Nokia Lumia 620 review

Product Nokia Lumia 620
Website  http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/phone/lumia620/
Specifications 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 3.8in 480x800 Clearblack touchscreen, 5P rear-facing camera, 0.3MP front-facing camera, 3G and 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi connectivity, 8GB internal storage, microSD memory expansion up to 64GB, 1,300mAh battery, Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system, 114x61x11mm, 127g
Price £150 on pay as you go

THE NOKIA LUMIA 620 is the company's cheapest Windows Phone 8 handset yet, undercutting the Lumia 820 and 920 with its £150 pay as you go price tag. 

Not only is the Lumia 620 undercutting its top-end siblings, it's also putting pressure on its Android competition, with few handsets with similar specifications matching the Lumia 620's sub-£200 price.

So, does this mean that Nokia has skimped on features to keep this phone cheap, or is the Nokia Lumia 620 simply great value for money? Read on to find out what we think.  

Design
The Nokia Lumia 620 arguably is one of the most beautifully designed budget smartphones ever.

One of the handset's main selling points is its interchangeable covers, which reminded us of the early 2000s when we used to change the fascia on our Nokia 3210. Nokia's colourful Lumia 620 covers are a bit more impressive, and the firm has even released 3D printer information so customers can design and build their own custom cases. 

These cases are available in black, white, pink, green, blue and yellow. We opted for the pink cover, which sports a soft-touch, matte feel, but are also fans of Nokia's two-tone green and yellow case, which boasts a shinier, more flashy look.

Our only real gripe with these covers is that it can be quite tricky to get the rear case off the phone, and we might have lost a nail trying to do so at one point. 

It's not just the covers we became quite fond of, as the Nokia Lumia 620 is a nicely designed handset overall. It's compact at 115x61x11mm and fits nicely in the hand thanks to its curved shape. It's a pretty rugged handset too, managing to escape scuff-free from our clumsy hands.

Screen
The Nokia Lumia 620 sports a 3.8in 480x800 Clearblack touchscreen, which is surprisingly impressive given the handset's cheap price.

Nokia's Clearblack technology ensures everything looks bright and crisp, even when the phone is used outdoors, while the WVGA resolution ensures everything is detailed enough. The screen isn't on a par with the Galaxy S3 or iPhone 5, but it shows the Lumia 620 punching above its weight. Saying that, we did notice a slight yellow tinge when using apps with bright white backgrounds, such as Spotify, but this shouldn't prove too much of a nuisance.

Software and apps
We've already reviewed Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system at length, and it's fair to say that we're fans.

The good news is that it's constantly improving. While stuffing our Lumia 620 full of applications, we quickly noticed a vast improvement in Microsoft's Windows Store, which is starting to showcase more big name apps. Spotify, for example, is now available on Windows Phone 8, and we quickly spotted the likes of Whatsapp, Sonic and Angry Birds. There are still a lot of uninspiring apps in the Windows Store, but it's good to see Windows Phone 8 taking a step in the right direction.

Nokia has equipped the phone with all of its usual applications, despite the handset's budget price tag. Nokia's own mapping and GPS apps come pre-loaded, and while not as slick as Google Maps, proved an excellent addition to the budget smartphone, rendering surprisingly quickly and looking great on the 3.8in screen. Nokia Music also comes preloaded, for those not so keen on Spotify or Microsoft's Xbox offering.

On the business side of things, although a brightly-coloured, budget-priced phone won't appeal to most professionals, we don't see any reason why not. For example, we found it very easy to set up our Microsoft Exchange email on the Nokia Lumia 620 - much, much easier than on the business-focused Blackberry Z10. Although it's cheaper than the Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 handsets, Microsoft Office comes preloaded on the Lumia 620, along with Onenote and the usual array of security features.

Performance
It might be cheap, but the Nokia Lumia 620 features a decent dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and we noticed barely any issues with the handset's horsepower during our time with it. Swiping through apps and loading web pages is just as quick as on the Nokia Lumia 820 handset, although firing up applications proved noticeably slower.

Saying that, it's much nippier than the majority of its similarly-priced Android rivals, so we'd still recommend the Lumia 620 on a performance basis to those after a decent, bargain-priced smartphone.

Camera
Given that the Nokia Lumia 620 has performed so well up until now, we were expecting the camera to be its downfall.

However, while the 5MP rear-facing camera isn't going to blow your mind, it's a decent little camera that stands up to, if not outdoes, its Android competition. Images come out detailed with natural colours, the autofocus is excellent and there's even a dedicated camera key on the side of the handset, a rarity among budget smartphones. It's also capable of shooting HD 720p video, which it manages to do well. 

There's also a 0.3MP camera on the front of the phone, which while no good for taking photos means the Lumia 620 is capable of making Skype video calls. 

Battery life and storage
Well, there had to be something bad, didn't there? The Nokia Lumia 620 features a 1,300mAh battery, which although it doesn't sound terrible on paper proved a bit of a letdown during our testing. The phone struggled to make it through an entire day, even when we just used it for sporadically checking emails and browsing the web. Watching videos and gaming really take their toll on the battery too, and we noticed that after half an hour of playing Wordament the battery had drained by around 20 percent.

Storage on the Nokia Lumia 620, on the other hand, is excellent. Although it comes with a modest 8GB of storage built-in, this can be expanded with an additional 64GB via microSD, matching the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and iPhone 5 for a mere sliver of the price. 

In Short
The Nokia Lumia 620 is, quite simply, the best budget smartphone on the market right now. In fact, we still can't quite get our heads around the fact that it can be picked up for just £150, given the performance of the smartphone. 

We'll happily recommend the Lumia 620 above its similarly priced Android competition, and it's the ideal smartphone for those looking to give Windows Phone 8 a spin. µ

The Good
Gorgeous design, excellent screen, Windows Phone 8 is improving, good camera, up to 72GB of storage.

The Bad
Battery life isn't great.

The Ugly
Nothing.

Bartender's Score
9/10