Just last week, users of the popular photo-sharing app, Instagram, was greeted by a refreshed UI and a new icon to reflect the company’s minimal take. As always, it was initially available to iOS and Android but Windows 10 is now joining the crop.
The update is now live for Windows 10 Mobile users as version 8.0 which is around 50MB of size. To download, head to the Microsoft Store here or simply update the app if you have it already.
Windows recently reported that its latest Windows 10 operating system is now running on 300 million active devices around the world up from 270 million at the end of March and 200 million at the beginning of the year. In line with this, Microsoft also reminded us about that if we haven’t taken advantage of the free upgrade offer, now is the right time. Just remember when Microsoft launched Windows 10 last summer, it made an offer that millions of Windows users couldn’t refuse and that is a free upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 within the first year. In case you thought Microsoft might remove the deadline to upgrade at no cost, you are wrong.
The free upgrade offer to Windows 10 was a first for Microsoft, helping people upgrade faster than ever before. And time is running out. The free upgrade offer will end on July 29 and we want to make sure you don’t miss out. After July 29th, you’ll be able to continue to get Windows 10 on a new device, or purchase a full version of Windows 10 Home for $119.
Watch also this video as Bryan Roper from the Windows team run through the 10 top reasons to upgrade to Windows 10 before the free upgrade offer ends.
Note that if you miss out this free upgrade offer, Windows 10 Home edition would cost you $119 or ~Php5,604, while the Windows 10’s Pro edition would cost you $199 or ~Php9,372.
Can the cheapest new Lumia smartphone for Windows 10 Mobile attract users to shift to Microsoft’s mobile operating system? With its budget specifications and some cuts to keep the price tag low, the Lumia 550 is the entry-level, so far, of the new Lumia family. How does it fare? Here’s our full review.
In terms of design, there’s not much going on with the 550. On the hand, it feels like Microsoft did sacrifice in the choice of materials. The black color option we have has a matte cardboard-like texture on its back panel which attracts grease easily (as you can observe from the product shots). We feel like they should have opted for soft-touch polycarbonate just like what they have before. It’s also angular, so gripping it doesn’t exactly feel ergonomic.
Up front is the 4.7-inch IPS LCD with no scratch-resistant glass on top. The front-facing camera, earpiece, and a couple of sensors are placed above the display. There are no capacitive keys below since navigation is done through on-screen keys, but there’s a small hole for the microphone.
On the right side is the volume rocker and the power/lock button. These buttons are a bit cumbersome to press especially when the device is lying on the table. The left side is completely empty and free from any markings.
The top houses the 3.5.mm headphone jack and nothing else. While the microUSB port is located at the bottom end of the handset.
The back is where is the primary camera sits along with the single LED flash. There’s also a Microsoft logo smacked in the middle and a circular speaker loudspeaker grille.
The shell of the Lumia 550 is removable giving access to the replaceable battery, microSD card, and the nano-SIM card slot. There’s no dual-SIM variant, so the secondary SIM slot is missing on any version.
Display
Microsoft threw in a 4.7-inch IPS LCD packing a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels or about 315ppi. It’s sharp and has a good contrast to it. It’s no AMOLED but the black level seems to be good and does compliment the dark theme of the UI well
Viewing angles are questionable when checked on extreme sides which could be a major issue for some. Outdoor visibility is average especially under direct sunlight so a little shade is needed when you have to check your phone on the go.
OS, Apps, and UI
What’s running on the Lumia 550 is Microsoft’s own Windows 10 Mobile. The mobile operating system closely resembles its desktop counterpart with the default blue and black theme, flat UI, and live tiles. If you’re coming from Windows Phone 8, you’d feel a bit at home but for Android and iOS users, it’s a strangely new design.
Navigating around the OS is done with the use of the on-screen navigation controls at the bottom. There’s a back, home, and a search key. Holding the back key will show your recent apps while holding the Windows logo will activate the one-handed operation.
The issue with Windows on mobile is the lack of apps and it’s still the problem today. While it may have some of the key apps, it’s either outdated or buggy. The support from mobile developers seems to be lacking, even when it comes to official apps like Facebook. Clearly, Windows needs to get their game on when it comes to apps. What Windows 10 has over the competition is great ty
Camera
The megapixel numbers on the sensors equipped to the Lumia 550 is completely underwhelming. We’re talking about a 5-megapixel rear shooter and a 2-megapixel selfie camera. The camera software of Windows 10 Mobile is minimal and straightforward. You’ll see the shutter key and settings on the right, quick toggles on top, and the preview on the left. the main camera.
Shooting with the main camera needs patience since it’s slow to focus. Since it’s just a 5MP shooter, we suggest setting the aspect ratio to 4:3 to get the full resolution shot. Stills from the rear camera are nothing to write home about. They’re noisy, soft, and stuggle in low-lighting. Here are some varying samples taken:
As for the selfie cam, it’s just 2-megapixels and undersaturated for some reason. Microsoft should have opted for a slightly saturated processing so it could pass for a quality social media post. Here are two sample taken with identical lighting but different angles:
The video capture for the main cam maxes out at just 720p. You can select the framerate at either 24, 25 or 30fps. Quality is below-average for 2016 and also for the price you’re paying for the handset. Here’s a short sample:
Performance and Benchmarks
On paper, there’s not much to expect from this budget Windows 10 Mobile. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 paired with Adreno 304 and has 1GB of RAM. Previous Windows Phone devices don’t need high specs to run smoothly but that’s not the case here.
In general, performance has been good but there’s a bit of a stutter with certain animations, transitions, and especially with the apps. Loading times are slower than before and everything just felt heavy for the phone to handle. But once it gets to pass through this phase of loading, things get better.
There are only a few benchmark apps for Windows 10 Mobile and just to provide you numbers for comparison, here are some:
Antutu Benchmark v6 Beta 5 — 26790
Basemark OS II — 252
WP Bench — 216.6
Call Quality and Connectivity
If there’s anything I am expecting from Microsoft’s device is call quality since the former Nokia’s legend has always been about the basics of a phone — telephony. Calls on either end are loud and clear. The earpiece has adequate volume to let you understand calls in a crowded environment.
As for connectivity, Lumia 550 has all the standards like LTE Cat4, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, and GLONASS. Keep in mind that the handset only accepts a nano-SIM card.
Battery Life
What’s powering the Lumia 550 is a removable 2100mAh Li-Ion battery which is quite low if compared to other 5-inch smartphones. With a real life test, we started our day with a full charge at around 8AM and turned on cellular data since we’ll be on the go. At around 3PM, the phone is already alarming for low battery. That’s about 7 hours of moderate usage with data.
With our usual battery test wherein we loop a 1080p video at 50% brightness and volume through earphones, it was able to last for 7 hours and 42 minutes. Quite average but still underwhelming for a phone this size.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Lumia 550 retails for Php 6,490. That’s not cheap for a budget offering when compared to Android counterparts and frankly, since Microsoft took over Nokia’s mobile business, the quality of their smartphones became inferior. The specifications have always been on the low side since Windows Phone doesn’t need much power but the overall build and durability of the handset is in question. With the lack of apps, buggy software, and questionable support, users who are not keen on having Windows 10 Mobile at a budget are better off with something else.
Microsoft Lumia 550 specs:
4.7-inch IPS LCD display (1280 x 720 pixels), 315ppi
1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 quad-core CPU
Adreno 304 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
up to 200GB via microSD
5MP rear camera w/ LED flash
2MP front camera
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
FM Radio
2,100mAh Li-Ion removable battery
Windows 10 Mobile
136.1 x 67.8 x 9.9 mm
142g
During the launch of Microsoft‘s HoloLens, many were impressed with what it could do being a full-field augmented reality device. Software-wise, we already know that it is powered by Windows Holographic software but we know very little of the hardware inside it.
What the folks from Windows Central did was to run AIDA64 Mobile to reveal what makes up the HoloLens.
Microsoft HoloLens specs:
1.04Ghz Intel Atom x5-Z8100 64-bit CPU
Intel Airmont (14nm)
HoloLens Graphics
2GB RAM
64GB storage
2.4MP camera (photos)
1.1MP camera (videos) at 30fps
16,500mWh battery
For the unfamiliar, the HoloLens is touted as the first fully untethered holographic computer and is equipped with see-thru, high-definition lenses, spatial sound, and advanced sensors. With it, users can create their own 3D images in minutes using the device’s built-in Holo Studio software.
It is expected to arrive in stores “somewhere along the Windows 10 timeline.”
Announced back in October last year, the cheapest of current Lumia devices arrived in the local market about 3 months ago. The Microsoft Lumia 550 is aimed to give budget consumers a Windows 10 Mobile option. With its very modest specifications, can the Lumia 550 steal some spotlight in its range of smartphones? Here’s our initial impression of it.
To begin with, the Lumia 550 is one of the latest Windows 10-equipped smartphones from Microsoft themselves. It sits below the Lumia 950 XL, 950, and 650, and also the successor to the Lumia 540.
In terms of design, there’s not much going on with the 550. On the hand, it feels like Microsoft did sacrifice in the choice of materials. The black color option we have has a matte cardboard-like texture on its back panel which attracts grease easily (as you can observe from the product shots). We feel like they should have opted for soft-touch polycarbonate just like what they have before. It’s also angular, so gripping it doesn’t exactly feel ergonomic.
Good thing the 4.7″ IPS LCD panel is of great quality. It has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels or at 315ppi of pixel density. It’s sharp and has a good contrast to it. It’s no AMOLED but the black level seems to be good and does compliment the dark theme of the UI well. It’s surrounded by a good amount of bezel that hides the front-facing camera and a couple of sensors.
The power button and volume rocker are located on the usual right side of the device leaving the left completely bare. The top has the 3.5mm headphone jack while the microUSB port is located at the bottom end.
Continuing with the tradition of low-tier Lumia devices, we have a removable shell that gives access to the replaceable battery and the card slots at the back. Since it’s already 2016, Microsoft now requires you to put in a nano-SIM card. For those who are asking, there’s no dual-SIM variant of the 550.
What’s powering this candy bar phone is the inferior Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 with four Cortex-A7 cores clocked at 1.1GHz each. Graphics is then handled by an Adreno 304 while the memory is quite low for today’s demands at just 1GB. Storage-wise, you get 8GB with a dedicated microSD card slot for expansion. Initial usage performance is smooth but it is slow in loading apps and switching tasks. The familiar Windows Phone fluidity is not present here, sadly.
Imaging is handled by a 5-megapixel rear shooter with LED flash and a 2-megapixel selfie camera. We took some few shots in our humble studio and from previewing it on the device, it gets the job done. Here’s a couple of full-size samples:
Lastly, before we conclude this first impression, we noticed that the included charger has an underwhelming 5V 500mAh output. Charging the 2100mAh could take some time when used with it, if you have a more powerful charger lying around, you’re better off using that.
The Microsoft Lumia 550 does give an account that it’s the cheapest among the new Lumias but with a Php 6,490 price tag, it will be quite a hard sell for some who not keen using Windows 10 Mobile as their daily driver. We’ll take the Lumia 550 for a spin, so watch out for the full review. If you have any particular concern you wish to know about the device, hit the comments below and we’ll try to answer it in our review.
In line with this, Microsoft also reminded us about that if we haven’t taken advantage of the free upgrade offer, now is the right time. Just remember when Microsoft launched Windows 10 last summer, it made an offer that millions of Windows users couldn’t refuse and that is a free upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 within the first year. In case you thought Microsoft might remove the deadline to upgrade at no cost, you are wrong.
