Microsoft continues to push the envelope of affordable smartphones with the introduction of the new Lumia 430 Dual SIM. At an estimated price of USD70 (RM260), it’s also the cheapest Lumia that will be able to run Windows 10, when that’s ready. Microsoft will begin initial rollout of the Lumia in India, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Eurasia starting in April.
Traditionally a Nokia stronghold, the entry and budget smartphone market continues to be a focal point for Microsoft. The Redmond giant recently launched the wallet-friendly Lumia 640 and Lumia 640XL at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015). The entry level portfolio are targeted at emerging markets.
The Lumia 430 Dual SIM runs Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box, powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdagon 200 chip and comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office, Skype and OneDrive. It comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage, with support for expansion via microSD (up to 128GB).
The “cheap and cheerful” device sports the signature Lumia DNA — compact, durable and colourful, with a 4-inch WVGA display. It weighs just 128g.
Smart Dual SIM enables you to assign unique profiles to their SIM cards – such as “work” or “family.” It takes micro-SIM and supports GSM/UMTS and HSDPA+ data speeds of up to 42.2Mbps.
Camera optics include a 2MP f/2.2 rear camera and a VGA camera on the front.
The built-in battery is rated at 1500mAh, good for 12.9 hours of talk time, and a whopping 19 days of standby.
Microsoft is bundling 30GB of free cloud storage on OneDrive.
Pricing and availability
The Lumia 430 Dual SIM will begin rolling out in select markets in the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus starting April 2015. India will receive the device toward the end of April 2015. Pricing is at USD70 (RM260) and it will be available in bright orange and black.
