Microsoft’s Lumia smartphones are some of the best value handsets available today. Previously known as Nokia Lumia, the devices run on Windows Phone 8.1 and start from either £64 SIM-free and unlocked or £49 on Pay As You Go.
If you’re looking for a low-cost smartphone, the Lumia line-up of handsets made by Microsoft and Nokia are hard to beat in terms of pricing and features.
Running on Windows Phone 8.1, the Lumia handsets are able to access more than 300,000 apps through the Windows Phone Store. They include big-name applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, Instagram and Twitter. There’s also a built-in virtual assistant known as Cortana which works in a similar way to Siri and Google Now.
Although the Lumia Windows Phone handsets aren’t able to access quite as many apps as Android-based rivals (e.g. the Moto G and the Moto E) they have an easy-to-use interface which is both fast and effective.
In this article, we review the cheapest ways of buying a Lumia smartphone. We’ll look at the Lumia 530, the Lumia 635 and the Lumia 735. For each of the three handsets, we’ll find and review the cheapest deals available in the UK. Whether you’re looking to buy the handsets SIM-free and unlocked, on a Pay As You Go tariff or on a Pay Monthly contract, we hope this guide will help you find the best deal.
Which Lumia Smartphone Should I Buy?
In the UK, we currently have three popular Lumia handsets running on Windows Phone 8.1.
Starting from the low-end of the price spectrum, the Lumia 530 costs £64 SIM-free and unlocked or £49 on Pay As You Go. Being the cheapest Lumia handset, it has respectable specifications but there’s certainly nothing special that’s worth writing home about. The handset has a 4-inch LCD display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and a 5 megapixel camera on the rear of the handset. A key downside is it only has 4GB of internal storage. However, thankfully, you’re able to add 128GB of additional storage using a micro-SD card. The Lumia 530 is a 3G-only handset: it won’t work on 4G mobile networks.
For £99 SIM-free and unlocked or £79 on Pay As You Go, the Lumia 635 adds 4G support. This allows you to browse the internet at substantially faster speeds though you’ll need to have a 4G-compatible tariff. The Lumia 635 also has a larger 4.5-inch display and twice the amount of internal storage (8GB of internal storage with the ability to add 128GB more with a micro-SD card). It’s our recommended option as a low-cost handset especially as it has 4G connectivity and a 4.5-inch display. Both features contribute to a better multimedia experience compared to the Lumia 530.
The Lumia 635 and Lumia 735 have 4G connectivity. Meanwhile, the Lumia 530 is a 3G-only handset.
Finally, the mid-range Lumia 735 adds a whole bunch of other features and upgrades. For anyone who’s willing to pay a bit more, it offers a great balance of cutting-edge specifications whilst still retaining an affordable price. For £180 SIM-free and unlocked or £140 on Pay As You Go, you’re able to get a 4.7-inch HD display as well as a higher-resolution 6.6 megapixel rear-facing camera. There’s also a 5 megapixel front-facing camera for taking high-quality selfies and a larger battery with 2,200mAh capacity which gives you up to 17 hours talk time from one complete charge.
For a full comparison of the three Lumia handsets, please see our in-depth comparison table later in this article.
SIM Free & Unlocked
Amazon.co.uk has the cheapest available deals on the Lumia 530 and Lumia 735.
The easiest and simplest way to buy a Lumia handset is to get it SIM-free from an electronics retailer.
Buying your handset SIM-free will normally cost you around £20 extra compared to buying the phone on a Pay As You Go tariff. The major advantage of buying SIM-free is you’re getting a handset that’s factory unlocked. The SIM-free handset will work on any network: including with your existing SIM card or with a low-cost SIM-only deal (see our articles on the best value Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go tariffs). You’re also able to use a different SIM card when travelling abroad. This can save you substantial amounts of money on roaming fees and charges.
At present, the cheapest way to buy a SIM-free Lumia smartphone is either from Amazon.co.uk or from the Tesco Direct online store.
Amazon.co.uk currently has the SIM-free Lumia 530 for £57.00 (Super Saver delivery is included in the price). For the Lumia 635, Tesco Direct has the best value deal with an unlocked Lumia 635 for £99.00 (you can Click & Collect from your local Tesco for free or choosing Standard Delivery will you cost £3 extra). For the Lumia 735, Amazon.co.uk once again has the best deal: they charge £179.95 for a SIM-free Lumia 735 (postage and packaging is included in the price).
You can also buy SIM-free Lumia smartphones from a range of other retailers including Argos, Expansys and Clove:
Retailer
Nokia Lumia 530
Nokia Lumia 635
Nokia Lumia 735
Amazon.co.uk
£57.00
£125.61
£179.95
Tesco.com
-
£99.00
-
Argos
£74.95
£129.95
£224.95
Expansys
£78.99
£127.99
£209.99
Clove
£84.00
£149.99
£220.00
Handtec
£88.79
£155.99
£209.99
Microsoft Store
£89.00
£139.00
£189.00
A 32GB micro-SD card will cost you in the region of £10.
For an optimum experience, especially on the Lumia 530 which only includes 4GB of internal storage, we recommend buying a micro-SD card to go with your phone. A micro-SD card allows you to add up to 128GB of additional storage to your Lumia smartphone. A 32GB micro-SD card will cost you in the region of around £10. If you’d like even more storage, a 64GB micro-SD card costs around £25 and a 128GB micro-SD card will cost around £80.
A SIM-free Lumia smartphone will come unlocked for use on any network. At present, giffgaff is our recommended network for use with an unlocked Lumia. A £10/month top-up will give you 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of internet. You could also Pay As You Go at 10p/minute, 6p/text and 20p/day for up to 20MB of internet. You can find out more and order a free SIM card via this link.
Pay As You Go
Buying your Lumia smartphone on Pay As You Go will allow you to save around £20 upfront.
If you’d like to save a bit of money upfront, you can buy the Lumia smartphone on a Pay As You Go tariff. Here, you’ll normally get a discount of around £20 on the upfront handset cost. In exchange, your handset will be locked to the network you buy from. If you later wish to use the phone on another network (e.g. when changing mobile networks or using a different SIM card when travelling abroad), you’ll need to pay around £20 to unlock it.
On Pay As You Go, Tesco Mobile currently has the best value deals. You can get a Lumia 530 for £49 upfront and a Lumia 635 for £79 upfront. The handsets come on Tesco Mobile’s Triple Your Credit tariff where calls will cost 25p/minute and texts will cost 10p each. Browsing the internet is 10p/MB or you can buy a 500MB bundle for £5/month.
For the Lumia 735, O2 currently has the best deal available on Pay As You Go. The handset costs £139.99 and will come on O2’s Big Bundles tariff.
The following mobile networks currently sell a Lumia smartphone on Pay As You Go:
Mobile Network
Nokia Lumia 530
Nokia Lumia 635
Nokia Lumia 735
Tesco Mobile
£49.00
£79.00
-
O2
£49.99
£99.99
£139.99
EE
£49.99
£99.99
£259.99
Three
£59.99
£99.99
£149.99
Vodafone
£65.00
£100.00
-
O2, EE and Three require you to make a minimum top-up of at least £10 when buying a new handset.
Pay Monthly
The Lumia smartphones are also available with no upfront cost when you take the handset with a 24-month contract.
Pay Monthly contracts are currently offered by five mobile networks (EE, O2, Tesco Mobile, Three and Vodafone). The handset is available with no upfront cost on the following monthly tariffs:
Mobile Network
Nokia Lumia 530
Nokia Lumia 635
Nokia Lumia 735
Three
from £11.00/month
from £15.00/month
from £18.00/month
Tesco Mobile
-
from £12.50/month
from £17.50/month
Vodafone
-
from £12.50/month
from £18.50/month
O2
-
from £13.00/month
from £21.00/month
EE
-
from £14.99/month
from £24.99/month
About the Lumia Smartphones
Windows Phone has a distinctive tile-based home screen.
The Lumia family of smartphones run on Microsoft’s smartphone operating system, Windows Phone 8.1.
Key features of Windows Phone 8.1 include the clean, tile-based design (pictured on the right). There’s also the voice-activated Cortana virtual assistant and the built-in applications provided by Microsoft including Office, Skype, Bing and Xbox Live. There’s also the ability to download more than 300,000 apps through the Windows Phone app store. It’s only a quarter of the selection available on Android but most big name applications are included on the list.
When choosing to buy a new Lumia smartphone, there’s a wide range of models to choose from. In general, the first digit of a Lumia model number will tell you the rough price and the relative performance of the phone. For instance: Lumia 5xx and Lumia 6xx refer to entry-level handsets, Lumia 7xx and Lumia 8xx to mid-range handsets and Lumia 9xx and 10xx to high-end flagship devices. In general, the lower end devices are more popular with consumers and they’re also available from a wider number of retailers.
At present, the latest handsets available in the range are the Lumia 530, the Lumia 635 and the Lumia 735. The three handsets compare as follows:
Nokia Lumia 530
Nokia Lumia 635
Nokia Lumia 735
Release Date
2014, Entry Level
2014, Entry Level
2014, Mid Range
Software
Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1
Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1
Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1
Display
Size
4.0-inch display
4.5-inch display
4.7-inch display
Type
LCD
LCD
Organic LED
Resolution
854x480 pixels
854x480 pixels
1280x720 pixels
Pixel Density
245 pixels per inch
218 pixels per inch
312 pixels per inch
Camera
Rear Camera
5 megapixels
5 megapixels
7 megapixels
LED Flash
✘
✘
✔
Front Camera
✘
✘
5.0 megapixels
Internals
Processor
1.2GHz quad-core
1.2GHz quad-core
1.2GHz quad-core
Internal Storage
4GB
8GB
8GB
External Storage
✔ Up to 128GB micro-SD
✔ Up to 128GB micro-SD
✔ Up to 128GB micro-SD
Handset Weight
129g
134g
134g
Battery
1,430mAh (10 hours talktime)
1,830mAh (14 hours talktime)
2,200mAh (17 hours talktime)
Mobile Networks
3G Networks
✔ Up to 21Mbit/s
✔ Up to 42Mbit/s
✔ Up to 42Mbit/s
4G Networks
✘
✔
✔
SIM Card Type
Micro SIM
Micro SIM
Nano SIM
For more information on the family of Lumia smartphones, please see the Microsoft Mobile website.
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