Microsoft Lumia 535 review in pictures

“The Microsoft Lumia 535 is an attractive option in the budget Windows Phone category”

Microsoft Lumia 535_2

Microsoft’s first smartphone since it officially ditched the Nokia brand name isn’t a high-end flagship, like you’d expect. Instead, it’s an affordable device, the Lumia 535 (first impressions | camera review). Microsoft is promoting the phone as a “5 x 5 x 5 innovation” – a 5-inch display, 5-megapixel front camera and five Microsoft ‘experiences’.  Indeed, the smartphone does bring several new innovations to the budget Lumia camp. A 5-inch display is the largest in its (Lumia) category, while the  5-megapixel front camera with a wide-angle lens is an exciting feature at this price point. The five free experiences Microsoft is alluding to include Office, OneNote, Outlook, Skype and Cortana, but since they’re available on all WP handsets, those don’t really stand out for us. Other features that caught our attention was the 1GB of RAM, double of what Nokia has been offering on budget devices until now, and 8GB of internal storage, up from the usual 4GB. The Microsoft Lumia 535 does look like an enticing proposition on paper, especially for Lumia 520 users. So is it worth the upgrade? Click through our slideshow review to find out.