Hello all! This is my first post and review. I have been looking through a few of them and decided I would try and give a review of my time with the phone, without being too techincal. I would like to do this more in the future so any feedback would be great. So here is my review of the Microsoft Lumia 640.
Unboxing:
The box has a very simple design that actually I was very impressed with; a small and compact box with a slide in design. In addition to the actual phone there is a quick setup guide and the phones charger (a micro USB). There are no headphones in the box but this isn’t a problem as I have my own pair. Once you turn the phone on it requires you to sing in with your existing Microsoft account or create one. Rather straight forward. Another pleasing feature right away was it’s ability to sync existing accounts to the phone. Very helpful so you don’t have to spend hours setting up bookmarks etc.
Looks:
The phone is, believe it or not, quite a nice, bright orange colour. It would be difficult to misplace it, put it that way. One of the great features is the ability to pop the back off the phone and place a battery in, along with an SD card. A huge plus in my opinion as you are not limited to the phones internal memory and the battery is easily replaceable should you need to. The Lumia 640 sits nicely in your hand and has a really nice, smooth feel to it, largely thanks to the casing surrounding the phone, accompanied by minimal buttons. Speaking of which, the phone has a lock screen/power button and a volume rocker, this is it. The home screen and ‘back’ button are built into the phone screen, which hide nicely when apps are running. Being an Android user I felt that this was easy to get on with, although I imagine an Apple user may have to take a little longer to familiarise themselves with it.
Apps:
The Apps that are pre installed boot up when you turn the phone on for the first time but wait until you have a WiFi connection to update as some files are large. The Apps that are preinstalled are the usual that you would come across (Facebook, Mail etc.) The Windows store has a good selection of Apps but if you are seeking your inner teenager by sending Snapchats to one another then you should look elsewhere. A lot of mainstream apps are difficult to find on the windows store but handy alternatives are on offer. I was easily able to locate a replacement for Podcast Addict (an Android App) to be able to listen to my favourite podcasts, called i Podcast. The one thing with Windows phones (including the Lumia 640), which is a huge factor for me personally, is the inability to be able to use add-ons in the Internet, such as flash player, to be able to watch videos online.
Camera:
The rear camera is OK, but not the greatest if you are a budding photographer but if you are a fan of Harry Potter you will love the ‘Live’ photo option, which records a second before freezing, which brings your photo to life. This can be a little annoying if you have the setting on and you are trying to specifically catch a moment in time but it can be easily turned off. On the camera the zoom isn’t the best and the camera does not take a very clear photo when zoomed in, which is a little disappointing. The Lumia’s front facing camera isn’t exactly a mirror but takes an OK photo. I am not a huge user of the Selfie shot and rarely use the front facing camera – don’t get me wrong I would still prefer a better camera though just in case I find myself needing it for a Selfie at DisneyLand with Mickey Mouse! Battery/ phone features:
I am a big fan of the OneDrive feature which allows you to easily transfer files and photos to it with a touch of a button. This helps with the phones overall storage and keeps all of your important files and photos in a safe place. I found it more useful and user friendly than other alternative options such as The Cloud. With the Lumia 640 I found that it has some really good hidden gems. It has an extremely quick processor which picks Apps up where you left them and with minimum waiting time. When the phone is locked the notifications screen wakes up when the phone is moved and will alert you with any texts or missed calls without the need to press any buttons. In most applications you have the option to choose the colour of the background from light to dark which hugely aids the battery life on the phone. Speaking of the battery, I have to give the phone good credit here. It will comfortably last a full day and continue into the next day, easily, on 30odd%. I am not one for games on the phone but I do watch a lot of videos and listen to podcasts and music and the phone is comfortable with these features. The battery saver option is really handy and blocks most notifications enabling the phone several hours more.
Conclusion:
Personally I think the phone is good if it targets the right audience – in my opinion, a mature one. I think that a younger user would quickly get bored and frustrated of the lack of Apps and features, let alone the poor quality of the front facing camera. I found the phone useful for daily use and can see the direction the Windows phones are going in but it isn’t quite there yet. It is such a hard market to crack and I imagine it will be a number of years before we have a serious competitor amongst the smart phones big two. If the Apps were slightly better it may have a shot but for now I will stick to my Android phone.
Phone 3.5/5
Camera 2.5/5
Battery 5/5
Usability 4/5
Overall 3.5/5
Thanks for reading if you made it this far! 
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