Nokia Lumia 630 Dual Review: Windows Phone Never Felt this Good

| Updated: Tuesday, May 20, 2014, 18:50 [IST]

Rating:
3.5/5

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PROS

Value For Money Handset
Welcome changes to OS
Feels more flat than a block
Massive battery

CONS

No Flash support
Poor indoor photography
Physical camera button missing

Let's not beat around the bush for this one and let's cut to the chase for at least once. Give or take, the new Nokia Lumia 630 is an amazing piece of hardware. And yes we know that most of you will still be briging the whole Windows Phone OS issue to the front, but if you are sincerely able to look past that, you will surely be treated to the kind of experience that is the Nokia Lumia 630.

The Nokia Lumia 630 may not be that big a deal to the current crop of smartphone enthusiasts who only swear by anything that's tagged either Android or iOS, but the device comes clearly signalling the fact that times are fast changing, and Windows Phone is not far behind.

Nokia Lumia 630 Dual Review: Windows Phone Never Felt this Good

The dual-SIM version of the Lumia 630 has just launched in India, with the device also being the first to run the new Windows Phone 8.1 update. Interestingly, it might seem like a replacement for the Lumia 620, but the device is much cheaper than what the 620 initially was.

So how does the device fare among the list of handsets that are already flooding the the new Lumia's given price tag? Does it have enough juice inside to carry it over the finishing line? We take a closer look at the Lumia 630 unit that's currently with us here at GizBot.

Nokia Lumia 630 Dual: Form Factor

To begin with, the new device is unmistakably a Lumia, and you can easily understand from the build of the device. The new Lumia 630 also maintains the ongoing form factor that has been adopted for all the Lumia-branded devices before it.

And while we keep saying things about how the device's form factor has been maintained, most of the fans will actually be interested to know that the shape of the new device feels more like a flat object, rather than the one the feels like a block in the hand.

The unit that we have at our disposal has arrived in a white shell with matte finish at the back. And although we have been cribbing (secretly) about it from the day the device arrived since it's nothing compared to the usual glossy finish that we see so often, but it doesn't take anything away from the greatness of the device.

Going by the physical presence of the device, the Lumia 630 sports the Nokia logo to the front. However, sadly enough, that's the only thing the device sports on the front as a front-facing camera hasn't been added to the device. Alongsdie, the device's navigation has been taken care of by on-screen soft keys now.

The power button and volume rocker for the device have been placed on the right edge, although a dedicated camera shortcut key is missing in action. There are no buttons on the left edge of the phone, while the top and bottom have only the headset jack and Micro-USB port, respectively.

The back of the device is almost empty with only the rear camera lens fitted, alongside a rounded speaker hole also attached. Apart from that, there's also an almost faint Nokia logo in the middle of the back cover.

Nokia Lumia 630 Dual: Operating System and Apps

The Lumia 630 may be a great device, but the biggest news in this respect is the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system the device is running inside. But before you start making assumpations about the OS by whatever you have read about it on the web, there's no Cortana.

Yes you heard it right. If you are thinking that getting the Lumia 630 will also open you up to the world of possibilties that can be achieved by Cortana, know that it will not work in India. Of course there are tweaks here and there that you could apply to port Cortana over to your device, but it won't really be the same thing.

Next up, even though Cortana is currently out of the agenda for all those owning the device in India, you will still be treated to all other goodies that are currently coming packed with the new Windows Phone offering. And we are guessing that the first thing to cpature your notice will be the new Action Center.

Keeping it real with the likes of Android and iOS around, the new Action Center also enables users to pull down the overlay swiping from the top to the bottom of the screen. Once you pull down the overlay, you will a host of expanded information, dealing with device notifications and other information (like the battery level) in the device.

But with all that being said, know that although the notification bar comes with four useful shortcuts: Camera, Bluetooth, Wi Fi and Brightness levels, and that you can swap them around per your choices, sadly enough, you can only four options on the top. That's the maximum.

Going deeper into the device, you will see that there are two distinct phone and messaging apps inside. This can create quite the confusion in handling things, compared to other available smartphones in the market. And if you are really missing a camera hard button on the side of the device, know that there is a shortcut key for the same that (somewhat) serves the purpose.