Best Windows Phones

Soon after Microsoft introduced its new, improved Windows 10 operating system, it was highly appreciated by many users as it had a convenient and intuitive interface very similar to the one of Windows 7 OS. The popularity of this desktop OS gave impetus to further development and updating of the mobile version of this operating system for smartphones. It was this very Windows 10 Mobile that was preinstalled on the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL flagship smartphone. This smartphone model that runs on Windows can rightly carry a proud title of the flagship. The device proved to be very stylish and successful regarding its design. In terms of performance, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 with 8 cores and 2.0 GHz provides very high calculating power. While the 3 gigabytes of RAM provide enough room for running even very demanding applications. The graphics chip of this Lumia Windows phone, Adreno 430, excels in the most cutting-edge games, showing a consistently high FPS. This means a quick launching of games and absence of any stutter and choppiness on the screen when gaming. For fast-paced action games, this advantage plays a key role. As any modern smartphone, this model can be used as a GPS navigator. With the A-GLONASS and A-GPS modules installed on Lumia 950 XL, you can quickly and accurately determine your current location on the map, also the smartphone is able to reliably lead you along a pre-defined route on the map. There is also a Bluetooth 4.1 adapter with BLE and NFC technologies support, which provide fast pairing with any compatible device. The statement is very easy to verify if you take, for example, a set of wireless headphones. For charging the built-in 3340 mAh battery, the manufacturer chose a slightly non-standard but gaining more popularity USB Type-C port, which is widely used in Apple products. The 950 XL smartphone is also equipped with a 3.5 mm port for connecting a wired headset. The most interesting feature of this model is its ability to be easily transformed into a mini PC: with the free docking station (requires Lumia offers app download when placing the order) and the Continuum technology you can connect a display and a keyboard with mouse to the smartphone.

As consumer market trends show, modern smartphones are not enough to be designed to deliver a high performance in some specific software application, instead new devices need to ensure good multitasking performance. This requirement is conditioned by modern smartphone use scenarios and software environment. Previously, the devices that were running under Windows Mobile platform were not required to have a high-performance hardware, but with the release of new updates to the mobile platform by Microsoft, the powerful hardware became relevant and highly demanded. Nokia Lumia 1520 is an alternative to Android and iOS-based devices and has a powerful processor on the board and a great big display. You can unleash its potential virtually in any use scenario, whether working with office applications or playing games or watching movies. The more so the 6" display of this Windows-based phone suits for any of these tasks perfectly. The IPS panel of the Lumia 1520 offers the Full HD resolution and displays the images at different angles with minimum color distortion, producing a well readable picture even in direct sunlight. But it is the way how the 6" display is utilized in Windows Mobile OS that greatly improves the user experience with this Lumia smartphone. The operating system enables you to open multiple applications in separate windows and display them at the same time on the screen, which was not achievable with other mobile operating systems. The Nokia 1520 large display together with its multitasking-optimized OS makes it very convenient to create quick notes with a stylus, even on the go. This high-performance phone is excellent for both photo and video, as its 20-megapixel camera was manufactured using the PureView technology that greatly simplifies taking high-quality photos. The rear camera optics by Zeiss is among the best available and is resistant to scratches and abrasions, thus preserving the original appearance of the lens. With that, you will not experience a degradation of the quality of photos over the time. Regrettably, the performance of the front camera is not even close to those provided by the rear one. With its modest 1.2-megapixel resolution, the front camera of the 1520 smartphone model by Nokia is clearly inferior to front cameras of competing solutions.

Looking for a powerful phone that can snap high-quality photos, run modern apps, and, at the same time, not make an Ohio-sized hole in your budget? Well, you could go for used models or risk it on a Chinese knock-off but we recommend the Nokia Lumia 1020 Windows Phone instead. This is one of the flagship models of the Lumia lineup and you’ll see why real soon.

First things first we have to give high praise to the rear camera here. With 41 megapixels, this phone will net you the best picture quality you could reasonably hope for and that’s not all. You can do a 4x zoom to get up close and do widescreen shots of objects far from you. The advanced technology used by the camera won’t let any loss of quality through so you’ll receive a clear image in the end. This is helped by the optical stabilization feature that gets rid of blurring even if you have shaky hands or the object is moving.

Soon after the Microsoft company revealed their flagship Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones to the public, the budget Lumia 650 model was introduced. That was the first entry-level smartphone by the company with the newest Windows 10 operating system, which is installed on the flagship models. However, the phone developers decided not only to equip the phone with the fresh operating system but to add a metal case, which use is very beneficial for the phone operating life and gives users a peace of mind. The speaker, which is located on the back for the most of the smartphones, in this case is located on the bottom of the front panel. Such speaker arrangement a very convenient and thoughtful solution that will let you hear the incoming call or message more clearly. Even when you watch videos, the sound does not disperse but reaches your ears unmuffled. The detachable back cover is removed very quickly and easily, uncovering a removable battery, SIM card slots, and a microSD memory card. The components of this Windows phone is rather modest in terms of a raw performance, with the smartphone not intended for a heavy-load use scenario. The 1 GB RAM and 16 GB of the onboard storage clearly demonstrate this approach. However, the internal storage, as we mentioned, can be expanded using the microSD slot. The internal storage can be expanded to 200 gigabytes, which was hardly credible only a few years ago. This capacity is more than enough to store a large library of books, tons of music and video content on your Lumia 650. The more so since the 5" display of the smartphone makes viewing such media content very comfortable. With that, the display diagonal size makes the smartphone feel comfortable in your hand, enabling its single-handed operation and preventing its slipping out, which can’t be said about the models with larger displays.

It is no news that most of the modern smartphone users wish to have a device that offers a seamless integration of a device for work with an entertaining one. In the entry-level segment, the Microsoft company managed to produce such a device - the Lumia 640. The model combines an attractive price with a set of all the basic features and applications for a comfortable use in both scenarios. An effective utilization of the Lumia 640 hardware is achieved by the use of the mature Windows 8.1 Mobile platform, which unique Lumia Denim customized version is installed on the phone. The onboard quad-core CPU is capable of delivering a smooth and stable running of all preinstalled applications, thus allowing you to perform user tasks with the device with no issues. The 1 GB of RAM installed is not much for a modern device, but given the budget cost of this Windows phone and the OS optimization, this is quite acceptable. The components are encased in a plastic body with a matte back cover, which provides a better grip and prevents the device from slip out of your palm accidentally. The back cover is removable, thus you can quickly access the SIM card and microSD card slots. Among the cell communication features supported, there is the 3G communication standard that ensures a quick Internet access and info search from any location covered by the cell network. This connectivity makes it even easier to work when away from your office. The device operation is also facilitated by the 5" touchscreen covered with the protective Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display supports a four-point operation, which makes it possible for a quick text entry in instant messengers, so you can exchange the information with your friends or colleagues instantly.