The good: The
Nokia Lumia 620 has a glare-cutting screen, a decent 5-megapixel camera, NFC, and an affordable price tag.
The bad: The Lumia 620 loses points for poor call
quality, a short screen time-out, a small battery, and numerous design
issues — including a hard-to-find SIM card slot.
The bottom line: Nokia’s Lumia 620 smartphone
successfully delivers a complete Windows Phone 8 experience for a low
price, but buyer beware of some compromises in battery, sound, and
design.
Nokia Lumia 620
The
Lumia 620
is Nokia’s stab at an affordable unlocked Windows Phone 8 device for
the global masses, and its fun, youthful design so typical of the Lumia
line will help it stand out from competitors in the same price point.
Still a dual-core Windows 8 phone with front and rear cameras, the
620 isn’t as stacked with high-end features as its fellows — the screen
comes in sub-4 inches, there are some design flaws, and there’s no
wireless charging. However, NFC, an anti-glare screen, and a decent
camera make it an appealing, and fairly feature-rich, smartphone choice
for budget-keepers.
In the U.S., Nokia takes careful, calculated aim at the premium and
upper-mid-range markets with Lumia devices like the Nokia Lumia 920 and
Lumia 820 series (also: 822 and 810). Yet, it could very well be phones
like the entry-level Nokia Lumia 620 that embody Nokia’s strongest
growth opportunity.
Starting as low as $249, or about 190 euros, the Lumia 620 sells in
parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and with Aio
Wireless in the U.S. for $99 (it was $180.)
Design and build
With its five saturated hues — white, black, yellow, cyan, and magenta —
the Lumia 620 cries out for attention. The case colors are
double-layered, with an interior color (like white) that melds with the
top coating (like blue) to create a sort of gauzy, layered look. Since
the back covers pop off, you could technically switch them out.
Beyond its various candy coatings, the Lumia 620 bears a resemblance
to the feature-rich 920, at least in terms of its button and camera
positioning. Not all of that resemblance is a good thing. Though the
phone only stands 4.5 inches tall and 2.4 inches wide, it’s heavy for
its size, coming in at 4.5 ounces, and just as thick as taller Lumias,
0.43 inch deep.
Rounded corners characterize the 620′s shape, along with heavily
rounded spines and a smooth, sometimes slippery backing that
nevertheless fits the curve of my palm. Less successful is the sharp
edge where the screen meets the sides; I feel it whenever I grip the
phone in my hand (but not when I hold it lightly).
Nokia gave this lesser Lumia a 3.8-inch display with a 800×480 pixel
resolution (WVGA). Windows Phone’s bold, bright themes help keep
elements looking sharp, but Nokia’s polarization filter deserves much of
the credit for cutting down glare. With the screen brightness set to
auto, and the “sunlight readability” setting on (this happens by
default), I could happily read CNET’s Web site, in desktop mode, no
matter which way I faced. One disclaimer, though: I tested the phone in
the full winter sun, but it’s possible that strong summer rays could
overpower the filter. I definitely recommend testing this out somewhere
tropical.
Above the main display area, you’ll find the front-facing VGA camera;
below it, a large bezel hosts the three typical capacitive touch
navigation buttons for Windows Phone. There’s the back/multitasking
button, the Start/voice command key, and the search button.
On the top of the phone sits the 3.5 millimeter headset jack, and on
the bottom, you’ll find the Micro-USB charging port. On the right are
Nokia’s now-standard oblong buttons for controlling volume, power/lock,
and the camera shutter. I love how these buttons rise from the surface,
but on my review phone at least, the power and volume buttons were stiff
and uncomfortable to press. In contrast, the camera button depressed
easily.
Flip over the phone to see the 5-megapixel main camera lens and flash
module. You’ll have to pry off the back cover to access the microSD
card slot — which takes up to 64GB of external storage — and the
micro-SIM card slot. Luckily, Nokia included a sticker demonstrating how
the heck to pop off the back cover. I’ll tell you: place a thumb firmly
over the camera module while curling your fingers over the top of the
backing and pull/push.
Your efforts will reward you with a revealing look at the 620′s
innards, with the microSD card slot cage to the left of the battery.
Does that mean the hollowed-out area on top is for the micro-SIM? Don’t
be preposterous! You have to first remove the battery, then either pull
out the tag that reads SIM or, even better, feel around with your nail
for a tiny ledge beneath the microSD card mount and pull out. And good
luck fitting the SIM tray back in its slot on your first try.
Here’s one last pro tip: When putting the panel back on, start at the bottom and snap the cover on the top of the phone last.
Apps and OS
The Lumia 620 runs Windows Phone 8, which means that it comes with tools
to sign on to multiple e-mail and social networking accounts. I had no
problem adding my corporate e-mail to the phone and, as usual, signing
into Twitter and Facebook were a breeze.
For the most part, you can do everything on the 620 that you can on
any other Windows Phone 8 device. For a refresher, check out my Windows
Phone 8 review.
As far as what Nokia brings to the table, you’ll find its suite of
apps, including Nokia Care, City Lens for augmented reality, maps, and
Nokia Drive. There are also several camera lens filters available, like
Smart Shoot. I noticed that Nokia Music is absent.
Several other apps come pre-installed on the 620, including ESPN and
Angry Birds Roost (a hub for all things pertaining to the peeved
poultry.) As always, these are in addition to basics like a calculator, a
calendar, a music player, the browser, Microsoft’s Office suite, and
the digital wallet. My review unit also contains a few apps specific to
the Indonesian market.
There is NFC capability on the 620, through Tap + Send, but keep in
mind that the 620 has no wireless charging. One thing I noticed while
using the phone is that there are only two intervals for screen timeout:
30 seconds or one minute. Both are short enough to make having a
password lock inconvenient, something that many businesses require as a
security precaution when accessing company e-mail on any smartphone.
Camera and video
Considering that the an entry level smartphone, I was pretty impressed
with the quality of the 5-megapixel images. Resolution won’t be as sharp
as with the best 8-megapixel lenses, but colors were overall vivid and
pretty accurate. I lay out a series of sample photos; in many cases, you
can click to enlarge the image. Others are cropped samples from the
image at full resolution.
The
Mini keeps the phone’s slim shape, but there’s also less room inside
for the battery.Other features include Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, and 8GB or
16GB versions with expandable memory up to 32GB. The 1,500mAh battery is
on the smaller side, so expect needing to recharge the phone daily. The
original S3 has a 2,100mAh battery.
