Microsoft ramps up Lumia range

Microsoft has ramped up the former Nokia-owned Lumia range, releasing three new smartphones, the Microsoft Lumia 640, Microsoft Lumia 640XL and the ultra-affordable Microsoft Lumia 430 Dual SIM, into the South African market.

Launched under the slogan #AchieveMore, the campaign and the products are intended to “inspire people to take action towards achieving their goals by doing more with their Lumia phones at work and at home”, said Shaun Durandt, Microsoft Mobile Devices’ South African sales lead.

The Lumia 640 and 640XL become the latest LTE / 4G devices to join the Lumia portfolio, with monthly contract prices starting from R219 for the dual SIM version, R199 for the single SIM version and R269 for the Lumia 640 XL with dual SIM.

“People are looking for a phone which brings them more flexibility to switch easily between work and play, without breaking the bank,” said Durandt. “The Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL prepares people for anything, with the full range of Microsoft experiences – including Office, OneDrive and Skype – that Lumia users have come to expect, fast 4G connectivity, a great screen and a long lasting battery.”

The Lumia 640 and 640XL offers more personal computing and increased productivity through seamlessly integrated Microsoft Office experiences which come with a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, valued at R750, which includes free 1TB of OneDrive storage. Both devices will also be upgradeable to Windows 10 when it becomes available later this year.

With the Lumia 640 and 640XL, one can quickly access important documents and run websites, apps and games, thanks to the on-board 1GB of memory and powerful quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. One can view photos and videos on an HD display on both devices and capture detailed photos even in low light, thanks to a 13 MP camera on the Lumia 640 XL  and 8 MP on the Lumia 640. Both cameras incorporate LED flash.

The Microsoft Lumia 430 Dual SIM, built with Windows Phone 8.1 software and a dual-core CPU running at 1.2GHz, is expected to sell for a cash retail price of R999. This makes it the first sub-R1000 Lumia phone.

The device comes preloaded with Microsoft Office, Skype and OneDrive. It also features a compact, durable design with a vivid 4-inch WVGA display that brings apps, games and videos to life.

“The Lumia 430 Dual SIM combines the right hardware, software, services and a growing ecosystem of local and international apps at an affordable price,” added Durandt.

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