Microsoft Lumia 650
Verdict
Key specs
Critic consensus
“At around $200, the Lumia 650 obviously cannot offer the fully-converged Windows 10 experience but if the redesign can be a reference, many people must be looking forward to Microsoft's next steps. How about a metal-clad 7xx phone with a Snapdragon 617 SoC and 2GB of RAM capable of running Continuum? Or if that's too much to ask, then perhaps at least one of those PureView imagers? Technically, a phone like the Lumia 650 should not get us carried away like that. But... there you go.”
“The Microsoft Lumia is a decent successor to the old Lumia 640. The mainstream smartphone now uses the design language from the bigger siblings Lumia 950/Lumia 950 XL and we get a good chassis with a great AMOLED screen. After the review, however, we do not really know why the device is supposed to be a perfect solution for business customers. We have to waive some features like Windows Hello or Continuum, so it basically comes down to Microsoft Office.”
“If you're set on a halfway decent phone with a truly budget price, the Lumia 650 does give you a solid Windows experience with better looks than most phones in the range. It just isn't clear how many updates and how much support Microsoft will be able to offer down the line.”
“It’s all-change for Microsoft’s budget phones. Cheap Lumias of a few years ago used to do their best to guarantee a certain level of performance. It made phones like the old Lumia 620, things you couldn’t help but love. In some ways Microsoft has its upped standards, but only at a surface level. The screen and metal-rimmed design make a great first impression, but the slow performance and water-treading hardware in other areas make it seem less of a smart buy than several Androids around the same price.”
Watch before you decide
In Depth
The Lumia lineup has been known more for its fun color options than its premium build, but Microsoft hopes to change that with the Lumia 650. While still mostly made of plastic, the 650 utilizes a soft-touch matte for smoother finish and a brushed aluminum frame for sturdiness. Reporters describe it as “lovely” although they didn’t miss the obvious iPhone 5 inspiration with its chamfered edges. What impressed them the most, however, was its incredibly thin (0.27 inches) profile and light weight (122 grams). Many were impressed with how light it was though some mentioned it took away from that ‘premium’ feel.
Spanning the majority of the front is the 5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 for a pixel density of 297ppi. While technically not a full HD screen, reviewers still consider it a fairly sharp display. Thanks to the ClearBlack technology, they were able to get incredibly inky blacks, which brought out the vividness of the onscreen colors. For the most part, they had no qualms with the viewing angles or sunlight legibility for the most part.
As a lower end handset, the Lumia 650 doesn’t have the latest in processor technology or a lot of RAM. It does come with a reasonable 1.3GHz quad-core processor and only 1 GB of RAM. On paper this might seem incredibly weak, but critics were quite surprised at its decent performance. While they warn gaming isn’t its strong point, especially with power-hungry 3D games, it worked fairly well for more basic tasks like checking email and browsing the web though they did notice some extended load times. MS Power User ads, “If you are happy with the decent-enough performance and [don’t] do a lot of gaming, the Lumia 650 should be a pretty good device for you.” Battery life is quite good with critics able to get a full day with moderate usage.
As for the camera it, like the processor, was perfectly adequate for the price. The 8MP rear camera didn’t wow experts, but it didn’t have any glaring issues either. Their daylight pictures came out detailed and colorful and, as expected, low light images were fairly noisy. And while they had some issues with the autofocus, they add that for the price the camera itself performs well enough to post pictures to social media. It also comes with a 5MP selfie camera that experts note was “capable enough.”
While it isn’t free of issues, for the price reviewers consider the Lumia 650 one of the best Microsoft 10 phones available. Yes, it still suffers from a lack of apps, but its sleek design, good battery life and decent performance make it a strong contender in the entry level Windows 10 market. Windows Central states, “The Lumia 650 is a good, cheap Windows phone…For the average person buying a phone that costs this much, there’s not a whole lot to dislike.”
What people actually want to know
When was the Microsoft Lumia 650 released?
The Microsoft Lumia 650 was released on February 15, 2016.
How long does the battery last on the Microsoft Lumia 650?
The Microsoft Lumia 650 has a 2,000 mAh battery.
Does the Microsoft Lumia 650 have a headphone jack?
Yes, the Microsoft Lumia 650 has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Does the Microsoft Lumia 650 have NFC?
Yes, the Microsoft Lumia 650 has NFC. You can use Google Wallet, Apple Pay, and tap-to-pair with Bluetooth accessories.
Where can I get support for the Microsoft Lumia 650?
Visit Microsoft's official support page for warranty info, repairs, and troubleshooting.
Where can I download the Microsoft Lumia 650 manual?
You can view and download the Microsoft Lumia 650 manual on our dedicated manual page.
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How it compares
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Hi srinivas. This may depend on what you were doing when phone heats up and drain fast. Keep in mind that watching videos and playing games drain the battery fast.