The first-ever Lumia smartphone that will carry the Microsoft brand will finally hit store shelves on Nov. 28. The Microsoft Lumia 535 smartphone will be released in India on Friday, and the company will hold several simultaneous events at Silicon Valley Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai to officially drop the device in retail stores.
In a report by The Indian Express, Microsoft GTM Program Manager Pranav Shroff said, "The Lumia 535 with Windows Phone 535 is designed according to the needs of Indian consumers and it will be the first country where the device will go on sale."
Microsoft aims to present the new Lumia 535 as a mid-range, affordable smartphone that is packed with powerful features that can be pitted against other more expensive devices in the market today. It comes in a plastic body with hip, bright colors that other Lumia phones are known for.
It features a 5-inch touchscreen display with 960 x 640 pixels resolution, and is equipped with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor coupled with a 1 GB RAM. It has an 8 GB internal memory capacity with built-in microSD slot that supports up to 128 GB expansion. It runs with the latest Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, but it can be compatible with the Lumia Denim update.
In addition, the new Lumia 535 smartphone has 5-megapixel cameras for both front and rear, with LED flash at the back. There are two versions of the device: one is the dual-SIM variety which will be available on Saturday, while the single-SIM version will be released in India sometime soon. The available colors include White, Orange, Dark Grey, Green, Cyan, and Black.
Meanwhile, the Nokia name in Lumia may not be completely missed by the public.
According to Nokia India Sales Director Raghuvesh Sarup, as quoted by Deccan Herald, "The Microsoft branding will only be for the affordable handsets, smartphones and the premium handsets. Entry level models will still bear the Nokia brand name."
The Microsoft Lumia 535 will reportedly be priced around Rs 9,199 or roughly $148. The U.S. and European release date for the device is still undisclosed at the moment.
