The Nokia Lumia 630 is the first device from this manufacturer to appear after Microsoft took over the management of this Finnish manufacturer. At the same time, this phone also comes in a dual SIM version, which puts it as a pioneer in this field among the Windows Phone population. Also, this phone brings a new Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. The interesting story about this phone does not end there, because the Nokia Lumia 630 comes as a successor to the ultra-popular Lumia 520 model. So, the Nokia Lumia 630 has all the predispositions to become a new bestseller. Its affordable price can help him a lot.
Lumia 630 design
Visually, the phone is no different from other family members, especially those with a budget pedigree. We would say that the phone is somewhere between the Nokia Lumia 620 and Nokia Lumia 625. However, it somehow seems thinner and lighter. It is not the thinnest in the waist with 9.2 mm, but it is slim enough for its class. The phone has several colors in which you can “dress” the back of the phone. Black, white, green, orange, and yellow is available to users. Otherwise, the body is made of plastic and the impression of quality is quite decent. We didn’t expect anything less from Nokia.
On the right, you will find the main and volume keys. Interestingly, they are neither black nor metallic gray, as is usually the case, but in the color of the rest of the phone. There is no camera key here, which exists on the two mentioned models. At the bottom or top, there is a MicroUSB and a 3.5mm audio input. On the back, there is a 5MP camera with autofocus and no flash, which is the case with its predecessor.
Removing the back surface gives access to the MicroSD slot and battery. The plastic is of good quality and there is no annoying cracking when this material is a bit worse.
Nokia wanted to save in more places when it comes to this phone. The fact that the phone does not have a standard distance sensor is the best evidence of how well it went, so when you turn a number and put the phone to your ear, the screen will not turn off, as usual. Also, the Lumia 630 does not have an ambient sensor, so it cannot automatically adjust the screen brightness.
Lumia 630 screen
The phone has a 4.5-inch Clear Black IPS LCD screen. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. In practice, the screen is not the best from the Nokia family. It has 480 × 854 pixels, which has already been seen on similar models, but due to the larger diagonal it has fewer pixels per inch (only 218). The result is a distinctly pixelated text. Viewing angles are also not something the phone can be proud of. In principle, what the screen offers is not bad either, but the competitors (primarily) Moto G offers significantly better quality at the same price.
Lumia 630 camera
The 5MP camera is no longer something the phone can be proud of. And when you don’t even have a flash, then you have to lower your expectations to a lesser extent. The camera does have a new interface and a good auto and manual focus, but I don’t think that’s enough to make up for the lack of pixels and especially the flash. The photos you take with this phone are usable, though nothing more about it. However, social networks and their requirements are quite sufficient. If you take photos on a nice day, the photos can be ok, with solid, but a bit inanimate colors, while the quality of photos from indoors is significantly worse. Also, the Lumia 630 does not have a front camera, so it is safe to say that this is not the happiest solution for photos.
Lumia 630 software and performance
We have already said that the phone runs on the new Windows Phone 8.1 OS. In practice, this brings a new part for receiving notifications, something like Android. So, you drag the screen down and all the notifications are there. The home keys have also been slightly modified, so you can now have a background image. The new system allows for better and simple multitasking, also something similar to iOS and Android. There’s also Cortana, the new voice assistant, so maybe that might be helpful to you too.
The Lumia 630 also comes with the SensorCore option, which allows apps to use the available sensors on the phone without additional battery drain. This in collaboration with the Bing Health & Fitness app allows the user to track their physical activity (miles traveled, steps taken and calories burned).
The Lumia 630 runs a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor at 1.2GHz. Despite the solid processor, the phone has an incomprehensibly little RAM (only 512MB), which drastically shortens the list of possible activities (games and more demanding applications). However, Windows Phone is still not overly demanding, so it allows you to work nicely on it, despite the weaker hardware. The phone has a removable 1830mAh battery. That’s enough for a carefree whole day of use. So, a couple of hours of phone calls, some games and surfing and charging just before bed.
Lumia 630 conclusion
Do you buy Lumia 630? The answer is yes if you are looking for a simple, easy to use and cheap phone. This phone, apart from the absence of established parts and options, offers decent performance, but also everything that Windows Phone brings or takes with it. This primarily refers to the lack of applications, but hand-on-heart WP offers almost all the most popular applications. The new OS works better and smoother with the new options, bringing it closer to iOS and Android. The main competitor to this phone is the Moto G with a memory that cannot be expanded, but which offers far better performance.