Lumia 620 has the same resolution as Lumia
820, expands memory through microSD and even has a pair of high-amplitude mics,
but we have to check over how Qualcomm's poorer Snapdragon S4 Plus processor
would handle an almost identical Windows Phone UX. You can feel secure about
these concerns, as the 1GHz dual-core microprocessor provides a very similar
experience; you're getting more than what you pay for. We ran Lumia 620 before
both Lumia 820 and Lumia 920, and finds that the main differences in
performance were the boot times, in which smaller phone taking about 5 seconds
longer to reach the home screen. Scrolling around on IE 10 on any device mainly
results in the same level of speed and fastness, a proof for Microsoft's mobile
browser or for Qualcomm's microprocessor.
The 1300mAh battery inside is smaller than
the one in Lumia 800, although this time you can change it. During our WPBench
rundown tests, which push the microprocessor to the max until the battery runs
out, we reached an average time of 3:41. This puts it behind Lumia 900 but more
than 1 hour, compared to most Windows Phone 8 devices. It is even better than
HTC 8S. Naturally, this isn't representative of the battery with more modest
use, but Lumia 620 did better in this side, too. It normally gives us two days
of use before it’s out. This includes web browsing, listening to offline
playlists as well as plenty of calls and email replies.
The
1300mAh battery inside is smaller than the one in Lumia 800, although this time
you can change it.
Its test results is
not on par with phones with more powerful microprocessors like 820 or 920, but
620 still reaches a respectable under-1,500 score on SunSpider. Meanwhile, the shortage
of precise Windows Phone games to push the technical abilities of the hardware
makes it even harder for you to distinguish real performance between the three
phones. On the rare occasion the device crashed, it often occurred during data
upload from camera app to SkyDrive, but the experience was otherwise smooth and
without issue. HSPA+ Radio (WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 and GSM/EDGE
850/900/1800/1900) promises the speed of 21 Mbps/download and 5.7 Mbps/upload.
During our tests on Three UK, we reached download speeds of around 5 Mbps,
while uploads sank just below 1 Mbps. The good news is that this phone will
work on AT&T SIMs and T-Mobile's recently claimed 1900MHz HSPA+ spectrum,
both data and voice. If Nokia US decide to provide the phone directly to
customers, it can be a fascinating introduction to Windows Phone without going
through the intermediary of the network providers.
Software
Have you read our Windows Phone 8 review or
reviews of those bigger Nokia models? Then sadly, there's nothing new to tell
you here. But that's actually good news - despite these lower technical specs,
the phone has Nokia Music and Maps, not to mention those Lumia-specific camera
enhancements. Mix Radio puts in plenty of offline music for your
free-listening, while Nokia's maps loads quickly and reliably. There's also the
option to download countryside maps before any trips outdoors. Problems still
there to be solved include some main apps: MIA, even including Dropbox,
Instagram and Spotify - the music service is still presented on latest
generation Windows Phone devices. Despite Xbox brand attachment, gaming remains
a superficial experience. If you want to have Angry Birds in 2013, there's a
problem.
The
phone has Nokia Music and Maps, not to mention those Lumia-specific camera
enhancements.
It's also worth noticing that after trying
Windows Phone 7.8 (and feeling underwhelmed), we can't recommend choosing those
old Lumia devices, even when they can be bought now for a similar price of this
new Windows Phone. To have the full experience - and have a number of apps that
will increase in the future – you’ll have to pick up Lumia 620, 820 or 920.
Another benefit for the off-contract phone is that there's no floating software
of the network providers. The apps that are pre-installed are mostly worth
keeping and getting rid of unwanted programs take just a press.
Conclusion
Lumia 620 represents a new landmark for
basic smartphones, regardless of OS. Ignoring the app shortcomings, the phone
provides a great web browser experience along with full Windows Phone 8 feature
set. It could be a very fascinating phone for Nokia - it's an also an exciting
one for us. We've mentioned the price several times during this review, but for
a new smartphone with the latest version of the respective OS, it's a gift. The
phone may have a poor camera, but for anyone sick of oversized, unwieldy,
expensive smartphones, Nokia now has a basic Windows Phone to pull the
bargain-hunting crowds away from Android, if Nexus 4 seems too expensive.
Lumia
620 represents a new landmark for basic smartphones, regardless of OS.
Besides, it can be more attractive than
most Google-powered phones around the same price segment and could prove to be
a huge success among smartphone new users. There's also an ability that the
device addicts might consider Lumia 620 as a second device to try out
Microsoft's mobile OS - and with compatibility on two US networks, it might be
a worthy import. It offers real-world performance which is as good as Windows
Phones that cost you twice. It makes us reconsider whether those other
opponents are worth the extra money.
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Info
·
Product name: Nokia Lumia 620
·
Price: $236
Technical specs
·
Dimensions (W x H x D) :115.4x61.1x11 mm
·
Weight :127 g
·
Main display :Color / TFT
·
480x800 px (3.8in)
·
Talk time (max.) :2G: 876 min. (14,6 h)
·
3G: 594 min. (9.9 h)
·
Stand-by (max.) :3G: 330 h. (13.8 days)
·
Standard battery :Li-Ion 1300 mAh
Advantages
·
Attracting price
·
Good battery life
·
Equal performance as higher-end devices
Disadvantages
·
Commonplace performance
·
Windows Phone 8 lacks app options from the
entry-level Android smartphones
Key point
·
Lumia 920 is a cheap-priced phone providing
good performance and stunning design.
·
It set a new high-watermark for cheap
smartphones.
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