Perhaps this is my third phone review in the last 2-3 months or so.. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’ve chopped and changed with my phones. It’s just that I’ve just used all these phones for a substantial period to write a review on it. I bought Samsung Galaxy S duos last month and wrote a review on it. I liked it pretty much and mentioned in that review the main reason for purchasing that phone was the fact that it came with Android Operating System and also because Windows 8 in Lumia 520 looked slightly more complicated compared to Android. My Uncle bought Nokia Lumia 610 last week and even after trying so hard for 2 days or so -- he simply just couldn’t get the syntax of using Windows operating system. Being an old man, I realized his pathetic situation and offered a straight exchange of his 610 with my S duos and he obliged gracefully. Now that I’ve got used with Windows, I have to say -- I just love each and every second of playing with my Nokia Lumia 610.
Now let me be very frank with you right away -- This is not the best lumia phone out there in the market. I think in terms of specs, Lumia 520 will be a better option with its 512 mb of RAM, 1 Ghz processor and updated Windows 8 OS, but I happened to buy this phone more by chance than choice. I didn’t have the option of neither 520 nor 620 in front of me so I just put the faith in this Lumia and went ahead with the exchange and so far this phone haven’t disappointed me in any ways. One thing is clear it’s definitely a far better phone than its specs would suggest it to be –256 mb of ram, 800 mhz single core processor etc may not sound great Rajeev_Vermacially when you have better specs in similar priced products but for first time users like me it works pretty smooth without any noticeable lags/hangs. (Don’t forget even Nokia N8 come up with similar specs when it was released some 5 years back and so many of my friends are still using that phone without any major issues.)
I think the major problem of having only 256 mb of RAM will have something to do with uploading photos in facebook Rajeev_Vermacially in 2G speeds. I found it very difficult to upload photos in Facebook even with my S duos which had 768 MB of RAM compared to 610’s 256 MB of RAM which makes uploading pics in the latter, pretty much nonexistent. I’ve downloaded some apps from windows application market -- Whatsapp, Cinemagraph etc.. and even though it takes a while to load these apps, I found its comfortable after its loaded up. Another limiting thing with 256 mb RAM is that you’ll not be able to play high profile games like Temple Run 2, Angry Birds etc which requires a ridiculous 512 Mb and also 1 GB of RAM.
Although Android’s ecosystem is far superior in terms of ease of use windows is not that far away from catching up. Couple of missing features are the toggles for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi etc -- You’ll have to go to settings every time to turn it on/off – and the USB tethering feature which helps one to connect his mobile internet with his laptop/PC (In this phone its internet sharing either with Wi Fi or Bluetooth which requires a lot of battery. Although downloading the PC suite will fix this issue and one can easily download toggle apps for free from windows market place. This phone, the Lumia 610 doesn’t have windows 8 inbuilt – Mine is windows 7.8 – so you won’t be able to use all the apps with full features – some features might be missing in some apps. Also to copy files to the 8 GB inbuilt memory, one will have to download the Zune PC suit application which, in any case, is readily available in Nokia’s website. Also be noted that one can’t download that app directly in to the phone because this phone doesn’t have windows 8 inbuilt and its windows >7.5 only. I think to use apps like u torrent etc you’ll need a windows 8 enabled phone. Hope Nokia comes with an update soon for this phone.
Coming to the hardware aspects of the phone – it does pack a punch. First things first the touch screen works silky smooth with Nokia’s super sensitive technology. The Display doesn’t have Clearblack technology but its WVGA IPS LCD display with 252 Pixels Per Inch is more than enough to enjoy web browsing, texting and also watching movies at 480 pixels a joyful experience. Sadly this phone doesn’t support 720p video playback which makes playing HD videos non-existent and the Divx/Xvid not supporting makes it even worse although downloading a 3rd party will help a great deal. The thing I like the most in this phone is the fact that it comes with a 252 Pixels per Inch which makes viewing videos, web browsing and texting messages really pleasing to the eyes. Almost all branded phones at this price comes with a 233 PPI and the 19 inch difference is substantial enough to bring a much required change. Also on the upside are the build quality and the design of the phone. It doesn’t have killer looks as in Lumia 520 but it isn’t solemn or somber either. It’s made of Plastic with a metallic gleam on the sides the build quality is pure Nokia. Another surprise is the headphones that Nokia have bundled in with this product – it’s just unbelievably good..!! I’m being told that a headphone like this, costs at least 2000 bucks in the market, so it’s definitely a good add-on to the value for this product for prospective customers. Camera in this phone is a 5 MP Autofocus snapper and it takes pictures at average quality only. The color reproduction is mediocre and the flash at the back helps you take pictures at low light. You don’t get a front facing camera which means you will not be able to make video calls in this phone – another feature that is available in S Duos and Lumia 620.
Listening to music is fantastic, watching movies is fantastic, Browsing the web with Internet Explorer is on par with Desktop browsing and let me also tell you that if you are planning to buy this phone then try to buy it this month itself – because if you do you’ll also get 2GB, 3G internet free for 4 months post purchase. Please be noted that if you want to get this offer you got to have either Airtel or idea networks and also you have to insert the SIM card on/before 48 hours post purchase. Which brings me to talk about the SIM card in this phone – This phone like most of Lumia phones supports only Micro Sim cards. That means you’ll have to either cut your SIM card in to Micro with the help of a technician or you’ll have to spend another 100 bucks to get a Micro version of the same SIM from your network service provider. I mentioned this in particular because if you cut the SIM card in to Micro, you may not have to wait another 2-3 days till your service provider gives you the real Micro SIM card and also you can use it on the go. Which baschandru021y means that if you want to get the internet offer, you’ll have to go to a mobile shop and ask the counter guy to cut your SIM to a Micro Card with the help of a small cutting player Rajeev_Vermacially made for this purpose. It’s always advisable to bring your phone along with it so that the shop person will be able to know at what size it needs to be cut and how. Battery back up is pretty much on par with 10 k mobiles as it will last about a day or so on moderate to heavy usage. The phone doesn’t have Gorilla glass but you do get the extra protection of a toughened glass in any case. The loud speaker is a bit on the low side and I’ll also advise you to protect your phone with a back cover since the usual flip cover is not available for this phone.
So that’s a wrap then, that’s my review on Nokia Lumia 610. I know I’ve written a long review but please go through the whole review to know the pros and cons of this phone just in case if you have any plans of owning it. The phone costs around 11-12 on the market right now and it’s a really good value for money product indeed. It performs much, much better than its specs suggest it to be. For any queries or doubts regarding this phone you can always mail me @ prasu.sreeju@gmail.com or leave a message in my MouthShut_Official profile Inbox. Thanks for paying a visit and please mention your valuable feedback in the comments column. Till next time, its good bye.