Microsoft Lumia 640XL (Windows Phone review from someone new to smartphones)

[AlTech]

In June 2015 I bought my first and current smartphone, the Lumia 640XL from Microsoft.

 

Some backstory:

I was trying to choose between android phones when I stumbled across videos about windows phone (this is late 2014). I learned more about it and was struck by what a wonderful operating system it was. Fast, fluid, responsive and even has incredible RAM management and battery life management.

I had a few gripes with it (i still do have 2 to this day) back then, these included the lack of mainstream apps on windows phone, how low specced the phones were and for the most part still are (stay tuned for the 2 new windows phones coming in october or so from MS).

 

 

After quite a bit of using this as my daily driver here are my thoughts on Windows Phone and the 640 XL. To start off with I'll address the elephant in the room (Windows Phone itself). This needs it's own introduction since most people don't know what windows phone is or how to use it. Windows Phone (originally called Windows Mobile) was an operating system microsoft made which was based off of Windows, it uses the Windows NT kernel (since 2012 and used Windows CE before then) which is also used in Windows Desktop. It's UI is built around Live Tiles which are large square (or rectangular) icons for apps which also provide information from apps when using wifi (and cellular if configured).

 

 

Initially I was worried about how low specced windows phones were but there's no cause for alarm. Windows Phone can run off of even the most mediocre hardware you can throw at it.

 

Requirements:

Dual core ArMv7 CPU

512MB RAM (for Windows Phone 8 and newer)

4GB Storage

Micro USB 2.0

Combo audio headphone jack (it's hilarious to see this as a  requirement)

802.11b/g wifi and Bluetooth

Multi touch display (minimum of 4 points at once)

Direct X Capable mobile graphics

 

Lumia 640 XL Specs

• 1.2GHz Quad core Snapdragon 400 (Same as Moto G 2014)
• 1GB LPDDR3-1066 RAM (Same as iPhone 5s)
• 8GB Internal Storage with a microSD card slot compatible of up to 128GB microSD cards.
• Single cell 3000mAh (same as LG G4 and LG G3)
• 13 Megapixel rear facing camera with Single tone flash, Zeis Lens and autofocus.
• 5 Megapixel front facing camera
• Ambient light sensor
• Accelerometer
• 3 Axis gyroscope
• This unit is a dual sim LTE variant (2G/3G/4G/LTE) with support for dual nano sim card (either that or micro sim)
• 5.7" IPS 1280x720 Display @ 259 PPI (Truly amazing)
• Qualcomm Adreno 305 Graphics (Not too awesome)

 

 What's it like to use this thing:

Well let me tell you, it has XL in the name for a reason. It's a huge phone at 5.7" and has an even bigger and better battery at 3000mAh. This combined with the snapdragon 400 provides incredible battery life. One thing to note is that users of the 3G variant will enjoy better battery life yet. The phone lasts for 1 day of super heavy usage ( a few hours of gaming + web browsing + office + youtube), 2 days of moderate usage (web browsing + messaging + making phone calls + taking photos and videos + using general apps for a long period of time.

 

As i used this as a daily driver there were a few moments where i got bored while waiting for appointments, people and other things which ultimately made me play a good bit of Asphalt 8 : Airborne. Asphalt 8 is one of the most demanding games on mobile devices and surprisingly the snapdragon 400 held its own at 720p although the framerate was around 24fps and there were jaggies. For most other games I played such as Fifa, Modern combat 5 and Subway surfer it ran incredibly smoothly and was perfect for the 720p display.

 

My complaints:

• Snapdragon 400 can be inadequate for the most demanding mobile games.
• 8GB standard storage
• No 16Gb, 32Gb, 64GB or 128GB models

 

What i like about it:

• Buttons on the device are tactile
• 1GB ram is enough for moderate multi tasking on windows phone
• Large display which produces excellent looking colors and text
• Light weight for a large phone
• Made from a durable matte plastic back
• Multiple colour choice backs - You can configure this to have matte orange, matte blue, matte white, glossy white or matte black.
• Surprisingly easy to hold for a 5.7" phone
• Extremely long lasting battery life
• Free Office 365 Personal for 1 year (only for people who bought it from april/may to july)
• NFC on a budget phone is a plus
• Very affordable 
• Features Lumia Camera app found on high end phones
• Features Glance

Microsoft's Video on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTARu0YOl-E

 

In conclusion, Windows Phone is ready for the average user as it now has more mainstream apps and is more user friendly. The phone itself is an excellent phone at an excellent price point. I have grown to love windows phone more than Android and IOS. 

 

 

The Good: Excellent value/money, excellent battery life, excellent responsiveness

 

The Bad: Not the best performance, not the most modern internals and lack of quite a few apps on windows phone

 

The Ugly: Bugs in Windows 10 Mobile Preview, windows phone is picky about SD cards

 

For those who read until the bottom:

1. You are super awesome and should give yourself a pat on the back

2. Microsoft offers a minimum of 3 Years of software support from a Windows Phone's device launch

3. If you buy this phone then I salute you. I really do.

 

Leave a comment telling me what you think about Windows Phone and the Lumia 640 XL.

 

Buy or Do not BUY: BUY!

 

Buy this phone @ http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/lumia640-xl-lte/

 

Edit: There's also a card holder case made by microsoft which is around $20. I will be getting this and the Microsoft band 2 soon.

 

Edit 2:

Snapdragon 400 isn't the problem. It's windows Phones GPU RAM allocation issue (it only gives it 300Mb).

I'm really annoyed by the lack of internal storage now because Spotify doesn't work well on SD cards (quite an understatement really).

1GB RAM is "OK" for multi tasking. I would have preferred 2GB and windows phone would run a lot better on 2GB (*Looks at Lumia 930*, "Damn that thing runs like a beast")

[atrash]

You need to fix the formatting for dark users. It's unreadable. Also @ follow your thread.

 

I agree that the 640XL is quite an awesome phone for the price. I would have bought one if it wasn't for my L925 that is still working perfectly. Coming from the L620 previously with just 512MB ram, I was quite impressed with how almost similar the os behave between those two phones except the 925 opens and resume apps just a bit faster. Really excited to see what the much improved hardware will bring to the W10 usage experience.  Already saw the leaked rendered image of the new Band 2. If I can get like a store credit or some kind of exchange deal with Microsoft Store I might swap it with my Band. 

[AlTech]

You need to fix the formatting for dark users. It's unreadable. Also @ follow your thread.

 

I agree that the 640XL is quite an awesome phone for the price. I would have bought one if it wasn't for my L925 that is still working perfectly. Coming from the L620 previously with just 512MB ram, I was quite impressed with how almost similar the os behave between those two phones except the 925 opens and resume apps just a bit faster. Really excited to see what the much improved hardware will bring to the W10 usage experience.  Already saw the leaked rendered image of the new Band 2. If I can get like a store credit or some kind of exchange deal with Microsoft Store I might swap it with my Band. 

 

It's not really improved hardware since this exact processor model and ram configuration is nothing new.I have found that the L640 XL and L640 have a specialized version of WP 8.1 Lumia Denim which offers major performance improvement.

 

What really kills it for me is apps having to refresh often since I'm not actively closing apps. Windows 10 in it's final form should come out in October and should have all the features (something I'm looking forward to since glance screen can't be disabled and uses a ton of battery). IDK they would let you get store credit for it TBH but you should still try.

I'm really annoyed since I can't buy a card cover case thing or a Microsoft Band (or a band 2 when it comes out). And i really want a wearable for my Windows Phone.

 

How do i fix the formatting? Use a different font colour?

[atrash]

It's not really improved hardware since this exact processor model and ram configuration is nothing new.I have found that the L640 XL and L640 have a specialized version of WP 8.1 Lumia Denim which offers major performance improvement.

 

What really kills it for me is apps having to refresh often since I'm not actively closing apps. Windows 10 in it's final form should come out in October and should have all the features (something I'm looking forward to since glance screen can't be disabled and uses a ton of battery). IDK they would let you get store credit for it TBH but you should still try.

I'm really annoyed since I can't buy a card cover case thing or a Microsoft Band (or a band 2 when it comes out). And i really want a wearable for my Windows Phone.

 

How do i fix the formatting? Use a different font colour?

 

I was told that eventhough the the 640 and 640xl has quad core, but my old L925 dual core is slightly faster. I don't really follow with all the snapdragon processors anyway. I don't use the Glance screen too because of battery life and I already have a Band for all my notification. I just got it in April and even with limited use time I can already see some signs of peeling and bubble effect on the battery cover (it's a known issues). I can try rma it and if I'm lucky might just get the Band 2 as replacement. Why can't you get the card case cover? Should be plenty of that in Amazon or eBay it think. 

 

You fix the format by changing the text colour.

 

Edit: And your sig shouldnt be more than 3 lines on 1080p screen.Check the CoC

[Sauron]

If it only had android

[AlTech]

If it only had android

Trsut me, you don't want to use android phones with 1GB RAm. They run so badly.

[AlTech]

I was told that eventhough the the 640 and 640xl has quad core, but my old L925 dual core is slightly faster. I don't really follow with all the snapdragon processors anyway. I don't use the Glance screen too because of battery life and I already have a Band for all my notification. I just got it in April and even with limited use time I can already see some signs of peeling and bubble effect on the battery cover (it's a known issues). I can try rma it and if I'm lucky might just get the Band 2 as replacement. Why can't you get the card case cover? Should be plenty of that in Amazon or eBay it think. 

 

You fix the format by changing the text colour.

 

Edit: And your sig shouldnt be more than 3 lines on 1080p screen.Check the CoC

I'l fix the sig and I couldn't find the band in Microsoft authorized resellers cos I try to buy things in person.

[atrash]

I'l fix the sig and I couldn't find the band in Microsoft authorized resellers cos I try to buy things in person.

 

Ahh no wonder you couldn't get the Band. I preordered mine from Microsoft Store because it was easier and I get free screen protector which is a must because the Band display scratches like crazy.

[SansVarnic]

 

 

I had a few gripes with it (i still do have 2 to this day) back then, these included the lack of mainstream apps on windows phone, how low specced the phones were and for the most part still are (stay tuned for the 2 new windows phones coming in october or so from MS).

The 640 is a mid range phone so yes it will be low spec. My 925 beats that phone to bits and its 3 years old (just sayin).

The new phones that will come out in Oct are supposed to be Flagship range so you will see quite the difference in specs. (950 and 950XL)

 

But nice review, well done. I enjoyed your take on the phone and it's OS, you don't see much about the Windows Phones. I will admit that Nokia has done a great job with phones and that MS has not screwed up the process to much since it bought up Nokia's phone manufacturing arm. I am waiting patiently (anxiously) for the 950's to make their debut. There is alot to expect to come from this next series, hopefully MS comes through and it isn't a flop.

[DarkBlade2117]

I like my Lumia 735

[AlTech]

The 640 is a mid range phone so yes it will be low spec. My 925 beats that phone to bits and its 3 years old (just sayin).

The new phones that will come out in Oct are supposed to be Flagship range so you will see quite the difference in specs. (950 and 950XL)

 

But nice review, well done. I enjoyed your take on the phone and it's OS, you don't see much about the Windows Phones. I will admit that Nokia has done a great job with phones and that MS has not screwed up the process to much since it bought up Nokia's phone manufacturing arm. I am waiting patiently (anxiously) for the 950's to make their debut. There is alot to expect to come from this next series, hopefully MS comes through and it isn't a flop.

I'm a little nervous because 7,800 out of the 30,000 people laid off were from the Phone division

[AlTech]

Ahh no wonder you couldn't get the Band. I preordered mine from Microsoft Store because it was easier and I get free screen protector which is a must because the Band display scratches like crazy.

I'm gonna buy one soon. Is it worth it though?

[Sauron]

Trsut me, you don't want to use android phones with 1GB RAm. They run so badly.

 

My nexus 7 2012 ran just fine up to 4.4 - 5 is not as responsive, but nobody forces ms to use it. Besides arm cpus have made quite a few steps forward since the tegra 3, even the low end ones.

[atrash]

I'm gonna buy one soon. Is it worth it though?

 

For me personally, yes. The strap and display shape can feel a bit awkward/bulky at first but not really a big deal. I'm not the kind of person who likes to hold/unlock the phone every time to check any notifications because my phone is quite old and battery life is limited. So I use it mainly for the notifications and also tracking my daily cycling and sleep. Microsoft keep dropping the price of the Band all the time in anticipation of the upcoming Band 2. You can either get one now for cheap or wait for the Band 2. I hope they make it waterproof this time.

[SansVarnic]

I'm a little nervous because 7,800 out of the 30,000 people laid off were from the Phone division

Same here. But I am holding out with hope. 

[WereCat]

Nice review.

I got my L920 White about 2 years ago for €270 which was a really good price back then and I love it to this day.

My mom has Android tablet with Tegra 3 and my father ASUS Zenfone and I play with those sometimes but I must say that I like WP experience better. It is true there is a lot less apps than on Android but I wouldn't say there is a lack of apps though there is definitely less official apps. I had no problem to find app for anything I wanted and almost all of those were very good quality apps.

I was beta testing WP8.1 but I had some issues that were annoying so I will wait for full WP10 release this time.

I was hoping this phone to last me at least 5 years as did my trusty Nokia N95 8GB from which I upgraded but I really like the idea of Continuum which is supposed to be on new Lumia phones so if it turns out to be great I may pickup one in the €300 range.

Last thing I would like to say is that within the lifespan of my phone some people I know already changed their Android phones three times complaining about how broken their OS got to the point of usability. Sure, those were not tech savvy people but I don't think you should have been tech savvy to not break your phone just by installing apps. And those were not cheapo phones.

Edit

I would also like to say that build quality is superb. I dropped it in concrete few times and phone survived without any visible damage.

[AlTech]

Nice review.

I got my L920 White about 2 years ago for €270 which was a really good price back then and I love it to this day.

My mom has Android tablet with Tegra 3 and my father ASUS Zenfone and I play with those sometimes but I must say that I like WP experience better. It is true there is a lot less apps than on Android but I wouldn't say there is a lack of apps though there is definitely less official apps. I had no problem to find app for anything I wanted and almost all of those were very good quality apps.

I was beta testing WP8.1 but I had some issues that were annoying so I will wait for full WP10 release this time.

I was hoping this phone to last me at least 5 years as did my trusty Nokia N95 8GB from which I upgraded but I really like the idea of Continuum which is supposed to be on new Lumia phones so if it turns out to be great I may pickup one in the €300 range.

Last thing I would like to say is that within the lifespan of my phone some people I know already changed their Android phones three times complaining about how broken their OS got to the point of usability. Sure, those were not tech savvy people but I don't think you should have been tech savvy to not break your phone just by installing apps. And those were not cheapo phones.

Edit

I would also like to say that build quality is superb. I dropped it in concrete few times and phone survived without any visible damage.

Yeah the build quality is top notch!

 

I've dropped this quite a few times from various heights by accident (the worst being around 1 metre and the best being 10 cm).

And it's still fine except for a scratch on the screen and the corners being ever so slightly dented.

 

Off topic from post a bit: But do you have problems with Spotify on WP? I'm having terrible issues with it and also terrible issues involving micro sd cards.

 

Yeah the only apps missing are the bigger/more popular apps. And the people who are advertised as using windows phone actually aren't that tech savvy. (e.g a Chef, an office assistant, a construction worker, 

 

TBH i don't care much about continuum. If it works on this great if not then i'm not buying a new phone.

 

Yeah phones should last 3-4 years IMHO. Whereas the rich kids get one every 1-2 years and have the flagship devices.

 

As a side note from further testing:  I LOVE THE BATTERY LIFE ON THIS, IT LASTS ME 2-3 DAYS.

[AlTech]

Edit: Added some observations after even more usage.

[WereCat]

Yeah the build quality is top notch!

I've dropped this quite a few times from various heights by accident (the worst being around 1 metre and the best being 10 cm).

And it's still fine except for a scratch on the screen and the corners being ever so slightly dented.

Off topic from post a bit: But do you have problems with Spotify on WP? I'm having terrible issues with it and also terrible issues involving micro sd cards.

Yeah the only apps missing are the bigger/more popular apps. And the people who are advertised as using windows phone actually aren't that tech savvy. (e.g a Chef, an office assistant, a construction worker,

TBH i don't care much about continuum. If it works on this great if not then i'm not buying a new phone.

Yeah phones should last 3-4 years IMHO. Whereas the rich kids get one every 1-2 years and have the flagship devices.

As a side note from further testing: I LOVE THE BATTERY LIFE ON THIS, IT LASTS ME 2-3 DAYS.

I rarely use Spotify and only problems I had was my 3G connection not being fast enough for it.

I usually store everything I listen to on my phone.

[Walker998]

i have a lumia 535 because i am on a contract with tesco (a supermarket) the main issue i have is i have a more demanding 2d game called reaper and it keeps freezing causing me to tap the power button to carry on, anyway it is my first smartphone and it seems a fine one to start with, also it's really hard to get the back off.

[AlTech]

i have a lumia 535 because i am on a contract with tesco (a supermarket) the main issue i have is i have a more demanding 2d game called reaper and it keeps freezing causing me to tap the power button to carry on, anyway it is my first smartphone and it seems a fine one to start with, also it's really hard to get the back off.

WOW! Lol. I was considering the Lumia 535 (it came out a while before the 640 and XL) and i didn't want a S200. Yeah reviews said it was hard to get the back off.

 

I don't have to press the power button too much because of freezes.