Microsoft completed its acquisition of the Nokia's Devices and Services Division back in April, and the company is now ready to release its first smartphone sans Nokia branding: the Lumia 535.
Unfortunately, for those that were expecting Microsoft's first Lumia-branded smartphone to be a high-end flagship model, you'll be sorely disappointed.
As the leaked specs indicated, the Lumia 535 is definitely a budget entry, featuring a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 processor with 1GB of RAM, 5" qHD IPS display (960x540), 8GB of internal storage, and a microSD slot (supports up to 128GB).
It should be noted that these specs are a pretty respectable upgrade from the 4" (854x480) Lumia 530 which features the same processor, but a mere 512MB of RAM.
The internal storage for the 535 is also double that of the Lumia 530.
The Lumia 535 comes with dual 5MP cameras, one for the front and one for the rear (the Lumia 530 only features a single, 5MP camera on the rear of the device).
Also included in the mix are a 1905 mAh battery, LED flash for the rear camera, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0. The Lumia 535 will also be available in single- and dual-SIM versions depending on the market.
Microsoft is hoping to entice buyers to the Lumia 535 with what it's calling the "5x5x5" smartphone package.
This includes the aforementioned 5" screen, 5MP front-facing "selfie" camera, along with five integrated Microsoft experiences (Skype, Office, Cortana, OneDrive, and OneNote).
We're not sure if 5x5x5 is enough to get people to take notice of the Windows Phone platform (it's currently sitting at 3.6 percent market share in the U.S.), but it can't hurt either.
The Lumia 535 will launch in Asian countries this month for around $130, and is expected to expand to Russian and Middle East markets by the end of the 2014.
There is no word yet on U.S. availability or pricing.
