The newly launched Microsoft Lumia 640XL LTE is priced at Rs 17,399. Windows phones have come a long way, and the promise of an upgrade to Windows 10 is also great. Specs wise, Windows phones don’t need too much processing power; however in the same price range there is a plethora of Android device with heavy duty hardware. One such device is the Galaxy A5 from Samsung, which can be purchased for about Rs 18,000.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy A5 looks very mature. The A5 is a large but slim device and thankfully does not seem to have large bezels on the side. 139.3 x 69.7 x 6.7 mm. The Samsung Galaxy A5 is a fairly light phone weighing in at only 123 grams. The edges of the device have the volume rocker, power button, and the SIM card and Memory card slots. The edges are well rounded, and the phone looks pretty sharp too.
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE is a typical staid Microsoft device, with high quality material all around. The phone seems a little bulky, but it shouldn’t be slippery thanks to the matt finish back panel which wraps around to the front. The rear of the phone is dominated by a huge camera lens, and the right side has the volume rocker and the power key.
A surprisingly attractive package from Samsung, where even the design language manages to look very fresh and exciting; while the Microsoft phone will surely grow on you.
Display
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE has a 5.7 inch HD IPS display. The Pixel density is a little low at 259 ppi, but the screen does have sunlight reading enhancement. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Samsung Galaxy A5 has a 5 inch HD Super AMOLED display. The Super AMOLED Display means that even 294 ppi is enough for great colours and images. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Would you like a larger or clearer display? That is the question you have to ask. We would favour the Samsung Galaxy A5 thanks to Super AMOLED technology, which makes looking at videos and images a very good experience.
Processor and Memory
The Samsung Galaxy A5 runs a quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 Processor which runs with 2 GB of RAM. The Internal Memory stands at 16 GB to which you can add another 64 GB via a microSD card.
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE is armed with a quad-core Snapdragon 400 which is clocked at 1.2 GHZ. The phone has 1 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of internal storage, to which you can add another 128 GB via a microSD card.
Windows devices usually do not require too much processing power, but 1 GB of RAM at this price point does seem too little. We would pick the Samsung Galaxy A5 any day.
Software
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE runs Windows 8.1 with Lumia Denim. We expect that this phone will soon have an update to Windows 10.
The Samsung Galaxy A5 comes with Android 4.4 (KitKat), and naturally, has Samsung’s famed UI, TouchWiz. We believe an OTA update to Lollipop is available.
If you would like an integrated experience across all platforms, going for a Windows phone makes sense, but for all the others who are used to Android and its plethora of apps, we don’t think this is an experiment you should dabble in just yet.
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy A5 has a non-removable battery of 2300 mAh. It is claimed to provide Talk time of 15 hours.
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE has a removable 3000 mAh battery. It can provide up to 888 hours of standby or 24 hours of talk time.
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE is the clear winner in terms of battery, and some endurance tests have shown that Windows phones last longer than Android devices.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy A5 has a 13 Megapixel primary camera, with auto-focus, flash, face detection, panorama, geo-tagging, and video recording capability of 1080p at 30 fps. The front has a 5 megapixel camera for video calling and selfie taking, etc.
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE is armed with a 13 megapixel unit with auto-focus, ZEISS optics camera with LED flash, Lumia camera, and video recording at 1080p at 30 fps. The front has a 5 megapixel selfie shooter as well.
Both these cameras are alike spec for spec, but we expect that the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE will do better as it has Carl Zeiss optics.
Connectivity
The Samsung Galaxy A5 is a Dual-SIM device, equipped with 4G, GPS (A-GPS and GLONASS), Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, and even NFC.
The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE too is a dual-SIM device with 4G, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS (A-GPS and GLONASS), WiFi, NFC, and DLNA.
DLNA is useful for transferring data instantly, just as NFC is. The Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE has more options than the Samsung Galaxy A5.
Wrapping UP
The purchase decision solely lies with the customer. If one wants to explore Windows Device Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE is a good buy. But, if a consumer wants an Android based device Samsung Galaxy A5 is decent smartphone which you can be added to the wishlist.