Introduction
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 are the first compact smartphones to come from the Microsoft-aquired Nokia, the company previously focusing its attention to 5+" handsets. It is only logical for Microsoft to pay proper attention to the most popular segment of the market but it's good that the pocketable niche hasn't been forgotten.
Microsoft Lumia 435 official pictures
With Windows 10 still a few months away Microsoft has no choice but to steer the Lumia lineup towards the mid and low end segments and hope that it gives it enough time to regroup and launch another attach on the premium market. We already have a plethora of affordable Lumia smartphones but the latest Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 aim to push things even lower. The specs might be underwhelming but you just can't argue with that price.
The double digit dollar price (that's without the inevitable promotions) can't get you much further than 4" WVGA displays, Snapdragon 200 chips and and 8GB of storage, but Microsoft is keen to point out that this is more than enough to secure smooth sailing through its mobile platform. The Lumia 435 relies on a dual-core processor and entry-level 2MP camera, while the Lumia 532 does slightly better with a quad-core processor and a 5MP shooter.
Key features
- Optional Dual SIM connectivity
- 4.0" TFT display of WVGA resolution (233ppi)
- Lumia 435: 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A7 CPU, Adreno 302 GPU, Snapdragon 200 chipset
- Lumia 532: 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU, Adreno 302 GPU, Snapdragon 200 chipset
- 1GB of RAM
- Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10 update coming summer 2015
- Lumia 435: 2MP fixed-focus camera, 480p video recording @30fps
- Lumia 532: 5MP fixed-focus camera, 480p video recording @30fps
- 0.3MP front-facing camera, 480p video
- 8GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot, up to 128GB
- Wi-Fi b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS/GLONASS; FM radio with RDS
- 30GB of free OneDrive storage
- Free worldwide voice-guided navigation with HERE Drive+
- 1,560 mAh Li-Ion battery
Main disadvantages
- Dated chipset
- No LED flash
- No secondary microphone
- About 3GB of internal storage available to the user
- No backlight for capacitive keys
- No Glance Screen on the Lumia 435
Corner cutting in hardware is inevitable here but what really matters is the real life user experience and Windows performance. We'll be focusing our efforts on how the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 handle the day-to-day tasks and if they are indeed capable of delivering passable smartphone experience.
The two smartphones also have a simple build that should make them longer lasting than many of their more expensive peers and a bunch of bright colors to pick from, which should please their target teenage audience.
We begin with hardware overview right after the jump.
Entry level retail package
Microsoft Lumia 435 and 532 are entry level phones - that becomes perfectly clear the moment you look at their retail boxes. Microsoft is at throwing a single-piece wall charger, which should get you started. A microUSB cable isn't included though.
Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 boxes contain nothing but a charger
Microsoft Lumia 435 and 532 360-degree views
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 share absolutely identical exterior, all their differences hidden deep under the hood. Neither phone has particularly slim bezels but coming with small 4 screens they sill remain rather compact at 118 x 65 x 11.7 mm for the Lumia 435 and 118 x 65 x 11.7 mm for the Lumia 532.
The weight of 135 g (137 g for the Lumia 532) is more than the exterior suggest, but it gives away a more solid vibe, when you hold the phones in hand so it's not all bad.
Design and build quality
Both compact smartphones follow the Lumia design guidelines to the letter. That may not win them many design awards, but it makes them solid devices that are instantly recognizable members of a family that has its loyal following. That's a win for any entry-level device.
Up front there is an ample screen bezel around the 4" display, while the back cover folds around the inner body and you can have it into a variety of paintjobs. Still it's not the worst case of bezel infestation we've seen - most Androids in this price range have it even worse.
Microsoft Lumia 532 (in orange) next to the Lumia 435 (in green)
Just like Lumia X and even Asha models of old, the back panels of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 wrap around the chassis and results in a slim colorful frame around the edge of the front panel. The plastic used on the cover is nice to the touch and we appreciate the matte finish all over the Lumia 435. Oddly, the Lumia 532 has glossy finish on the sides and matte finish on the rear.
Microsoft Lumia 435 • Microsoft Lumia 532
Handling the two smartphones is a rather nice experience. They are pocket-friendly, easy to operate with just one hand, while their solid build and matte finish provide for an excellent grip. The onscreen keyboard keys should be your only concern if your fingers tips are bigger than average.
Handling the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
Controls
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 feature virtually identical bodies and in turn control placement. The 4" display is flanked by the three capacitive Windows keys below. There's an issue with those keys however as we found they have no backlighting which made operating the two phones in darker environment quite a challenge.
Ambient light and proximity sensors are hidden around the earpiece above the screen, while the VGA front camera is more prominent.
The front of the Lumia duo
There is nothing on the left side, while the right one hosts the volume keys and the power/lock button. All three of them offer excellent tactile feedback.
There is nothing on the left • the right side has all hardware keys
The top of each handset packs the audio jack, while the bottom has the microUSB port. The microphone pinhole is hidden on the bottom edge of the front panel.
The top and bottom of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
Finally, the 2MP/5MP camera lenses are on the back alongside the loudspeaker grilles.
The 5MP camera on the orange Lumia 532 and the 2MP snapper on the green Lumia 435
Popping the battery is mandatory for gaining access to the microSD slots and the SIM beds.
A peek under the batteries
Display
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 utilize the same screen - a 4" LCD screen with 480 x 800 px resolution. The resolution is the lowest you can currently get on the market, but given the modest diagonal it works out to 233ppi density, which isn't too bad.
The 4" displays of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
But resolution isn't the main problem of the two screens - the low end panels also exhibit notable ghosting when scrolling rapidly and they have poor contrast and rather low brightness.
The viewing angles of the TFT units are pretty bad too, with contrast compression and color shift visible even with very minor tilts.
The only positive thing so far is that the lowly handsets get the color temperature and saturation options found on their more premium siblings. Yet even a very skillful tuner will find it hard to extract much performance from those two screens.
Battery life
Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 are powered by the same kind of battery unit - the BV-5J with 1,560 mAh capacity. This sure doesn't seem much, but let's don't forget these are entry-level compact smartphones. Windows OS has a good energy-efficiency track record lately, so we expected these two Lumia phones to do fine.
And they sure did. The Lumia 532 offers Glance screen and we naturally tested it with this option turned on. If you decide not to opt for the Glance extras, you'll get the same great battery endurance as the Lumia 435.
The dual-SIM flavor of the Lumia 435 is good for 58 hours straight if you use it for an hour of 3G talks, an hour of web browsing and an hour video playback each day. You can squeeze 6 more hours up to 64h endurance rating by using just one SIM card.
As we mentioned, the Lumia 532 had its Glance screen turned on, so its dual-SIM endurance dropped down to 55 hours, which is still a decent achievement. By turning one of the SIMs off you'll get an additional 5 hours up to 60 hours.
Connectivity
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 have quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support. The Lumia 435 offers dual-band, while the Lumia 532 has quad-band 3G with HSDPA. The Dual SIM models, as ours, support dual standby.
In terms of local connectivity, the two handsets offer 2.4GHz Wi-Fi b/g/n with DLNA and Wi-Fi Hotspot, and stereo Bluetooth 4.0, with file transfer support.
For positioning, the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 call on GPS and GLONASS. Compass isn't available though.
FM radio is on board, a nice alternative source of news and music that many Androids have been dropping recently in favor of its online streaming alternative.
[via GSMARENA]
