Fall 2015 event.
We hear you Daniel, I think most of us just can't believe it. That is the dumbest thing MS can do. I understand they want to make a splash with windows 10but making people who are looking for something now wait 6-9 months past an eligible upgrade date is a bad idea. At least give us an updated 930 and then save the 1020 replacement for Windows 10.
But isn't it a bit too far? Lumia 1520 has been announced more than 1 year ago already.
Because no other OEM is making high end windows phones. I've heard a lot of people who are willing to jump ship due to the lack of a flagship. Just something to make the people happy. A 1520 successor could have been released now and the 1020 successor could have been released with windows 10. I'm just sad because I love Microsoft and want to see them innovate keep their consumers happy.
There've been flagship phones, and then there've been top-of-the-line photography flagships (i.e., 1020). For instance, it could be argued whether the 930 bests the 1020 for photography. Any word on whether a true 1020 follow-up is coming in say, a year?
Oh, most of us readers know flagships won't come until Windows Phone 10. But many of us got impatient, including me. That's not a good thing because Windows Phone loyalists mostly will get flagships, not having one is an indication of Microsoft's lack of commitment toward its Windows Phone users.
That's very clear and it better be REALLY a hit - like the McLaren should've been. I don't think MS will sustain the "affordable-strategy" for long. They'll sure loss a lot of money and impact of phones like 535 is limited ($ per phone spend, public awareness...). Anyway though we may see a 1330 or that like today.
So, Build is pushed back to April now.. That means it'll be June at the earliest until new HE devices come out...
.............
Nevertheless, it's still less than 2 years, and our 1520', and Icons, aren't that old yet.... Now, the 1020... That's a different story. I have a feeling that the 1020 is gonna get split off into a smaller, and larger, device with two versions..
@Daniel Rubino: Because it's killing any attempt towards attention on the part of Windows; most of their customers may buy low or mid tier devices, but focus is on the high level devices, specifically the flagship. Without something extraordinary to tout, carriers and retailers are going to ignore the rest. And get down from that high horse of yours; you're no smartphone prophet, and statements like that put you squarely in the "best ignored" -segment!
I agree, we are in a holdng pattern for windows 10. It would be nice if Microsoft would say so. US carriers seem to take 3 to 6 months roll out updates. Waiting for Windows 10 assures that any new flagship will actually have Winows 10.
It is called Lumia 940, an official name for McLaren.
Does this imply that there won't be an upgrade from 8.1 to win 10? As if the phones could just be upgraded there wouldn't have to be a wait (although obviously a phone release on os launch looks better, but it isn't exactly required).
I think people are not hearing it because they dont want to hear it. You know the old saying people hear or don't hear what they want to hear or not hear. Because of the good article you ran with the comparison of the 920 and the 830 it helped me make my decision to hang onto my 820 until something more inline with what I wanted comes along. If that is not until Win10 then so be it.I got a Moto G lte(only 200$) to help me spend the time; but when the WP I want comes out I will still get it. My 820 and Moto G will take care of things until then. My only problem now is what phone becomes the backup when the new phone comes. Decisions, decisions.
They really don't care. I understand waiting for the next OS (W10) to release a flagship, but the reality is you will lose current users due to a perceived lack of support from the upper tier of customers. Make the phone NOW and allow it to upgrade to the latest OS version when it's ready.
It seems as if Microsoft is pulling the "next year" shenanigans again. It makes sense for them to wait for Windows 10 to make a flagship, but getting the 920, 925, 928, and 1020 users (might be forgetting some) to actually wait won't work. My upgrade is in December and while my 928 still works okay, it is becoming slower and slower to the point that it lags quite a bit now. And I never really felt like the Icon was a phone I actually wanted. I guess by now, we've gotten pretty used to waiting until next year...
At least you got the choice of the 929, GSM users on att and TMO didn't. I'd settle for a 930 with T-Mobile LTE bands if they'd just sell the damn thing unlocked! As it stands, I'm stuck with my 925.
Microsoft should phase out the 6xx line and maybe the 7xx line and just keep 5xx for low end 8xx for mid range 9xx for flagships also keep the 15xx, 10xx and 13xx line for what they've been doing so far
I have a feeling they will be doing something similar to what you suggest. I bet that the specs of this phone (535) are what we can expect to see as the baseline specs for the future 5xx lineup. The 6xx lineup will bump the specs a bit, the 7xx will bump the specs a bit more plus add a new hardware feature or two, 8xx another bump and finally the 9xx will be the flagship to challenge all other flagship devices (regardless of OS).
They expect lots of volume on the low end. Having multiple models allows them to push new models, and yet not make another country that doesn't get that model yet feel like they're trying to sell the predecessor.
I kinda agree with you. However, I think a better breakdown would be: 5XX: Low range. 7XX: Mid range 9XX: Falgship range 11XX: Flablet range Yearly upgrade would be an increment of the first digit location. X2X: Base in its Category (e.g. 520, 720, 920, etc.. yearly upgrade would be 521, 721, 921) X3X: Dual sim X4X: Camera upgrade X5X: Screen upgrade This way, customer would not have to dig into the details of what does a Lumia model include. They can just look at the number and figure out what should they expect. As it is the average attention span is decreasing :/
This should've been 530, 730 -> 630, 830->830. Real 530 and 630 seem like misfits.
+1520
I rember that I had to pay €350 for the Lumia 720 :/
Daniel, should we expect anything else today or is that it? Should we next expect Lumia announcements nearer the release of Windows 10? Thanks in advance!
I suppose some other devices can trickle out, but nothing major until Build.
When is build?
April 29 - May 1st 2015
@peachy001 next year in April.....
Time to get comfy with those 930s and 1520s, pop-pickers; they're our top-enders for a good while yet. (Both great devices, BTW). Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
So they sent out a teaser for ONE device, that initially at least, will not even be widely available? What was the point?
What about that unboxing video from a couple of days ago (can't seem to find it now).
I may have missed it, but now seeing the 535, what about those other phones in that leaked photo? Are they fakes? or just phones that are waiting fot win10 to be released?
Like the 525, the 535 appeals to the Asian market so it'll ship there first. As usual, marketing will determine the success of the device.
BTW, when you say 'BeiDou for GPS navigation', does it mean it won't work (well) in Europe or America?
One good thing (along with others offcourse), Cyan is back.!! One of my favorite colors
I just hope that this doesn't set a trend for MS to shy away from high end devices as I'm due an upgrade in New year and don't want to downgrade from my Lumia1020 but the slow camera speed and shaky video recording is meaning I'm looking at alternatives
I have a feeling that Nokia wanted to go a certain direction while Microsoft wants to go a different way, and we're just seeing the weird transition period.
Definitely some truth in that. Microsoft has to change things, as Nokia had very different goals (aka dominate Windows Phone).
Trure but then again, at this point there is no other OEM with real reach and muscle (willing) to take on the role that Nokia had for WP - i.e. to drive market share and volumes. So not sure how much or how fast MS can/should try to move away from "dominate WP" role for its Nokia aquisition...
I agree. I think MS is just pushing out everything that was in Nokia's pipeline ASAP so that they can get on with their own designed/influenced phones
But aren't 530 and 630 totally MS products?!
No, they are not. Developmen of a phone typically takes more than 6 months, and MS had (nor could for legal reasons) no significant/undue influence on Nokias product development before the deal closed. Having said that, I don't think MS is simply "trying to push out all Nokia developed devices out of the way" as some seem to think, for no apparent reason, IMHO.
I think you're right. They may just be pushing out all Nokia's pipeline devices.
I wish they would just ditch the numbers. It is getting too confusing.
it's awesome , let's hope it's as successful as 520 maybe now people will shut up about low RAM
They might ask for 2GB!!
Ha ha ha, agree. No limit for human's necessity or I would say greed
So where's the headphones and small accessories they unboxed in the teaser video? Did they cancel those as well. Seriously.. Or they wanted us to get excited and waiting and than told us to fuck off with a single device.
Was also wondering that
This article is just speculation of the the author. LUMIA 535 IS COMING TO INDIA TOO!!! The dummy models of Lumia 535 is already there on Nokia stores!
OMG JUST SPECULATION
Microsoft lists it as coming soon in India
Ha ha ha ! Never expect that one day your hard work ll be appreciated that way.
Yes yes to France too, all growth economy are concerned lol
OMG..... Love that cyan...... ;)
you mean denim
No...... The cyan shell :)
oops, sorry!!
Is this more and more confusing and blown-up portfolio going to negatively affect the pace with which future firmware updates might materialize?
Never affected the countless Droid models out there!
Umm, it did; a lot of the non-flagship Androids only get updated if they're lucky. Specially in the US, where carriers control updates, they get lazier with more models. Thankfully we have the preview for developers.
I hope things will get better with the x4x family...
Lumia 540: the same Lumia 535 with 4G and better processor;
Lumia 640: the same Lumia 535, but with 4G, Clearblack, better FFC camera, better processor and the Lumia 730 rear camera;
Lumia 740: Lumia 730 specifications but with HD 5' screen, Glance, better processor and 8.7 PureviewCamera;
Lumia 840: the same Lumia 830 specifications, but 5,2' FULL HD screen and better processor (maybe the Snapdragon 800)... And so on...
Why the lower camera for 740?
Lower?? 740, in my guess, will have the same Lumia 920 camera, with Pureview...
By then I hope its better than that.
That is the definition of phone upgrade !
And all released "late 2015" in an array of colour and 10s!! Maybe global release could be 10/10/15...?
Better not be until late 2015 until we get new flagships
Why do the screens have to get bigger? Have some restraint. 5" is already obnoxiously big for most people.
The MICROSOFT branding may affect the sales.
The 535 paves the way for a brighter future in which MS listens to the complaints of their users (the lack of flash and front-facing camera). If they continue on this path, the next cycle of Lumia devices should be amazing.
This is the problem of MS, it launches an excellent device but just doesn't sell it in important markets.... God knows when MS will learn to sell its products :-p
Which markets woudl those be? Its coming to China, Russia, Indonesia, UK, India... :)
It's launching in the biggest market in the world, so, yeah.
Bought a 630 few months back. Regretting it now :P
Exactly my point - the numbering and naming conventions are way too convoluted - they need to simplify it. Heres my thread, and my idea for MS to simplify the entire line of phones that they have: http://forums.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-8-1/322537-microsoft-can-you-please-simplify-naming-windows-phones.html
Meh.
Seems they have given up on the markets saturated with high end smartphones and want to build a loyal customer base elsewhere.
Given that in the markets where high end smartphones prevail, are where most of the third party developers are, that could be a problem.
Once again - they had McLaren, fumbled the ball, there was no Plan B device in the sidelines, and now they need to recoup and come out when (probably) W10 launches.. :( I.e. they did/haven't given up, they just messed up. :P
maybe they are waiting for the best chips (808 or 810) for the flagship
That's another possibility, but I doubt people would complain if they were to use whatever is the newest and brightest already available (805 or whatever it is now).. I honestly think they got over-confident with McLaren and when MS pulled the plug on it, were left on empty. One should also bear in mind that 930 is only now roll out to many countries so the situation is not _quite_ as dire as it may seem from some other markets (e.g. the US) perspective.
With the specs and the price point this phone has the potential to be a big hit. The only problem is getting it out to everyone while there is still interest. MS should make sure store shelves are stocked with unlocked versions of this phone for the holiday season.
Hopefully they launch it here on the US. For sure I will be getting at least 2 of them.!!!
You've got alot of SIMs buddy , good luck
Instead go buy a Lumia 735
I wonder whether Walmart could sell it as a holiday special.
Wonder not. MS has sated to e.g. CNET that there are no current plans to bring it to the US.
If not releasing this phone in India in next month then Ms has to suffer... Come on Daniel don't say excited ...you have not posted 735 video review after several twitter request :sad:
The dummies for it are already in India so highly likely they will launch there fairly soon.
The logo seems amazing!!
Agreed !!
It would be better if Microsoft announced a low, mid and high end phone once a year for every carrier. Instead we get too many devices on different carriers. Choice is good but this is madness...
Stop showing that BEAUTIFUL CYAN to me, please.
Perhaps this phone is just going to focus on those low end markets where this extra value has the most impact. I agree, not sure this phone has a place in the US lineup unless they plan on retiring another in its stead. Microsoft now offers a full spectrum of phones to represent itself in the market. The most notable exception (as people here will gladly scream to remind us) is probably a de-facto 2015 flagship that isn't niched (i.e. humpty back or bigfooted). Of course, as a fickle US customer, I'll also add that the flashy neon colors are starting to age. I quite loved my red 920 - I would buy a refreshed version in a heart beat. In fact, I kind of did with the 830. It is a lovely phone. I also loved my red 1520. But I really like the feel and look of the 830. Still, for lower end phones the polycarbonate shell probably makes the most sense?
The back of the Lumia 535 looks almost exactly the same as the back of the Lumia 625.
Here's an idea that eliminates confusion, have the 5xx series as your entry model devices, have a 7xx series and your flagships are the 9xx series while niche/phablet devices are the 1xxx series.
There's definitely place for the 8xx series.
Exactly... They should also move away from that naming convention and think of a name for their entry, mid, and high-end range devices... That naming isn't really appealing...
Sorry guys. As of Christmas, I'm leaving the windows phone community. I'm moving to android.
Why Christmas?
New phone as present
I think they are prepairing the lumia line up for lumia's like 430 or even 330 that would be very low end.
Somebody at MS needs to stop this, perhaps these are the leftovers of what the Nokia division was working on, if they actually decided to make this phone after the acquisition, bad move. Didn't thinkt hey should of kept the lumia branding, but since they did, what they need to do now is kill the number scheme. It is confusing and pointless. Focus on three models high end, mid and low. You got a mid range in the 830, you got a bunch of low ends and old high ends. No need for, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, and1500 series. Rename each range. I find it hard to believe somebody in MS is this delusional to think this makes sense.
No, no, and no.
Seems to me that the 535 should really be the 630, the 630 should be the 530, and the 530 should be 430. Does make choosing difficult but mainly comes down to price for most people, maybe checking a few features, flash, ffc, depending on need.
Well, if they're legitimate I don't see the problem; many of us are seriously meh about endless amounts of slightly different low- and midrange devices, and simply can't wait to see a (few!) new high end devices. We're simply trying to get out message across any way we can...
Agree... I'll have whatever comes out to replace my 1520. Just wish for longer battery, the 41mp beast and slight improvement to the oversensitive screen on 1520.... If it has a 805 and/or 64gb then nice but not that bothered... Of course improvements without sacrificing anything
By revealing some up and coming flagships, or by some fancy algorithm on the comments?
I bet Microsoft kills he 6xx line now that the 5xx line has outpaced it. And I own a 635.
Damned if they do or damned if they don't. Great entry level spec, they should be popular
CNET says its coming to quite a few countries (but not the US, but of course other markets are arguably more important for MS in terms of volume sales of WP devices anyway): "The Lumia 535 is headed for a number of countries, but not the US. Microsoft said that the pricing will be around 110 euros ( £85, AU$155 or, for comparison's sake at least, $135) , depending on the country and the carrier. It will arrive in November in Russia, Ukraine, China, Indonesia and the Philippines, and in December in Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and some unspecified parts of Africa. Then in January it will land in Latin America as well, and sometime in the first quarter of 2015 will come to the UK."
It's 3G only... so the US market would laugh at it. It is priced for the many 3G markets in developing parts of the world where price matters immensely, and this brings a lot of features for the $ so may do well.
Yup. Seems fairly well targeted. Not to mention most people don't follow the whole line up of devices globally (I.e. the situation can be less confusing in any given retail store given that not all models are on display).
Australia will laugh at it too, although it is a budget phone 4g is pretty standard here now.
Honestly there isn't that much mindshare right now from the average consumer so there is still time to change the nameing!
I could be wrong, but I would expect a gradual product line reduction over the next year or two with Microsoft finally taking the reigns and getting all the dubious models discontinued that were in the pipeline before Microsoft took ownership. It won't be business as usual. That is why you saw the presumed flagships dumped. They will come, but I assume what Nokia had so far was not good enough. The Nokia phones, while good quality, are not on the same level as the Surface tablets. That must change for Mircosoft to be successful.
Release is not limited to Asia; Lumia France stated the dual sim 535 would be released this month (november) in France for instance.
Im all for the lesser models,by merging
530 and 630 into one for low end.
730 and 830 into one for mid range.
930 and 1030 into one for high end +photography.
1530 for phablet.
This makes it a lot easier for customers to understand and choose from, as well as cut down production costs and give way for easier and clearer marketing campaign's.
Nokia should have done this for their x30 series, it would have allowed them to focus more on each range while cutting costs down. Here's hoping this is MS's plan (more or less)
Well this should be seen as good news, as the 530 was a flawed low end phone. Just stop selling all the other 5xx, and make sure this phone is available on ALL carriers.
What the fuck msft, no global coverage on 535?
Lumia 525 was available in India so will be Lumia 535. They can't skip India in case of low end smartphones.
Its entry level , why it must have 4g lte?
I do not believe I said it "must" have 4G LTE, but rather its absence will limit which carriers/regions pick it up. The Lumia 630 got around this by having a Lumia 635, but there is no such option for the Lumia 535, which is otherwise perfect, at least on paper.
I bet they saved this "feature" for the Lumia 540/545. :)
Guilhermemanso , I hope they do saved the LTE to a 536/8 , because a 540 obviously will have at least gdr2 or w10
IMO the 630 is a low to mid-range device , because of the snapdragon 400 , clear black display , which is not included in the 535 and above that the 630 dosnt have LTE (which is a low to midrange device )
How can a low end get 4g LTE. Connectivity ?
"How can a low end get 4g LTE. Connectivity ?"
How can it get 1 GB of RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass, 5 MP front-facing camera, LED flash, Ambient light sensor... I mean, are we really not limiting what 'low end' is to just not having 4G LTE after what the Lumia 535 brings over the Lumia 530? That seems completely arbitrary.
If I could, I'd just stop the 520, 521, 525 and 530 manufacturing, and never sell it again... THIS is the best entry level phone I've ever seen.
They have to do something and make a bigger difference for the next phones in the 6xx and 7xx series.
Personally, my first smartphone was the 1020, and I'm waiting for a 1030 with the same (or better) camera, 5-8mp ffc, Snapdragon 801, microSD, and windows 10 (or Denim with 8.1 update, upgradeable to 10)
Do you think they're waiting on a high end phone because they're changing the kernel again and don't want to have a 5 month old high end phone get left out in the cold? I hope not, but you never know.
Oh man. The more I see this thing, the more I want my hands on it! Hoping it comes to the UK like SOO much. And as much as I love my network (O2), this phone may very well tempt me from them if another carrier carries it and not O2!
I have Lumia 1520 and 1020 but will take it for front camera
It looks like MS wanted to make its first branded Lumia a worthy successor to the best selling 520/521 line. The 535 looks like it has very nice features for a $129 phone. So long, 630/635. No wonder some carriers were offering the 630/635 for $0 with rebate. As for availability, if MS starts selling the 535 on Amazon and in Wal-Mart and it gets discounted to $99 then you'll know they are serious about pushing the 535. They'll need to get rid of the 530, 630, 635. It's still going to be hard competing with the 520/521 though. The 520 is going for $40 on Amazon!
You know what would fix this? Of they just drop the damn numbering system and use names like everyone else.
Yeah, because Icon, Desire, and Turbo are so classy.
Fragmentation.....
Windows Phone all run on Snapdragon. No fragmentation there.
If this ends up being like the 525 that'll suck. I mean seriously, this could sell loads in the US/UK, but no, we may not get it at all. Well done Microsoft, well done.
Get it from Microsoft stores!
The UK Microsoft Store doesn't mention it, nor does the actual device list
I think Microsoft doesn't even try anymore to make Android and iOS users switch, so instead they target people who don't yet own a smartphone.
They should borrow Samsung's model. Lumia = 920 Lumia mini = 720/820 Lumia zoom = 1020 Lumia (insert some random name here) = 520/620 Lumia XL = 1520. Then 18 months after the first Lumia release the Lumia 2 and start all over.
Doesn't Samsung have like 101 Galaxy models? They definitely shouldn't take a leaf out of THAT book!
Haha, calling the Lumia 535 the Lumia Mini and putting it next to a Lumia 830 would be absolutely the best way to create more confusion. But at least if Nokia D try to death sentence MS with the numbering scheme, the 535 aka Lumia Mini would shroud the 830's sales...
The 530 was way too much compromise in my opinion, even compared to the 520. The removal of the sensors and the auto-focus from the camera was completely unnecessary. The 535 however does seem like a really good upgrade for 520, 525 or 625 users. I own a Lumia 520 and if I wanted to stick to budget phones I'd upgrade to the 535 if it was in my country. However, I'm craving a higher end device (a Lumia 830) since I have the money to get one now (In 2013 when I got the 520 I was extremely strapped for money) and in about six months when my 520 turns two years old I'll be upgrading to that.
I think Lumia 530,630,730,830 all were nokia projects.
Yeah they were, they were already in the pipeline so that's why they still beared the Nokia name even after the Microsoft acquisition. Despite the 535 being Microsoft developed, it's still looks like a Nokia and was created by the exact same people (well the ones who weren't laid off, lol) so it's still a Nokia but with a different tramp stamp in my eyes.
IMO, I think MS is producing different phones for different markets and certain phones will probably never be introduced in certain markets. Let's face the sad truth: Here in U.S. as of now people tend to follow the crowd. It may still be a while before WP makes any inroads. So the focus may be on the midrange phone even though this irks high end enthusiasts. They have to find someway to get more saturation into the U.S. market. I think people feel if they have to pay the same price for a high end phone here they might as well go with the competitors. Sad but true in my purely opinated view. I'm sure to get some backlash for this next comment but I honestly feel the Lumia 830 is the way to go for now. Price is below the competitors big boys but the phone is great for what you get. IMO. The 730/735 is also good too. A nice high end flagship has to be made for the spec conscious with wide availability but in somewhat limited supply.
Totally agree. No point in saying The Crowd though. There are reasons why WP doesn't have The Crowd and it's literally because of Windows Store. Call it "following the crowd" all day, but why not call it "why won't developers even FATHOM the idea of taking the risk"? That's what holds us Americans back, we no longer want just a "phone" and apps determine capability more than features. An iPhone 4/Galaxy S3 has the most current version of Instagram, Facebook, Shazam, Twitter, Foursquare, hell even Temple Run for fucks sake! Those are about four years back and if their only option going forward was WP and The Store? Sad outcome, folks... They would stay put. That's pretty bad, IMHO.
Confusion is an understatement. But this is what happens when you have an idiot like Stephen Elop running the show. The only more confusing line up of phones/features/carriers was Blackberry and we all know where they are now. MS needs to drop Elop and his confusing lineup of mixed models and exclusive deals with individual carriers and follow the footsteps of Apple and Samsung. IPhone 3, 4, 5, 6, etc... no confusion as to what each model is or has and available on all networks. Galaxy 2,3,4,5,etc... no confusion as to what each model is or has and available on all networks. Why is this business plan so hard to understand for Nokia and now Microsoft?? Unless they want to continue the confusion like Blackberry and watch their device brand go down the crapper like Blackberry.
You nailed it, bro.
HTC was doing simliar crap with their naming scheme. Now they just use HTC One. Microsoft should start with the Surface phone 1,2,3 and beyond.
I'm still waiting for the Nokia Wireless Charging Plate DT- 903!! What does "Coming soon" means???? #annoying
Nothing mixed Daniel except for maybe the effort to elevate the stature of a low end device. It's a win-win with these low end jobbies and leave it at that. What I mean is, we'll continue to see these low end variants for some time yet because I suspect it helps finance the phone division that ultimately funds its flagship development. So not much to say about these low end phones except that they are affordable, people buy them. One day, we'll get a flagship out the deal. Win-win.
Except they don't make much, if any, money on the low end phones.
Can you prove that?
Any flagship????????????????????????
Why do they keep putting those wart cameras on the phones?! What did the poor phones ever do to them to deserve such a horrible treatment?!
Have a feeling starting of x40 will start with 440. Because they would need even cheaper phone for asian market, India. Reason would be people wanting a bit lesser featured phone example beginners, not a phone with 5pm front facing cam and 5" screen. Too big for people who isn't into social network too much, but uses it mostly for the sake of just being in contact with people.
Is Microsoft starting the new line up after leaving Nokia brand behind with this new Lumia 535? Is this an intentions declaration by MS over the future Lumia line specifications?
With a 540p display it hits zero sweet spots for me. Display is what you stare at all day. To me thats the most important. This is a good move still in a way. Hopefully its gona pave the way for a 1080p variant
Hello ! , entry level
99% of WP are entry level. We've been entry level since 7.0. I'm ready to rip this band aid off now damnit. Now im forced to buy the HTC One today. I know ill like it but im really going to miss Glance. Dot View is a lame gimmick that makes it hard to even text.
Where as glance makes it so easy to text?
Lumia 535 will obviously enter the Indian market as it is evident in its Facebook page that they've posted advertisement of the phone today .
If it had 4G LTE, this might sound like a no-compromises low end device. Not bad in my opinion, but would be even better if a high-end was also announced or well in the works.
This phone is the real deal and the successor to the 520 however it wont be the game changer if it is not launched worldwide
Wont be a big game changer without 4G LTE (or 5G just to stay ahead of the game)
How many hundred dollar phones actually have 4g (genuine question)?
Microsoft should be getting this device on every prepaid carrier in US.
Alot of people are complaining about too many phones.... to me its better, having more device on the market than the competition. While apple and samsung release like 2 or 3 per year, Nokia/Microsoft release like over 5, with huge variety. (including low-low end, the 103 for example) You ask me, the more the merrier, each phone offers a different experience for different users, take the new 535, some people say 5 inch is too large for them and would prefer 4.5 /4.7 inch that the 630 offers. Much like the 730,offering a 5mp front camera for those who want it, while no other current devices have a high res front camera. Each device has certian elements that sets them apart. Now the wait for the next flagship (940/1540) begins...
Dan, I've been confused since 620 to 630. I really want a successor to the 620 and the 635 is a downgrade of sorts. Also I want the same really small form factor.
Actually you can use double tap to wake on the Lumia 520 & 521 if you have 8.1 installed. You will find it under Settings>touch.
Right, but it is gone from the Lumia 530.
MS still does not care. TIred of this crap.
Have an early night!
Make a 538/539 variant with 4G LTE and I'm sold till the 1520 successor comes around.
Have patience people, because next lumias will be 1330, 1530 and 1030.
Untill when ? Android lollipop is out ! Nexus 6 ,9 ., new phones from Samsung and other android OEMs , prices Of iPhone 5,5C,5s are going down , people will switch , end of contracts , and still people want flagships and they can't find !
Get yourself Lumia 930, or go for HTC One M8 with windows then. Microsoft can't have apple users, only android users can switch to windows. But most android users use a cheap low end phone. It will be worth it if they move to windows, and they will because Lumia 535 is a lot better than the android phones in that price point. Trust me.
This is the 1330 successor, isn't it? Microsoft is just dropping the number to be less confusing. Though at this point everything is confusing. As much as I'm tired of resets, Microsoft needs one for a less confusing product line.
Completely agreed. I hope the x40 series only has three or four models, not eight like the x30 series currently has.
Considering their original strategy with Surface RT and surface Pro, I think Microsoft will release high end / low end combo. At least low price / high price.
1540 Pro? I'd get it. Yeah, I know that's not what you meant, but still...
Blu win HD is still better
Can I exchange it with my 525?
...
This would be ok for beginners on a budget.
I like this so much. I want to get one for media stuff.
wrong info daniel...microsoft stated it would be release for india..
Any possibility to get a Lumia without that hideous MS logo+text on the back?
Well, at least you can buy a case and cover it up! As for the hideous Microsoft on the front of the device....you'll have to get a little creative to rid of that.
I don't know why people hate the logos. I actually like the logo on the back of the phone.
It's about as generic looking as possible for a plastic phone. Maybe China is an appropriate market. I don't see it making any splashes here.
MSFT needs to pare down the offerings to three models and a phablet. The current offerings are confusing and fragmented, as Daniel said, and I've been saying for a while. So what now? They kill the 630 and 730 and only offer the 735? Keep the 830, that is a pricing anomaly? Keep pushing the icon/930 which was ill thought out and whose sales have floundered? MSFT are probably under contractual obligations to release these devices - have done with it and start afresh, four devices only for windows 10. And ensure every current device gets windows 10 also. What a mess. This is the phone that should have come out instead of the 5 and 6 and possibly 7 series. MSFT should have had the 535, the 830 as the mid tier device it is (harbouring the current 6 & 7 series processor but a better camera) and the 930 and 1520 in lieu of anything better. That would be a much clearer set of offerings. And have everything lte capable with speed caps. Instead we have this mess to, as consumers, wade through. Good grief.
I think Microsoft should simply it's product line & stop the 6xx series
Well, guess what? Your average buyer neither knows nor care about product numbers /family lines. They(particularly in developing world) look at features(layman specs i.e. Quad core, mp count, Ram, ffc, flash, storage etc) for a given price. It doesn't matter to them why highly priced 630 offers less features than cheaply prized 535. Infact, they will see it as a gain and this might prove to be a sneaky marketing strategy. But my stronger analysis is that Nokia sort of backstabbed them with 930, 630/635 by launching them just before the acquisition completed. The phones released under MS's regime 530, 730/735 and now 535 all offer better value for money(830 was an exception but we know MS is learning from its mistakes). I've good hopes for 2015 both with Lumias and Windows 10 for phones/tablets. Ofcourse, I'm not very optimistic about MS dramatically increasing its market share but year2015 may prove to be the best one in years for die hard WP/Microsoft fans.
Interesting assessment. I too believe MSFT has been lumbered by some of Nokia's odd choices, and of course msft's own.
This phone is hauntingly beautiful.... Am definitely going to get this
Saudi Arabia official website shows that the 535 is coming soon ;)
Excellent price for the phones , especially in KSA
Typo mistake 535 has 5 inch screen not 1 inch!
There is no HD video recording. Its very bad n drawback of this phone
Looks like an amazing phone. I would love to buy that but I'm still loving my 14months old l520. :P
This is a new start for MS so fragmentation will eventually disappear. Would have prefered they gotten rid of the numbering system. I think they will eliminate the 6X series now
No flagship till April = bye WP....
They all have many flaws. My 620 is a better phone except for the screen size. I'm getting the 730/830.
Nice device.nice design.nice featuures.nice microsoft branding on the battery housing
Does this phone have replaceable covers. If so that will be a huge plus.
Yup
waiting for lumia's 1030,1530,1030,940
I'd take LTE speeds over those other features any day.
I think they should keep one low range one mid range and one high range and one special edition like 1020 rather than so many lumia's with confusing numbers..
Happily keeping my gorgeous 925 until mid-2015. Not that I need, or even want a 2 tib memory phone like wpcentral people seem to be wanting - those very high end phones are a terrible investment, but will gladly spend around 350-400 Euros for a 835 with W10 (the 830 is the most beautiful phone I've ever seen).
You can already get the 930 for under 400€. It's pretty much the same design as 830.
That was the most disappointing announcement ever done.
Forget the 535, yes it's a fantastic device. But Microsoft really needs to properly acknowledge the full acquisition by now. They should have had a keynote highlighting their plans for the upcoming months or early 2015 in terms of the future of Microsoft Lumia phones. What the hell happened to Lumia denim? No words on that too? Q4 2014 my ass. This is an awful strategy by Microsoft. They have to address us users waiting in the dark, not knowing what is coming next and when. They hype us up months in advance, and completely forget about us then when its released its a meh. Lumia camera? Denim? Updates? Windows10? Live lock screen? Pathetic. I love windows phone, but this strategy is a failure. Btw this is coming from a holder of a masters in project management.
The Lumia 535 is already listed in European stores, so it will come to Europe.
I'd jump on this if there were a US variant with 4G\LTE and around the $150-$200 range (price for adding the 4G\LTE) coming.
It's not sold in the US.
They should name it series wise like bmw :P Lumia 7series 8 series sound cool...
And, by reading the comments, everyone wants something different: bigger screen; smaller screen; rounded corners; square corners; this and that colour; swap this and trade that.
The only thing in common is that it's almost always something else. So, I'm not sure if MS should have fewer models, maybe they should have more models.
This is a really nice device at the price. It puts the 530 and 630 range in a rather difficult position, but that's no problem. The only real problem is that this should be available worldwide.
The black Microsoft logo is ugly on these. Hopefully this isn't what they do on their high end phones.
The 520 had 8GB of storage, not 4
My mom would have this by Christmas.
I wish they would drop the numbering scheme. I like it when devices/machines have a name to them, not a number. But on the flipside we could end up with Microsoft Lumia "Great Experience" with Office as a product name....
I'm not excited about these low entry models. There are enough models in this price range and this model does not really add someting if you ask me. There are so many entry level Android phones to choose from, so what is the differentiating factor here? The colors? Nah, they should dump the glossy Mickey Mouse colors you probably only like when you are on acid. And where is the camera button? It's so nice to have one, but inconsistent now. Mircosoft could bring more models in the higher range, like the Lumia 930, but then with an SD card. Create models that stand out and are able to compete with the Android models out there, like the Lumia 830 (but then with a dual SIM option for example). Why still bring models like the 730/735 to the market in a housing that goes back to 2010, so awful. Or maybe fix the WP8.1 code so there is no static noise when a game or an app like Whatsapp is started. Or maybe include sound profiles so your phone will be silent at a certain time, 80% of the world still has no access to Cortana, so no option to do quiet your phone unless you manually do so. Fix your code Microsoft. So bottom line, I miss the Microsoft strategy here. What is it that they want to be known for? Great phones, with a superb camera and beautiful design? Or fantastic plastic phones with eye blinding colors, or just released models that look like a phone from 2010? I would say, be consistent and do not act like a flag pointing into another direction every day. My 50 cent.... I can't wait for the "blind" fanboys to comment... :0) *wink*
Why would Microsoft Czech republic post on his Facebook profile post with Lumia 535, if it is not coming here? That's just senseless for me.
It lags HD video recording...
Damnit , should I throw my 630? *sigh*
Not everyone needs lte. No lte in my town. Nearest lte 2hrs away.
Stop asking for Lumia 1530, lumia 940, etc. Microsoft will do it, but really... thats not the important factor right now. Lumia 535 should have been released before, instead of lumia 630. This is a real phone to take the front line against android. With Microsoft low market share, Lumia 1530 will do ZERO to help that, literally. Lumia 535 is a win, i expect it to hit high sales and help our ecosystem. This is the first time in the past year that i have gained some faith in Windows Phone future. Now Microsoft needs to kill 630, cut Lumia 830 price in about 25% to make it an appealing phone and then take the lead on the camera market again. Really, 20 megapixel pureview is great, but that phase focus in iPhone and slow mo recording is a must for next pureview high end. Focus in that instead of a bigger 24 megapixel camera.
Depends on when the phone will be distributed and how many markets will get it. New phones will be announced come January 2015. If not widely distributed for the holiday season then it will not have the intended impact.
535 just killed the 530, 630 & probably the 730. What I do not understand is my 630 already has the Microsoft sticker near the battery. This mobile could have been part of the ones announced on 4th of September?
As an iPhone user, *braces self* I really wish Microsoft would let go of the Nokia numbering scheme. It is confusing for the average consumer. There is no doubt about it. IMHO, I can actually predict people INITIALLY believing that the 630 would be a better buy than this. Lets not get started on if this 535 behemoth happens to be next to an 830! Bigger will assumedly represent better. Anyway I think its a great idea for them to continue making very strong affordable phones. It matches their PC model even though MS doesn't specifically make them.
Agreed. They need to settle on a name and just use 1,2,3 etc. For each release of the version.
Actually most European Nokia sites list the 535 now saying available soon. Weird why US is always bit behind in these releases just like the 630/735.
The number of Lumia models is overwhelming and confusing when you consider all of them together ... but what happens when you look at them in an actual region (i.e. what consumers see when they walk into a store)? At my ATT Store I only see a few models covering the price and performance ranges: 630, 830, and 1520.
Almost perfect, but they need to release in India and Europe and WP will quickly gain the critical mass of marketshare to attract devs.
Without LTE I doubt this is destined for the North American market at all.
OK Elop, you have enough low end phones. Now give us flagship, kick-ass, Lumia 1020 and 1520 successors! Put on your long pants!
You forgot to say 480p vs 720p video recording quality
Surely gonna buy this one. Microsoft getting a move on here. Finally 1gb of ram. Thank god.
"Lumia 630 has a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 400 CPU" Yeah, that same budget-class SoC found in the "affordable flagship" Lumia 830. Sigh. I just want a new phone so badly, and Microsoft is making me hate them with their antics.
Lumia 535 is not yet available in Bangladesh. "Microsoft Lumia Bangladesh" on facebook saying it'll be available for sale from 1st week of December.
waiting for 1030, succussor to 1020,
This is what I've been waiting for. Why is it not coming to US? Seems like a more than worthy upgrade from my Lumia 635
Because they have secured deals with carriers to sell 635s, 735s and 830s (maybe even 530s). No need to muddy that picture with the 535 here. Average US consumer will never know the 535 even existed. That, plus ramp up of 535 and management of production lines and supply chains, plus likely better demand in other markets make it absolutely rational for MS to focus on those markets first for the 535.
The carriers in North America have way too much power. The 535 reminds me of the 525 situation. I much rather have the 525 over 520, but since the 525 is harder to get in North America many online retailers jack up the prices.
It seems better that now that MS has more influence and more carriers are getting the 830 for instance.
Why does MS have to wait for a new operating system before they can release a quality high end device? Microsoft once again demonstrates why they are a dinosaur in the mobile tech industry.
They don't have to, nor were they planning to. Alas, McLaren was not ready, got cancelled, there was no replacement for it in the pipeline, now we wait again, perhaps all the way until W10 (since getting the replacement for McLaren ready may take as long as getting W10 ready will).
-Fewer models.
-Better naming conventions.
-A flagship.
... Clean it up guys.
Agreed. They need to phase out the numbering system. Consumers like to have easy sounding names for their phones. Pick a name and put 1,2,3 etc. After it with each release.
I don't think Microsoft needs 8 or 9 different phones. They need 3 or 4 phones. One low end, one middle range, one high end, and one phablet. That's it.
The Lumia 535 is exactly what the 630 should of been. Microsoft has now saturated the low end with handsets and surely it's going to be confusing to users. I own a 635 but I would definitely of purchased a 535 instead. Very confusing and frustrating, especially since the hardware for the 535 is readily available. Maybe Microsoft was backed into a corner because carriers wouldn't sell the 535. Sounds crazy but carriers are always forcing Microsoft to make "Verizon" version of phones or Sprint/T-Mobile only phones. So yeah, I could see why if say, T-Mobile, already ordered the 635, they wouldn't be keen on ordering the 535 too. Still, it doesn't change the fact that a superior WP is crippled by limited availability and low-end saturation. Hopefully Microsoft better manages their releases now that they're apparently done with the Nokia name (doubtful). That and Joe Belfiore/Elop needs to learn how to better manage hardware.
I agree and as a Lumia 630 owner I'm hugely disappointed. I wouldn't be so bothered if the 630 came out last year but it hasn't even been on sale for 6 months.
You are in the US? No confusion then - 535 won't be available here in the foreseeable future at least. Stop reading tech blogs and your consufion and even frustration level should taper off. :P
Nope, I'm in the UK and so maybe you should have waited for me to reply before ranting at me. In the UK we aren't tied to carriers like the US and most are still on 3G especially low end. I ordered my new 630 case from Hong Kong last week via eBay. I could order a new 535 and have it shipped no trouble but after this stunt I refuse to give Microsoft anymore money after they took £100 from me less than 4 months ago. I'm a consumer first before a Microsoft fan and as a consumer this is a crap trick to pull IN MY OPINION.
Sorry, I didn't meant to appear as ranting, tried to be humorous (but I am sure failed). :) From the carrier examples I honestly thought you might be here in the US. The only consolation for you is that the 535 is apparently not coming to the UK until Q1 (yes, I realize you can order online as you have done before). I don't think though there is anything particular uniquet to MS about this situation. I am sure there are similar frustration points among consumers of other OEMs as well. And I do think us all reading these blogs etc. can just make us more frustrated than we perhaps should be. :)
This should have been called Lumia 640 in my opinion! But maybe they were just not ready to start x40 series. Price it at around 10K in India and this phone is golden!! 5MP front cam, teenagers are gonna go crazy over this. Looks like the perfect phone for my sister! :)
Why not India? :'|
The numbering scheme seems to be more related to price points than specs. The 535 is more expensive than the 530, but less expensive than the 630.
Another possible far fetcher rationale could be that 6XX phones have LTE versions available... :)
well if the buyer knows what he is looking for, the 535 kills the 630, but for the general public i can see it looking like a fair comparison, LTE vs front cam, bigger vs smaller etc
It seems as if Microsoft is pulling the "next year" shenanigans with the high end handset again. To them its a prudent business decision, but hoping that people will continue to wait could backfire. Of course, by now, the Windows Phone users are pretty used to waiting until next year for the big things...
Nothing they can do after McLAren was cancelled and they had nothing ready in the pipeline as Plan B..
Couple of hands on videos under here: http://mynokiablog.com/2014/11/11/microsoft-lumia-535-and-wallet-flip-ca... Branding on especially the black looks not bad after all. ps. what is that square charging (?) accessory next to the tag in the super-Italian-Italian video (very end)?
This 535 makes the 630/730 almost obsolete and they are both less than 6 months old!!!. It completely destroys the 630 while taking the biggest selling point of the 730 which costs twice as much. How does Microsoft expect the average cellphone store staff to know the difference/selling point. Who on earth would buy a Lumia 630 now?
73X: much better screen, smaller, thinner, lighter, better GPU, better main camera, better video capture... I think 73X are fine, especially given differentiated availability. 630 will feel more pressure - but again, differentely time roll out to markets and carriers helps, and they may rapidly also decrease its price to boost sales; some folks may also prefer it for say due to smaller size, better display
We know the difference between the 535 and 730 but the average buyer or salesperson in a shop doesn't. The 730 was marketed as the Selfie Phone with a 5mp Front Facing Camera. Now that unique Lumia feature is gone. The market that these Lumias are targeted at don't read tech blogs or understand different GPUs or clear black bla bla. Can see a lot of Western carriers refusing to sell this while they still carry 630/730 stock.
Sure.. .then again 1) many retail shops may not have 535 on the shelfs at the same time - so no confusion there 2) great! MS would love them to sell 630 or 730 instead - i.e. its not like MS even wants every single shop, market, carrier to sell all three at the same time. :) And where overlaps do exist - we should have just a little bir more faith in the customer or even the typically-retarded-salesperson :) and, as long as they pick any WP phone, MS is basically happy at this point - they are still in the game of desperatety trying to increase market share - which ever phone it takes! :D
Do you think lots of consumers will buy anything when they are confused or unsure? Take a look at Motorola, they have the Moto E (Budget), Moto G (Mid Range), Moto X (their Flagship) not counting the new nexus. It's a simple system that don't overlap or cause confusing. If this had Apple logo on the back then maybe nobody would care but how can a salesperson explain why the 535 has a bigger screen than the 635? It's a simple question that can't be answered sensibly. Too much choice can be a bad thing sometimes. This new Microsoft Lumia brand was a chance for Microsoft to simplify their offering, as this fan based website just pointed out, it's already failed on its first attempt.
don't get me wrong, I agree there are likely to be some confusions and its not good and that the number should be improved - I think its probably driven by the typical Nokia Engineer thinkin that has made it so consufing for the last 15 years. :P but I personally don';t think it is as big a problem as some - equally rightfully - think it will be. regarding your example question on screen size - most salespersons, if they are worthy of working as such, would simply say somethin like "oh yes, but the one on 630 is much better quality!" :P Plus, like I said, many consumers may not even need to face that choise - they will be offered either the 635 or the 535 or the 730 or whatever the carrier or retailer is pushing that day. :)
This is what i call Microsoft showing their true self! I wonder what their high end will be like! No words to comment i guess! Waiting for this phone to come to India! Buying it for sure!
Cyan is Amazing.
Microsoft really needs to simplify the Lumia line... There are just way to many Lumia variants and carrier exclusives and in my opinion, it's harming the reputation and sales of Windows phones, especially ones under Microsoft.
Behooves? Haven't seen that word for ages. ;^)
Dear Microsoft... This looks like the perfect low end phone! Has a flash and 1gb of ram. It's truly it's a low end masterpiece! Now could you make a high end phone? Please?
The phone looks cool though! I'm glad they finally put a flash on the camera!
While 535 certainly adds some nice things over 630. It's still a device that is mainly a screen, and as such sunlight readability is very important, and CBD improves that by quite a lot. And of course, it's got a weaker SoC pushing even more pixels, which might affect performance noticeably.
The Lumia 535 doesn't along with the 5xx series. Microsoft should have named it Lumia 638 at least it sense. This has made my Lumia 630 so obsolete in terms of specs
Ram
Camera
Ambient light
Flash
Agree. Can't see any western carriers want to stock the 535 until they have sold off all their 630/635 stock. And if Western Carriers/stores aren't going to sell Microsoft's new own Lumia Branded handset then what was the point/message in picking the 530 as the first device to rebrand post Nokia.
I have a feeling the 535 will be similar to the 525 release. So it's likely North America won't officially be getting the 535.
See? For some reason, Microsoft is spending all its time creating more and more devices CROWDING the low end and no resources pushing the top of the line. I'm not interested in the low end. I bought the 1020 for good reason, and NOTHING has come out from ANY OEM to top it. Come ON, Microsoft. What is your major malfunction?
Daniel do you think Microsoft goin in right direction when we see a device midway in November;year end and dat too without a flagship phone..i think they are losing the plot...
They need to have a smaller portfolio of phones. Or just make the variants make sense, because the denominations they have for the Lumia lines make no sense at all. Keep these lines:
5xx line
7xx line
9xx line
13xx line (on the fence about this)
15xx line
I just think it's diminishing returns on the 6xx, 8xx and the 10xx lines. The higher end Lumia phones should just have beastly cameras regardless as I see that as a differentiator.
How exactly is a 5" screen an improvement over a 4.5" screen? Is it the fact that it drains the battery significantly faster? Or the fact that it's too large to fit comfortably in your front pocket? Or maybe the fact that one cannot handle it with one hand anymore but always needs two hands even for the simplest tasks such as dialing a phone number? Seriously, the 5" display is the one and only reason why I decided against both the Lumia 830 and 930. I want a phone, not a frying pan sized tablet, for spongebob's sake, is it really that hard? Is everybody considering a larger display a plus? Where does it ever stop, will the next generation be 6" with 5.5" devices occupying the gullible space of "compact" and "mini" phones? How about 7" phones? For some reason unbeknownst to me making these things larger and larger is somehow considered a plus and an indicator that this must surely be a premium device. After all, only poor shmucks would consider buying anything with less than 8". I may be a dinosaur in this regard but I've had it with these friggin' smartphones becoming larger and larger with every new generation. With 4.6" displays being considered "compact" (aka Sony Experia Z3 Compact) already I may be on the fast track to obsolescence.
Totally agree. The screen sizes have really gotten ridiculous and have actually ruined many phones which could've been nice and compact but instead are just more clunky wannabe phablets (630, 730, 830, 930, etc).
Reminds me of what happened in the music industry with the loudness wars. Basically everyone wanted to make their albums louder and louder to stand out. It got to the point where now everything is loud, distorted, and sounds like garbage.
Exactly! I want a high-quality small phone. Quality over quantity for the screen. I want it to disappear into any pocket, not just be "pocketable." But, apparently we are in the minority. I may have to go back to a flip phone if all the small smartphones go away.
From my internet browsing; no U.S. carrier has offer to carry it! I think Microsoft intended this for the developing countries. Microsoft U.S. marketing strategy on their Lumia WP are in the toilet! Even if you wanted to buy a WP of any sort; you almost have to go with the international version; on less you are on Verizon! Many WP users are on T-Mobile but Microsoft just does not broaden their carrier base for phones and is pretty much depended on Verizon for the entire U.S. sales promotion of Nokia/Microsoft Lumia phones. I just ran around a WP user and he was using an 930 but has no data connection because there is no LTE compatibility in with U.S. Carriers. I thinking about the 735; but I wait till 2nd quarter to see if it is release in Central America! That the version I aiming for!
"...it behooves them [Microsoft] to reconsider so many different Lumias, and instead focus on fewer models with a more consistent differentiation between price-points." This.
Microsoft seems to be boxed themselves in to a corner with each model assign to one major U.S. carrier only! Not many people are willing to switch carriers and sign a two year contract to get a new WP model. Microsoft has three major U.S. carriers: Verizon(Icon, 735) and AT&T(635, 830, 1520) and T-Mobile with the White 635! Microsoft store has a black 635 unlocked but only has AT&T radios in it for $200! 1020 unlocked too; with the same radios as the 635 - $400?? Not sure about Sprint? That all that is sold in the Lumia brand by everyone in the U.S. marketplace! Even Paul Thurrott is using an international green Lumia 735! He works and lives in the Boston area!
The numbering should be: 5xx - Low end 6xx - specialty low end 7xx - mid range 8xx - specialty mid range 9xx - high end 10xx - specialty high end 13xx - mid range phablet 15xx - high end phablet
To many options. Let other OEMs to certain voids. MS doesn't need to make this many phones
True, but in the U.S, there aren't many OEMs with actual phones launched. When they do start churning out all kinds of phones, MS can pretty much be like google and just have the one flagship Surface phone if it wants.
this is microsoft's first Lumia phone all the others were made by Nokia. and other OEM's do not care about increasing WP market share like Microsoft does. I Believe their future mobile products are going to be on par with that of higher spec android devices.
The numbering is shit they say all the phones are affordable and very few of many exceed 2012 handset specs.
It will be a success! An remember that soon is Black Friday and you'll be able to buy a 925 for the price of a 535! LOL
I rather would have had the name "Lumia" on top of the screen instead of Microsoft
It still baffles me when I hear people whining about the same thing on this forum everyday,which is about flagship/high-end phone.I will keep saying it,let MS fix the Appstore/Apps,including update. How do u convince an iPhone/Android user to jump ship to WP when u can't even provide them with quality (common)apps like IG,Facebook,Twitter,BBM,Flipboard... I can go one.What's going to make me switch to WP when I can't even get my bank App on Appstore?!!!!Do something that will make devs to start making apps(with the same feature parity ios/Android).What's the point of having a 20MPixel L930 when there is no f**cking IG app?!!PS:I'm a WP user,not a troll.*Smh**
No 4g, no thanks. I say that is if I had a chance anyway. Even when it comes to the U.S. I'm sure sprint won't carry it.
Who cares about low end. But with no new flagship we might have to jump ship Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
Even if the phone makes it to the US, will anyone see it in any stores besides maybe carrier (AT&T, most likely) flagship stores?
So was this it for the #morelumia event?
I hope that with Microsoft's acquistion of Nokia we start getting some clearly defined device tiers. The 630 doesn't even make sense anymore, and I'm not sure the 730 makes sense either.
4G is and should be a standard period. No one cares for 3G
Guess at least there's the 830
Why not in India?? India doesn't have carriers and most importantly 4G is something which is rarely seen even is metro cities!
With no high end devices looking like they are coming, my days with Windows Phone may be coming to an end. Too bad as I really like the OS above and beyond android and iOS in every way.....DAMN IT!!!!
You said it. Confusing and fragmented. Too many devices for too many markets. No one can keep track of all of the differences in the many phones Microsoft/Nokia have released in the past year.
Depressing to find out MS is almost exclusively dedicated to low end devices for the forseeable future. I'm not sure the mainstream tech press even covered this non event. They aren't even trying to compete anymore.
Will they see a third version of the Lumia 500 series "affordable" Windows Phone of course not, Android Lollipop and iOS8 is out. Even affordable Androids provide much more than midrange WP8 devices.
Not again!! Why cant Microsoft follow a naming convention??
What is this? It should be come in the market of India
This is a great first device from Microsoft. I think the strategy of going for volume at the low end is the right one for now, make sure all the developing countries have an amazing low end device at an affordable price. While I wished they were releasing another flagship this year, I think they are doing the right thing for the long term of the business. The flagships will come, but they have to go for market share right now to gain developer interest. What I would like to see when they release the next flagship is to make it available on all the carriers on the same day, get rid of the exclusives. That way when they advertise anyone that likes the devce can just go to their current carrier instead of contemplating switching. Exclusives limit their market share and make it that much harder to gain any kind of momentum.
Why not, and this is going against all convention and a really novel idea so just hear me out, why not release a cheapo low spec phone for market share AND a flagship device? I know, imagine a phone company not releasing 16 derivations of cheap devices with confusing names, 9 midrange phones and 4 rehashed carrier-exclusive retreads of old flagships, and instead making 1 cheapo in 2 sizes, 1 midrange in 2 sizes and 1 flagship in 2 sizes and releasing them on all carriers. Crazy. But it just might be crazy enough to work.
It's amazing at such a price... Nice work by microsoft. Wow
Actually the snapdragon 200 clock speed is a bit faster than 400 and also more cores so more performance but still what is the gpu in 535???This phone will give a tough competition to all those cheap shit Android phones. Finally microsoft is listening to its customers!Go MS!And RIP NOKIA!
Global release for the 535, please MS!
I hope what Microsft/Nokia will bring to the market I hope they still produce well built, great design and innovation to the market. Kudos Microsoft/Nokia
So this is the exciting announcement that Microsoft had? Boy, the bar has certainly been lowered...
Its ofcourse coming to India!!! I think you all didn't notice PRIYANKA CHOPRA in the first oficial video released by Microsoft.
Really I have a 630 but the 535 gets flash a front facing camera and 1 GB of ram that's dumb
Well, it seems that in Brazil Microsoft will release soon the 535. They just announced on thei brazilian facebook http://www.blognokia.com.br/aparelho/palmas-para-o-microsoft-lumia-535/?... Here is the link for Microsoft Brasil Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MicrosoftLumiaBrasil/photos/a.396203378062.1758...
This is just BS in my opinion. Alot of people like me who decided to jump on the WP bandwagon and get the 920 are now at the end of our 2 year contract. So what am I supposed to do? My 920 is falling apart. I want a new phone but I want high end. Sure I can get the 1020 but thats year old tech. Too boot the new phone is not even available in the US. Your going to see a lot of people like me jumping ship now. As much as I love Microsoft and what Nadella and co. are doing with it. There just too out of touch with the smartphone industry.
Makes it totally different from previous factors to produce a series line thanks to "change". Microsoft signaled us that the next flagship in Windows 10 is far more advanced than what we have today as Lumia 930 & 1520. Lines of Nokia Lumia 5xx, 6xx, 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, 10xx, 13xx, 15xx will definitely be decrease to maybe Microsoft Lumia 5xx, 8xx, 9xx, 10xx, 15xx. Or even Microsoft Lumia 5xx, 7xx, 9xx, 15xx. Anyway, Microsoft now told us that affordable in its view is not like Nokia strategy and released 535. I'm still waiting for a handset that worth to be my primary Smartphone in order to send my L920 as the backup instead of primary. Maybe they introduce it some point in 2015?!?
This Microsoft Lumia 535 specifications seem nothing short of perfect for the price. Especially 5" screen, microSD card slot up to 128 GB, 1 GB of RAM, removable battery are the indispensable features available. And at last the beautiful cyan (sky blue) back which is awesome to the eyes to say the least.
Can we expect a review from You?
MICROSOFT......WILL ROCK THE WROLD SOON...MISS U NOKIA
Microsoft, just simplify the Lumia line to avoid confusion to the customers: Snapdragon 2xx: 6xx line, the low level device. Only go through this route if you are certain you can make a good device with LED flash, autofocus, front camera with sub-USD 100 price Snapdragon 4xx: 7xx line, the medium-low level device. RAM minimum 1 GB. Snapdragon 6xx: 8xx line, the medium-high level device. Snapdragon 8xx: 9xx line, 10xx line for camera enthusiast, 15xx line for phablet (include WACOM pen just like S-Pen to go head to head with Galaxy Note line) And please include 64-bit in Windows 10 (for Phone) or at least 10.1. You don't want to lose this race since iOS & Android are already on this.
Meh... few on this site are interested in entry-level device. The real question is when (if ever) MS is going to release the 1030 and the 1530. Many Windows (Phone) enthusiasts would like to see the real flagship coming out of Redmond. Both devices should be SD 810, 4GB RAM with 128GB micro SD card, water/dust proof. The 1030 naturally coming with say 55MP, 1 inch sensor and 1080p 5 inch display The 1530 sporting smaller 21mp snapper, but 6 inch 2K display...
My friend using Lumia 630 and there is OK report about this product well few changes if i need which will be in the marketplace on comparing it with android latest version ... full phone specification with launch price http://www.buynewgadgets.com but if i compare it with Lumia 535 in price as said $25 cheaper ... LOL I don't need to buy the same product which i already used ...
its launched in India today. price is also quite catchy and really attractive, because in that price, u cannot get a better droid also. it's gonna blow his bro 630 aside. it really beats the competition by providing 1 GB RAM, qHD display, quad core and Gorilla 3.
lumia 535 i disapointed alot and also not working flash also dnt buy 535 730 is best
I have just started to use Lumia 535. please suggest how to go back from gallery after seeing photos. i cant go back from gallery. please help !!!!
icons on this phone (take a look at battery icon) are blured! dpi is not so bad but there is some problem with resizing icons I guess maybe because resolution on this phone is not standard... it looks terrible.. some fonts on tiles are blured too.
now we need a lumia 640 or something(since 635 is taken) with all 630 and 535 combined. maybe a smaller display though, for 2 reasons: 5'' is not friendly for everyone, and to keep the boost in the price (of "640" over 630 and 535) in a decent limit, just like they did with 535 over 530 where we have a difference of only ~30$
What's wrong with my Lumia 535 GPS always had poor signal does any body helps

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