Nokia Lumia Icon review

how to fix Nokia Lumia Icon

We loved the Nokia Lumia 1520, and I personally said it was the best Windows phone that I would never use. Why? At 6", it was too big for me. Others who felt the same have patiently waited for Nokia to release a smartphone with the same cutting edge specs and 20MP PureView camera, but in a smaller package. Now we have it in the form of the Nokia Lumia Icon, a worldwide exclusive to Verizon Wireless. What's Inside? The 5.9 ounce Nokia Lumia Icon has a 5" full HD Clear Black OLED display with outdoor brightness mode and heightened touch sensitivity for gloves but no Nokia Glance feature. Like the 1520 it runs on a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core CPU with Adreno 330 graphics and 2 gigs of RAM, giving it the same horsepower as top Android phones. It has 32 gigs of internal storage but no microSD card slot. The phone has dual band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and a front HD webcam. Qi wireless charging is built in- no need to buy a special charging back. The 20MP PureView camera that can shoot DNG RAW files? It's every bit as good as the excellent Lumia 1520 camera. And that makes it one of the top camera phones on the market, barring the 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020. The Lumia Icon runs Windows Phone 8 (specifically the "Lumia Black" release). Design The only place the Lumia Icon lets us down is looks. Lumia has been synonymous with unique and attractive styling, but the Icon looks a little boxy and dull. Somehow Nokia's Lumia models suffer on Verizon and we can only guess that carrier prefers staid looks and eschews zingy colors. The usually curvy Lumia design is squared off here, and in fact the sides are broad and flat enough that you can stand it on three of its four sides (the side with all the buttons won't work). The sides are unibody aluminum and the back is Nokia's usual matte polycarbonate, and the back has a gentle bulge. It looks like a quality piece. Verizon Wireless offers the phone in your choice of black or white for $199 on contract and $550 with no contract commitment. Calling and Data This is a CDMA phone with 4G LTE on Verizon's network. It also has unlocked GSM world roaming with 2G and 3G but no LTE for GSM networks. Call quality on Verizon was decent but not stellar, Nokia excels at voice phones for GSM, but their CDMA (Verizon and Sprint use CDMA) call quality lacks the fullness and clarity of their top GSM phones. That's not to say your conversations will be an unintelligible mess--that's not the case. You just won't enjoy landline equivalent clarity and bass to treble range. Data speeds are par for the course on Verizon's solid 4G LTE network and the Lumia Icon matched current Android phones and the iPhone 5S for download and upload speeds according to the SpeedTest.net app.

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Nokia Lumia Icon Video Review Nokia Lumia Icon vs. HTC M8 for Windows Comparison Smackdown

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Display We're fans of Nokia's OLED displays because they're sharp, bright and color saturated without looking cartoonish or garish in terms of color. This is a full HD 1920 x 1080 display, currently a rarity on Windows Phone but standard fare on higher end Android phones. In a word: "great"! Videos look superb with strong black levels and high contrast, photos shot with the camera look scrumptious and text is clear with no jaggies. The display has an outdoor viewable mode to combat brightness, and it is indeed legible outdoors. Like other Lumia phones you can enable enhanced sensitivity if you wish to use the phone with gloves. Camera Beyond the top notch CPU and speedy internals, the 20 megapixel camera with f/2.4 Carl Zeiss lens and dual LED flash steal the show. Granted, it's not as impressive as the Nokia Lumia 1020 and its 41MP shooter (nothing is), but it's better than most high end camera phones on the market. It has a larger sensor than most: 1/2.5 inch (0.40" diagonally) that's just a hair smaller than point-and-shoot dedicated digital cameras that commonly use a 1/2.3 sensor (0.43" diagonally). Like the Lumia 1020 and 1520, the Icon by default shoots a 5MP image and a full res 19MP image that you can use for print and lossless zooming via crop. The Lumia 1020's shot times didn't impress us, and even the Lumia 1520 could be faster, and the Lumia Icon only slightly improves shot times over these two. For example, autofocus speeds are tolerable though still not quick. As with other Lumia smartphones, you can use software lenses to achieve different effects, and you'll find these on the Windows app store for free. Nokia also includes their Cinemagraph, StoryTeller and Nokia Camera apps. Video is crisp and clear, and we found the camera a more than adequate replacement for a point and shoot when taking photos and shooting video. You can shoot in your choice of 720 or 1080p at up to 30 fps. Nokia's high dynamic range microphones make much better than average stereo recording while shooting video and optical image stabilization keeps shaky video at bay without degrading video and image quality as digital stabilization sometimes does. Battery Life The Nokia has a 2420 mAh Lithium Ion battery that's sealed inside. That's a similar capacity to Android smartphones running on the same CPU with a 5" full HD display, so we expected similar runtimes. Indeed, like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, the Lumia Icon easily made it through a full day of moderate use with 25% left at 11pm. We used the web browser, email, social networking, played an hour of music with the display off, watched an hour of streaming video via Netflix, navigated a 5 mile trip with the GPS and shot 20 photos. We expect gaming to drain the battery more quickly, but in the Lumia Icon's case, shooting lots of photos and video will also drain the battery quickly. Apps You know the story: Windows Phone's app store selection is weak compared to Android and iOS, and that's something to keep in mind if you're a software junky looking to defect from those platforms. But the built-in programs like Microsoft's mobile MS Office suite, XBOX music, a strong PIM suite and social networking, MS Exchange support and a very good mobile IE web browser take core of core needs. Most of the top apps are available on Windows Phone, but some popular apps are still missing and the game selection is decent, but different from Android and iOS in terms of titles available. That said, I've managed to find apps to cover my needs with a few exceptions like my favorite grocery shopping list (Grocery IQ) and remote camera control and transfer apps from the likes of Canon and Sony. The phone can sync with Google services for contacts, calendar and gmail, though push gmail went away when Google dropped Exchange ActiveSync support from free gmail accounts. POP and IMAP email are supported natively and as you'd guess MS Exchange works fine. The phone can use Microsoft's OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) cloud services for easy access to all manner of files including MS Office documents, photos and videos. Conclusion Looks aside, this is Nokia's best Lumia yet, unless you're a serious camera buff who lusts for the Nokia Lumia 1020. The Lumia Icon brings a full HD display, cutting edge CPU and graphics and an excellent camera to Windows Phone, and despite my aesthetic complaints, it looks and feels like a well made phone. If you're a Verizon customer and are interested in trying Windows Phone or upgrading, the Nokia Lumia Icon is easy to recommend. Price: $199 with 2 year contract, $550 without contract Websites: www.nokiausa.com, www.verizonwireless.com Related: HTC One M8 for Windows Review Nokia Lumia 1520 Review Nokia Lumia 830 Review Nokia Lumia 1020 Review Nokia Lumia 928 Review Nokia Lumia 2520 Review

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Nokia Lumia 635

Nokia Lumia 635  review

how to fix Nokia Lumia 635

Perhaps this is Windows Phone's future: very affordable handsets that reach the widest possible demographic. The platform has so far done particularly well there. The Nokia Lumia 635 is one of the least expensive smartphones on the US market. The T-Mobile version used for this review lists for $168 outright (no contract, no monthly pay off) and sells for just $129 on MicrosoftStore.com and $119 on the Home Shopping Network. The AT&T GoPhone version is $99 full retail. And surprisingly, the phone doesn't stink. Quite the opposite: it's nice enough looking, has a decent display, 4G LTE where most ultra-budget phones stop at 3G, a quad core processor and a decent rear 5 megapixel camera. In the spirit of the Moto E, the Lumia is meant to be a phone that most anyone can afford (T-Mobile does offer $7/month payment plans if the full retail exceeds the contents of your wallet). Yet it ships with the latest version of the OS, Windows Phone 8.1, has a truly good voice assistant named Cortana and important core features like expandable storage via microSD card slot and a replaceable battery. Yes, it lacks features that high and mid tier smartphones offer like a front camera (that will be a deal breaker for some), and it has a paltry amount of internal storage. To a certain extent, you do get what you pay for, so everything is scaled back here to achieve the affordable price tag. Build quality is good and you can get different colored backs for $15 apiece from Microsoft's store. The Nokia Lumia 635 is essentially the 4G LTE version of the 3G Lumia 630 available overseas. It runs Windows Phone 8.1 on a 1.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, and it has 512 megs of RAM and 8 gigs of internal storage (with around 4 gigs actually free for your use). It has a microSD card slot under the removable back cover and it uses a micro SIM rather than the more obscure nano SIM used on some higher end Lumia phones and the iPhone 5s. The smartphone has single band WiFi 802.11n where dual band is the norm, Bluetooth 4.0 and a GPS with GLONASS. It ships with Nokia HERE Maps, HERE Drive+ and Here Transit: all solid offerings. Like all Windows phones, a mobile version of IE and MS Office are pre-loaded. The 4.5" ClearBlack IPS display doesn't win resolution awards at 845 x 480 pixels, but it does have decent viewing angles, good color saturation and plenty of clarity.

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Nokia Lumia 635 Video Review Windows Phone is a very fluid OS that doesn't demand cutting edge hardware. Thus the Lumia 635 generally felt fluid and peppy, but we did notice it lagging just a little here and there. It has a tough act to follow when top of the line models like the Nokia Lumia Icon have a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 and 2 gigs of RAM. The Lumia 635's 512 megs of RAM sounds atavistic in a world where 1 gig is the standard and minimum, but apps march on just fine with that small amount thanks to Windows Phone's aggressive memory management. Still, there are some 3D games that require a gig of RAM, so if playing the top 3D games is important to you, this isn't your phone. But then, $99 to $168 phones aren't serious gaming handsets. The 8 gigs of storage sounds limiting, but the fact you can put not just movies and music on microSD cards up to 128 gigs capacity, but apps too really helps.

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There is no front camera! Skype users and selfie artists, this isn't your phone. The rear 5MP camera has no flash (again, budget phone) and it records 720p but not 1080p video. It's a decent camera for well lit environments, and will likely seem like an improvement if you're moving up from a feature phone or older smartphone. Photo colors are pleasing, but the camera tends to wash out lighter colored items in the sun, and noise is average. The Nokia Lumia 635 has a removable 1830 mAh Lithium Ion battery and it ships with the usual compact 5v charger and micro USB 2.0 cable. Since neither the processor nor the display are particularly demanding, we expected long battery life. In fact, battery life with moderate use was the same as on bigger screen flagship phones: 1 day. Video playback is the Lumia 635's Achilles' heel, where the phone hovered just over the 5 hour mark. Non-multimedia runtimes were better, and the phone held up fine for web, email, social networking and snapping a few photos. Conclusion Clearly, the most exciting thing about the Lumia 635 is the price to feature and quality ratio. Most everything is here, except a front camera. Performance is decent, Windows Phone 8.1 is a solid and easy to use OS, the phone has a good display for the price and it feels comfy in hand. Yes, the Windows Phone app store still lags behind Android and iOS, but there are enough apps to make the phone a productive and entertaining product. Websites: www.nokia.com, www.t-mobile.com, wireless.att.com Price: $99 to $168 full retail, depending on carrier and store Related Reviews: Moto E Review Nokia Lumia 830 Review Nokia Lumia Icon Review Nokia Lumia 1020 Review Nokia Lumia 1520 Review

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HTC One M8 for Windows review

how to fix HTC One M8 for Windows

The HTC One M8 for Windows: it's everything you loved about the HTC One M8... unless you're an Android person that is. Given the name, you've already figured out this is the Windows Phone version of the M8, and if you're a fan of that elegant smartphone, you'll be thrilled to hear the hardware hasn't changed a bit. It's exactly the same physical phone according to HTC. Now that Microsoft has relaxed hardware design requirements to make it easier for manufacturers to port existing Android handsets to Windows, we'll probably see more phones repurposed with Redmond's really lovely but under-loved OS. The HTC One M8 for Windows has a 5" full HD display, a quad core Snapdragon 801 CPU, 32 gigs of storage plus a microSD card slot and of course HTC BoomSound stereo front-facing speakers. It runs Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 and is initially exclusive to Verizon Wireless, though it will be coming to AT&T and T-Mobile. Design and Ergonomics We're not going to bore you with a description of the hardware: it's exactly the same as the HTC One M8 we reviewed several months ago in its Android guise. The phone is available in gunmetal gray, which I think is one of the more attractive "colors" for this unibody metal phone. Yes, the back is a bit more slippery than the light silver model with the anodized rougher finish, but the brushed metal look is so classy. The optional $50 Dot View case works with the Windows version, providing time and weather through the case's grid-like cover and if you swipe down on the cover when the phone is sleeping, you can launch Cortana in voice command mode. It might take you a few tries to get that swipe gesture right, but once you do, it's pretty easy to do at will. Calling and Data We tested the HTC One M8 for Windows on Verizon’s network in the Dallas area and in NYC. Calls were clear and loud for both incoming and outgoing voice and the M8 impressed us overall. Data speeds on Verizon’s LTE network were par for the course in these two locations, ranging from 50Mbps download speeds in Dallas on XLTE networks to 12Mbps in congested Times Square. Camera For better or worse, the 4MP equivalent duo Ultrapixel camera remains. HTC developed their own camera app to take advantage of the dual camera capabilities that add depth of field info and more. HTC Zoe isn't on board as it is with the Android version, but we do get a Video Highlights app that montages recent photos together for an animated presentation. Those of you who read our Android M8 review know that we're not huge fans of the Ultrapixel HTC camera: it simply doesn't capture nearly as much detail as the 8 to 16MP competition and high contrast scenes (outdoors, sunny day) result in blown out highlights. The depth of field trick isn't impressive enough to warrant the second lens either. I'd rather have a higher megapixel camera and image processing software to create the blurred background effect that's perfect for portraits and macro shots. If you're a shutterbug, higher end Nokia Lumia models like theIcon, Lumia 1520 and of course the Lumia 1020 are still the cream of the camera phone crop.

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HTC One M8 for Windows Video Review Nokia Lumia Icon vs. HTC M8 for Windows Comparison Smackdown

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Performance The HTC One M8 for Windows is currently the fastest Windows phone, though by a small margin: it has the slightly newer 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 vs. 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800, and the 801 has speed-tweaked Adreno 330 graphics. If you already own a phone like the Lumia Icon or Lumia 1520 that has the Snapdragon 800, performance isn't a reason to upgrade/side-grade. The gorgeous metal design and comfy curved back are the One M8's real compelling features. The phone feels fast and fluid, but Windows Phone generally does, especially on higher end hardware. Games play with good frame rates and responsive controls and streaming full HD video is fluid. The phone's back gets warm when playing 3D games or streaming HD video for extended periods of time, but it never got alarmingly hot (except once when a game went astray and ate up all available CPU cycles requiring a reboot). The App Story Here we go again. Well, the story has changed a bit now that there are 300,000 apps on the Windows Phone Marketplace. It's no longer the number of apps available but their sometimes dubious quality, from 20 redundant apps for YouTube (none stellar) to name brand apps like Kindle that are missing many features of their iOS and Android counterparts and are updated infrequently. If you're not an app junkie, this won't matter much to you, and there's Kindle, the Weather Channel, Instagram (forever in beta), Pandora, Spotify and WhatsApp available. Battery Life Battery life has been quite good. The 2600 mAh Lithium Ion battery is sealed inside, and you can use external battery packs that connect via micro USB if you need more staying power on the road. In our mixed use tests that include web browsing, checking 2 email accounts (Google and Outlook), streaming 4 YouTube full HD videos via Metrotube (Windows Phone lacks an official YouTube client because Google won't provide one), taking 20 photos and streaming music with the screen off for an hour, we still had 30% charge left by bedtime. Nice! That's a bit better than the Lumia Icon. Conclusion We like the HTC One M8 for Windows quite a lot: it has a gorgeous design that's classy, if not classic, and seriously good sounding front BoomSound stereo speakers. We can't help but feel that lovely as the M8 is, Windows Phone is the stepchild that gets a repurposed Android flagship many months later. That takes some of the new and shiny away from the M8, and the less vivid display and weaker camera make the less expensive Lumia Icon seem very appealing. Still the HTC has things going for it including that lovely metal design, a slightly updated OS and processor and a microSD card slot. Those of you who like to carry lots of videos and music with you will appreciate the expandable storage. Price: $99 with 2 year contract, $599 full retail (Verizon Wireless) Websites: www.htc.com, www.verizonwireless.com

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Nokia Lumia 830

Nokia Lumia 830 review

how to fix Nokia Lumia 830 

The Nokia Lumia Icon was arguably the best Windows Phone on the US market, though it seems Verizon Wireless, the exclusive carrier for that phone, has already and unfortunately discontinued it. Overseas it's known as the Lumia 930, and now we have a more affordable counterpart in the US with the Nokia Lumia 830. It keeps the lovely metal sides and matte polycarbonate back, but this time that back is removable, granting access to the battery, nano SIM card slot and microSD card slot. It brings back the Lumia 1020's Cyclops eye camera surround, though this PureView camera is 10 megapixels rather than 41. Still, it's a good camera with a fast Carl Zeiss f/2.2 lens that has OIS (optical image stabilization). That's a very good camera and a chic design for a midrange phone. AT&T offers the Lumia 830 in the US for $99 on contract and $450 full retail. There are quite a few tempting phones in that price range, including some last gen but still solid Android phones and theiPhone 5s. But if you're a Windows Phone fan, it's certainly tempting. Currently, you'll get a free Fitbit Flex to sweeten the deal. The specs are dropped down from the more expensive Lumia Icon, and the Lumia 830 has a 5", 1280 x 720 IPS display and it runs on the 1.2GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 with Adreno 305 graphics and 1 gig of RAM. It has enough RAM to play 3D games and the CPU has enough punch to make Asphalt 8 playable, but the frame rates aren't as high as on faster phones like the Icon and the HTC One M8 for Windows. The phone has 16 gigs of storage, and you can expand that with microSD cards. Other amenities include single band WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and a GPS. Benchmarks: AnTuTu: 11,981 (half the Lumia Icon and HTC One M8 for Windows result) Sunspider (Webkit): 1241 Design and Ergonomics The phone feels well made, and it's a bit thinner and lighter than the dense Lumia Icon (that's fine with us). The button design is like that of the Icon, with a large volume rocker, power button and dedicated camera button on the right side and the headphone jack up top. The Lumia 830's micro USB port is oddly placed at the top, where the nano SIM card slot is on the Icon. The rear speaker sounds a bit thin, not unlike many midrange smartphones. Overall, the phone feels like a quality piece, and we only wish AT&T would offer the playful colors that Lumia phones are famous for (black is the only color offering, though we've seen a green backed model on Amazon). We like the straight sides because they make it easy to grip the phone with assurance, but some might prefer the comfort of Nokia's curvy sided polycarbonate designs like the Lumia 1020 and Lumia 1520 on AT&T. Lumia Denim The Lumia runs Windows Phone 8.1 "Lumia Denim", which is currently the latest release of the OS. That release features active listening for Cortana the voice assistant, but the 830 alas doesn't get that feature. Since Microsoft owns the Nokia phone brand, and AT&T is reasonably good about offering Windows Phone OS updates in a timely manner, we'd expect the Lumia 830 to get OS updates fairly quickly and regularly. Display The Gorilla Glass 3 clad IPS display isn't as color saturated as the AMOLED Lumia models and blacks aren't inky. It's an OK display with moderate brightness, but it doesn't wow us in terms of color or contrast. It's decently sharp and it doesn't look grainy despite the fact that there are quite a few 1080p 5" phones on the market and this is just 720p. The display is a casualty of the lower price tag, though it's by no means poor--it's simply middle of the pack to match the price. It has the wonderful Nokia Glance feature where you double-tap the display to wake it up to view the time and notifications. When plugged in and charging that time and notification display stays on at a dimmed level so you can use it as a bedside clock. The display also has touch sensitivity settings, and on high it works with gloved fingers.

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Nokia Lumia 830 Video Review Calling and Data Nokia makes excellent voice phones and the Lumia 830 delivers clear and full incoming and outgoing audio. They're also known for strong reception, and the phone indeed had strong and stable reception. The speakerphone on the other hand is just adequate with good volume but thin sounding voice. Data speeds were par for the course on AT&T's LTE 4G network in the Dallas area, averaging 19Mbps down and 7.5 Mbps up according to the Speedtest.net app.

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Camera The rear 10MP PureView camera is the gem here, and it takes photos that look natural and have good dynamic range by camera phone standards. No, it won't beat the 41MP Lumia 1020 or even the Lumia Icon's excellent and higher resolution camera, but it doesn't fall completely flat when put up against the Android and iPhone competition. We love that it has optical image stabilization to reduce hand blur in photos and jittery video footage--that's a feature not usually found on midrange models. The fast Zeiss f/2.2 lens and LED flash help with low light settings, though we still give the edge to the iPhone 6 and higher end Lumias for low light shots. The camera saves images in JPEG format; sorry there's no RAW format here, and it can shoot video in 1080p at 30 fps (H.264, MP4 format). Photos look sharp with natural colors and video is smooth thanks to OIS. Focus times are tolerable, though like other Lumia models focus speed isn't what we'd call fast. The rear camera has a backside illuminated sensor (BSI) and the lens has a fairly wide 26mm equivalent focal length. The front 0.9MP camera is one of the lowest resolutions on the market in this price range, and as you might expect, Skype chats look a bit dim and grainy and selfies aren't masterpieces. Battery Life The Lumia 830 has a removable 2200 mAh battery under the back cover. Not many mid to high end Lumia phones have swappable batteries, so that's a treat. Since the phone runs on the midrange Snapdragon 400 and has a 720p display, that battery capacity is perfectly adequate. The Lumia 830 easily lasted us a full day of use when using the phone to check email, view a few websites, play a handful of 10 minute streaming videos, play music with the screen off for an hour and engage in 30 minutes of phone calls. If you use the GPS for hours or play 3D games for an hour or more, you'll need to top up by the afternoon, but for moderate use it should last until bedtime. Conclusion We like the Lumia 830, though it's hard to rave about a phone that's designed to sit directly in the middle in terms of price and features. It's neither an outright bargain, nor is it packed with the best specs currently available. Instead, this Lumia targets those who have some money to spend, but don't want to pay top dollar or buy last year's phone to hit that $99 on contract price point. Clearly, the phone is an easier sell to those who already like Windows Phone and for iPhone converts looking for something different yet easy to use and secure. The design is classy for the price, and we're thrilled that the battery is removable and that you can expand storage via microSD cards. The camera is the high point, and for $99, it punches above its weight. Price: $99 with 2 year contract, $450 full retail Websites: www.microsoftstore.com, wireless.att.com Related Reviews: Nokia Lumia Icon Review Nokia Lumia 1520 Review Nokia Lumia 1020 Review Nokia Lumia 635 Review

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Microsoft Lumia 640 XL review

how to fix Microsoft Lumia 640 XL

Microsoft Lumia smartphones hit the midrange hard, in fact they often do the low end nicely too. With the Lumia 640 XL you get a big screen phone and a set of quite good cameras for 99 cents on contract or $249 full retail. The phone is available worldwide, and here in the US AT&T just added it to their lineup. For those who don't follow closely, Lumia Windows phones are now branded as Microsoft rather than Nokia products. Nothing has changed in terms of design aesthetics, camera tech or software (you still get Lumia Camera, Mix Radio and other compelling apps), rather Microsoft has jettisoned the Nokia name post-acquisition. Design and Build Quality This isn't a sexy phone like the 6" Nokia Lumia 1520--to be fair the 1520 was a much more expensive phone. Overseas you can get the 640 XL in the usual playful Lumia colors including Cyan, but AT&T offers just black and white. I'm sure you can find colorful back covers on eBay, if you'd like to jazz things up. The back cover is removable as is the battery. Under that cover you'll find a micro SIM card slot and microSD card slot. The surprisingly loud and full speaker fires from the rear. The look is typical Lumia low to midrange, with a rubbery plastic back, clean lines and a solid feel in the hand. The phone's headphone jack is up top, the micro USB connector is at the bottom and a volume rocker and power button are on the right side. There's a raised ring or hump around the rear camera, but surprisingly it doesn't make the phone wobble when placed on a table. The raised plastic ensures that the lens cover doesn't touch the table. Display The Lumia 640 XL has a 5.7" display with outdoor visibility enhancements and Gorilla Glass 3. This is a $249 phone, so don't expect whopping high resolution, in fact we're looking at 1280 x 720 here, for a not wildly impressive 259 PPI. Still, the display's colors and contrast are good and unless you have eagle-eyed vision, you probably won't see individual pixels or jaggies (Microsoft's attention to typography helps too). Simply put, the display actually looks pretty good, and it's not grainy or budget looking. When the phone is asleep it can display the time and selected notifications (faint white text and icons on a black background). I love this Lumia feature, and there's a night mode so it won't be overly bright in the night. Horsepower and Performance The budget element kicks in again for the processor, and the 640 XL runs on the aging 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core CPU with Adreno 305 graphics (we do wonder why Microsoft didn't go with it's current replacement, the Snapdragon 410). That processor has graced many midrange Android and Windows Phones. Since Windows Phone 8.1, much like iOS, is a highly optimized OS that runs well without flagship CPUs, the phone feels responsive. Demanding 3D games like Modern Combat 5 (demoed in our video review) don't have fantastic frame rates, though they're still quite playable. The phone runs Windows Phone 8.1 update 2 with Lumia Denim, and it will get the upgrade to Windows 10 for phones. It has 1 gig of RAM and just 8 gigs of internal storage. Thankfully there's a microSD card slot under the back cover so you can extend storage.

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Microsoft Lumia 640 XL Video Review Cameras The Lumia 640 XL is the supersized version of the Lumia 640, and it also boasts camera improvements. The front camera moves up to 5MP resolution, and it can shoot 1080p video, which results in sharper Skype video chats. It's a wide-angle lens that's perfect for group selfies, but it will distort facial features given that wide angle (noses grow, hairlines recede). The rear 13MP camera has a Zeiss lens, BSI sensor, HDR and it too can shoot 1080p video @30 fps. It won't beat the pants off the Lumia Icon, LG G4 or Samsung Galaxy S6 cameras, but for the price, it's a solid camera with plenty of software features like Lumia Lenses and the capable Lumia 5 camera app. There are other goodies like the background defocus app, though I find that one a bit heavy handed-- backgrounds are excessively blurred, which looks artificial. Still, it's better than nothing since camera phones lack shallow depth of field for pleasing bokeh. The camera handles low light well, and in harsh outdoor lighting it suffers from some blown out highlights, but nothing out of the ordinary for camera phones lacking flagship imaging hardware. 1080p video is detailed and sometimes a bit over-sharpened, and audio recording quality is impressive.

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Battery Life Big phones have space for large batteries, thus the Lumia 640 XL has an ample 3,000 mAh battery that's removable should you wish to swap in a spare. Given the relatively low resolution and midrange CPU, battery life is simply stellar for a big phone. We couldn't kill it in a full day of use, and it generally lasted two days on a charge. Of course, if you play Real Racing 3 or Modern Combat 5 for hours, you'll drain the battery sooner--we're talking average use that includes email, web, taking photos, social networking, a few calls and streaming a 30 minute video. The AT&T model with the stock back does not support wireless charging. Conclusion The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL is a very likeable and solid phone at a reasonable price. If you're in the market for a big screen phone on a budget and are a fan of Windows Phone or are hankering to try that OS, it's a great introduction to the platform. Though the resolution won't win a specs war, the display is pleasingly sharp, bright and colorful, and the size is fantastic for watching movies and viewing photos. Both cameras are quite good for the price and we really enjoy Lumia imaging software. Call quality is good and data speeds are par for the course on AT&T's 4G LTE network. Websites: www.windowsphone.com, wireless.att.com Price: 99 cents with 2 year contract, $249 full retail Related Reviews: Nokia Lumia 1520 Review Nokia Lumia 830 Review Nokia Lumia 735 Video Review Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 Review Asus ZenFone 2 Review

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