Nokia Lumia 530 was unveiled recently and claimed as the cheapest Windows Phone ever running latest Windows Phone 8.1 OS, quad-core processor from Qualcomm, 5 MP rear camera and microSD card slot supporting up to 128 GB.

Windows Phone 8.1

Nokia Lumia 530 will debut in the market on August 2014 running the latest Windows Phone 8.1 version. Owners will automatically receive the following new features as part of the factory OS:

- Cortana: virtual assistant using Bing for queries, suggestions and more.

- New keyboard with Word Flow gesture for easier typing by gliding fingers.

- New camera app with support of various photo apps, Burst Mode and more.

- Various customisation options provided by the new OS including changes on colours, Live Tiles, wallpaper and more.

- Access across various devices such as Xbox, tablets and computers running the same OS.

- Xbox built-in application that supports gaming, Xbox music and video.

- Access to exclusive Microsoft apps such as OneDrive, Office and Skype for free.

- Built-in native battery saving application.

Mid-Range Performance

Lumia 530 features mid-range device specifications that run Windows Phone 8.1. It boasts 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, 512 MB RAM, Adreno 302 GPU and a microSD card slot supporting up to 128 GB external storage capacity.

In terms of battery life, Nokia installed a 1430 mAh battery pack to sustain the 4.0 inches of display screen having 480p resolution. It is probably enough within a day of usage provided users will enable the Battery Saving feature on the smartphone.

Photography is not very impressive compared with other Lumia smartphones as Lumia 530 only boasts a 5 MP rear camera with 1/4" sensor size without any LED flash. Users will likely depend on the photo apps provided by Windows Phone 8.1.

Nokia Perks

Nokia added several perks to make the mid-range smartphone efficient on everyday tasks. Aside from Windows Phone 8.1, users will have support on various messaging apps including Line, Viber and Skype.

For users who want more storage, OneDrive offers cloud storage space of 15 GB and syncing across multiple devices. Multimedia experience is comprised by the built-in music player, video player and MixRadio app.

The Ultimate Selling Factor

The ultimate selling factor of Nokia Lumia 530 is the price itself when compared to other mid-range smartphones. According to CNET, Lumia 530 has an expected price tag of €85 or $115 upon release next month. When compared to Android devices, finding a low-cost smartphone running Android 4.4.4 KitKat having similar performance of flagship models is very rare.

Nokia Lumia 530's main advantages include a very reasonable and appealing price tag, support of a virtual assistant just like Siri and Google Now, new OS version with various improvements and quad-core processor.