What's good
- Affordable price tag
- Good battery life
- Cortana support
- Front facing camera inclusion
- Good sunlight legibility
What's bad
- Limited onboard storage
- Poor main camera quality
- Stutters and lag during processor intensive apps
- No multi-tasking
- Low res screen
The Lumia line has its share of budget phones, but the Lumia 435 takes the cake as one of the cheapest. The low price tag is meant to lure in people those who would normally buy a feature phone due to their lower costs. It sports the same bright color options as the rest of the line though it is fairly thick at 0.5 inches and weighs quite a bit (134 grams) considering its overall size of 4.6 x 2.6 inches. Despite this, experts were surprised how comfortable it was to hold, though some did find the edges too sharp for their tastes. They also point out that while it might be a budget phone it had a solid build quality and did not creak or flex under pressure.
With that said the low price tag means Microsoft did need to cut some corners in terms of specs, most notably the screen. With no Gorilla Glass protection the screen will be more likely to crack or shatter when dropped. After short usage sessions, critics noticed the screen was covered in fingerprints and smudges making it necessary for them to wipe quite often. At four inches, it is much smaller than many other smartphones in its price range and yet it only offers a resolution of 480 x 800 for a pixel density of 233ppi. Since it is does not even offer HD resolution, it is no surprise critics noticed lack of details in pictures, fuzziness around icons and less than vibrant colors. Luckily, they found the overall sunlight legibility to be good enough though viewing angles were less than stellar with light levels and colors fading away when viewed in any direction besides straight on.
It should come as no surprise that the internal specs are fairly basic: a dual core 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. For the most part critics only had the occasional lag when swiping through the homepage and opening apps. The problem became more severe once they started playing 3D games making many of the newer games practically unplayable. It also only comes with 8GB of internal storage though it does offer a microSD slot and it does not support 4G. The small 1,560mAh battery lasted reviewers around 16-hours with moderate usage thanks to the lower powered screen and processor. As an added bonus, the battery is also removable so you can carry spare charged batteries for those times you know you won't be near a charger and outlet. While the phone might be low on specs, it does support Cortana – Microsoft's voice assistant – as well as the standard Microsoft apps of Office, OneDrive and OneNote.
Like the rest of the phone, the 2MP rear camera is unimpressive. The fact it is fixed focus also disappointed many critics as most of their pictures turned out blurry and lacked fine detail even in good lighting situations. Still, they add the pictures did have decent color reproduction and dynamic range. While it does not come with a flash, the 435 does add a 0.3MP front camera, a rarity among budget smartphones, for selfies and video calls.
Although long-time smartphone users won't give the Lumia 435 a second-glance, these aren't the people Microsoft is targeting. Instead, it is meant to attract first time owners. In that respect, reviewers believe the 435 is successful in its goal. ZDNet states, "Cheap the Lumia 435 is, but throw-away it is not…" All About Windows Phones adds, "…the 435 claims the bottom line of the Lumia stack with a vengeance…"
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Sean Cameron, TechRadarThe Microsoft Lumia 435 is a funny little phone. With its eye-catching looks and a sturdy, comfortable design, it makes a great first impression. In day-to-day use, this mostly remains. Navigating the OS is a relatively painless affair and listening to music is something of a treat. The fact that th...
- Bogdan Popa, SoftpediaIf you’re looking for a cheap smartphone, this is it. If you’re looking for something more stylish, more unique, and more powerful, look somewhere else. In essence, it’s a phone for young people. Or for those who feel young.The Lumia 435 is the kind of device that soccer moms would...
- Mark Lee, Geek SquadIt can be a bit tricky to review budget handsets when you’ve been spoiled by the big-hitters. It’s important to put all those silky-smooth processors and HD screens to the back of your mind and focus on what the phone actually offers, not what’s missing. I wasn’t expecting to...
- Mehedi Hassan, WMPoweruserThe Lumia 435 is a decent device for its price, it comes with a good display, decent processing power. However, if you're looking for great cameras on your next smartphone, the Lumia 435 is probably not the best device. The battery life of the Lumia 435 is also pretty good, but it could've been bett...
- Jon Devo, TrustedReviewsThe Lumia 435 would make an ok first phone or travel burner, but there better Android phones out there. Battery life is paramount at this price and the Lumia 435’s battery is no more than average, while the app selection remains patchy.If you can’t afford pricier phones like the excellen...
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Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Microsoft Lumia 435 user manual here.
Microsoft backs up the Lumia 435 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Lumia 435 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Microsoft support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Microsoft's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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