Nokia Lumia 630 Review

Here’s the updated version of the Lumia 620, in the shape of the Nokia Lumia 630. This is the latest of the Nokia devices that comes in at less than £100 – it’s also the first in this price bracket to come complete with Windows Phone 8.1

This phone features speedy access to settings thanks to a pull-down drawer (something already seen on Android and iOS) plus the new version of Windows Phone also has a notifications centre and a voice-activated PA called Cortana. Cortana won’t be available for devices in the UK until late June.

Looking good?

If you know how Nokia designs its phones there’ll be no surprises here – the 630 is covered in one piece of tough plastic on the sides and back. You can take off the cover and swap it for one of a different colour – take your pick from green, yellow, white, black or orange. Plus this is also where you’ll find the battery, the microSIM and a micro SD card slot for expanding the onboard storage .

A phone measuring 4.5 inches wouldn’t have been considered small in the past, but now it is and it means that the Nokia 630 sits nicely in your hand, especially thanks to its tapered edges. This allows you to reach its upper corners easily with a thumb. It’s also easy to access the volume and power keys.

Weighing 134g and 9.2mm in depth, this may not be the thinnest or lightest device around, but nevertheless it feels good quality for a phone costing less than £100.

On display

The screen boasts a ppi of 218 and a resolution of 480 x 854. Okay, plenty of phones have far better stats than that (but also cost far more) – but thanks to the bold and bright interface that Windows Phone 8.1 enjoys, the low res screen is not really an issue. It’s bright enough to view outside, colours appear strong and viewing angles are good enough – not outstanding though – look at it from above and the whole screen looks very pale.

The pixel count is down on other phones at this price point – the Motorola Mote E for instance has a 540 x 960 resolution on its 4.3in display, but if you’re after a budget Windows Phone this is the one to get.

Solid performance

Under the hood sits a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. The processor is clocked at 1.2GHz, and is teamed with 512MB of RAM, which performs very nicely thank you very much. Thanks to the fact that it doesn’t have to push around so many pixels, the chip always seems to be able to handle everything you throw at it. Apps free up speedily, the phone seems responsive and the user interface runs smoothly.

Mind you, you won’t be doing the sort of 3D gaming you’d enjoy on a Nokia Lumia 1020, but for less intense games, social networks and browsing the net, the 630 is perfect.

This latest update to Windows Phone 8.1 sees a pull-down notifications centre introduced, as already seen on iOS and Android, and we should see the voice-activated personal assistant – dubbed Cortana – on phones late in the summer.

Battery life is good thanks to the less power-hungry processor and non-HD display – we got a good two days of average use out of one charge. It’s a pity the 5MP snapper lets it down, though. There’s no flash and snaps taken in anything but bright light outside are disappointing. We were presented with grainy, blurred images when we took snaps indoors. If you like taking selfies you’re out of luck as there is no front-facing lens.

Our conclusion

A neat, well-built phone that looks good, boasts the latest Windows Phone software, a decent display, reasonable power and impressive battery life. That’s a lot of phone you’re getting for £99. The snapper may be disappointing and only good for outdoor shots, but there’s plenty of other points in its favour – swappable covers, removable battery, ability to expand storage by up to 128GB. If you want a Windows Phone handset and you’re on a budget the Nokia Lumia 630 is the perfect choice.