Nokia (we should really say Microsoft Devices Group) has just redefined “cheap and cheerful” again – with the new Lumia 530, the cheapest Lumia to date. For the price of RM355.00 (that’s a little over US$100) or equivalent to 30 Americanos, you get to take home a rather cheerful, feature-packed smartphone running the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update.
The little Lumia 530 is a very important product for Microsoft. It’s targeted at the low-end, emerging markets segment and its mission (if it chooses to accept it) is for world domination. OK perhaps world domination isn’t the proper description for it. But just like the best-selling Lumia 520 before it, the Lumia 530 is the weapon to penetrate and quickly capture market share.
And which is why Microsoft has really done its homework on this one. It’s got pretty much everything a modern smartphone should have despite its small price tag – quad-core Snapdragon, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, bright 4-inch LCD, 5MP camera and very importantly in Asia – dual-SIM.
It’s even got a microSD slot for further storage expansion and Microsoft is also throwing in 15GB worth of OneDrive cloud storage. Neat.
Unlike low-end Androids that come with some obsolete version of its OS, this low-end Lumia comes with the latest Windows Phone 8.1 version so buyers don’t lose out on the latest features.
The coming of the Lumia 530 clearly marks the end of Nokia’s own low end Asha line, and at a macro level, the end of the feature phone.
An impressive feat by Microsoft and a win for consumers.
The Lumia 530 will be available from 16 August at retail channels for the price of RM355.00.
Cheap and cheerful has a new name.