Microsoft‘s latest “cheap and cheerful” devices have hit Malaysian shores. If you’re in the market for affordable Windows smartphones then the new Lumia 640 Dual SIM and Lumia 640 XL may tickle your fancy. Both devices run Windows Phone 8.1 and will be upgradeable to Windows 10 when it’s available in Summer.
The talented, budget-friendly duo is powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip, bundled with 1GB of RAM. While onboard storage is only 8GB, you can upgrade up to 128GB via microSD.
The Lumia’s signature curvy polycarbonate body and funky colours return with the duo, with matte/glossy cyan, orange, black and white options.
The Lumia 640 Dual SIM packs a 5-inch HD IPS display (259PPI) while its bigger sibling gets a 5.7-inch HD IPS display that also pushes out a similar pixel density.
The Lumia range has always been loved for its camera prowess, and Microsoft didn’t skimp despite the Lumia 640 and 640 XL being budget devices. The Lumia 640 gets an 8MP shooter with LED flash, and the Lumia 640 XL is armed with a better 13MP camera with ZEISS Optics, LED flash, supported with the Lumia Camera app.
The Lumia 640 Dual SIM is a 4G-LTE device with both SIMs supporting LTE data. Meanwhile, the Lumia 640 XL is 3G-only. Microsoft is in talks with local telcos to bring a 4G LTE-version of the 640 XL to Malaysia, and we should see this in the market soon.
What’s good are pretty big bundled batteries — the Lumia 640 gets a 2,500mAh, and the Lumia 640 XL gets powered by a 3,000mAh. Both should be good for a full day’s worth of work and play.
Talking about work and play, for a limited time only, the devices will come with one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal edition which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. This is valid for your Lumia, PC/Mac and one tablet. You’ll also get 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage and 60 Skype minutes. Go crazy.
Both devices run Windows 8.1 with the latest Lumia Denim Update. When Windows 10 becomes available in Summer, you’ll be able to upgrade for free, too.
Pricing and availability
Both devices will be available from 17 April onwards. The Lumia 640 retails at RM729 and comes in glossy cyan, orange, white and matte black. The Lumia 640 XL is priced at RM929 and comes in matte cyan, orange, black and white.
Microsoft also announced its cheapest Lumia to date, the Lumia 430 Dual SIM, priced at RM319.
The Office 365 and OneDrive offers is valid from 1 April to 30 June 2015. You can redeem this limited time offer by downloading the Office 365 gift app from the Windows Phone Store by 14 August 2015.
