If you’re in the market for an affordable smartphone and you’re not too fussed with the operating system, you might be interested to learn that the Lumia 530 from T-Mobile will now be available for purchase via Microsoft’s online store or Best Buy. The handset has been priced at a very affordable $69.99 without a contract, so if you’re looking for a spare or just want to give the Windows Phone platform a go, then this could be it.
This is in line with an earlier report that revealed that the handset would be going on sale via Microsoft or Best Buy on the 5th of October. However for those who would rather purchase the phone from T-Mobile’s own stores, the handset will be arriving on the 15th of October.
For those unfamiliar with the Lumia 530, the handset was announced back in July and it was Microsoft’s first attempt at a budget smartphone post-acquisition of Nokia’s cellphone division. The handset was designed to be the successor of the Lumia 520/521 which surprisingly enough proved to be one of Nokia’s and the Windows Phone platform’s best selling device.
Considering that there are higher-end Windows Phone devices to consider, it proved that there was a demand for affordable handsets, especially in emerging markets like India where the Lumia 520 has proven to be very popular. Of course it remains to be seen if Microsoft will be able to replicate the Lumia 520’s success with the Lumia 530, but at those prices, it is very compelling.
The Lumia 530 will feature a 4-inch FWVGA display and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor clocked at 1.2GHz. The phone will be accompanied by 512MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard storage that can be expanded via microSD, a 5MP rear-facing camera, and will come with Windows Phone 8.1 preinstalled.
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