Microsoft Lumia 435 vs Lumia 532 :
Microsoft Lumia 435 official pictures
Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 boxes contain nothing but a charger
Microsoft Lumia 532 (in orange) next to the Lumia 435 (in green)
Microsoft Lumia 435 • Microsoft Lumia 532
Handling the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
The front of the Lumia duo
There is nothing on the left • the right side has all hardware keys
The top and bottom of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
The 5MP camera on the orange Lumia 532 and the 2MP snapper on the green Lumia 435
A peek under the batteries
The 4" displays of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
The Lockscreen
The Start background • Action Center
Multi-tasking • Quiet Hours
Cortana in action
Contacts
Pictures hub
Music app with Now Playing screen and its album view • Equalizers
The Video hub
Lumia Camera UI
Microsoft Lumia 532 camera samples
Microsoft Lumia 435 camera samples
Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM in our picture compare tool
Camcorder UI • Settings
Introduction
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 are the first compact smartphones to come from the Microsoft-aquired Nokia, the company previously focusing its attention to 5+" handsets. It is only logical for Microsoft to pay proper attention to the most popular segment of the market but it's good that the pocketable niche hasn't been forgotten.
Microsoft Lumia 435 official pictures
With Windows 10 still a few months away Microsoft has no choice but to steer the Lumia lineup towards the mid and low end segments and hope that it gives it enough time to regroup and launch another attach on the premium market. We already have a plethora of affordable Lumia smartphones but the latest Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 aim to push things even lower. The specs might be underwhelming but you just can't argue with that price.
The double digit dollar price (that's without the inevitable promotions) can't get you much further than 4" WVGA displays, Snapdragon 200 chips and and 8GB of storage, but Microsoft is keen to point out that this is more than enough to secure smooth sailing through its mobile platform. The Lumia 435 relies on a dual-core processor and entry-level 2MP camera, while the Lumia 532 does slightly better with a quad-core processor and a 5MP shooter.
Key features
- Optional Dual SIM connectivity
- 4.0" TFT display of WVGA resolution (233ppi)
- Lumia 435: 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A7 CPU, Adreno 302 GPU, Snapdragon 200 chipset
- Lumia 532: 1.2 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU, Adreno 302 GPU, Snapdragon 200 chipset
- 1GB of RAM
- Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10 update coming summer 2015
- Lumia 435: 2MP fixed-focus camera, 480p video recording @30fps
- Lumia 532: 5MP fixed-focus camera, 480p video recording @30fps
- 0.3MP front-facing camera, 480p video
- 8GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot, up to 128GB
- Wi-Fi b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; GPS/GLONASS; FM radio with RDS
- 30GB of free OneDrive storage
- Free worldwide voice-guided navigation with HERE Drive+
- 1,560 mAh Li-Ion battery
Main disadvantages
- Dated chipset
- No LED flash
- No secondary microphone
- About 3GB of internal storage available to the user
- No backlight for capacitive keys
- No Glance Screen on the Lumia 435
Corner cutting in hardware is inevitable here but what really matters is the real life user experience and Windows performance. We'll be focusing our efforts on how the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 handle the day-to-day tasks and if they are indeed capable of delivering passable smartphone experience.
The two smartphones also have a simple build that should make them longer lasting than many of their more expensive peers and a bunch of bright colors to pick from, which should please their target teenage audience.
We begin with hardware overview right after the jump.
Entry level retail package
Microsoft Lumia 435 and 532 are entry level phones - that becomes perfectly clear the moment you look at their retail boxes. Microsoft is at throwing a single-piece wall charger, which should get you started. A microUSB cable isn't included though.
Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 boxes contain nothing but a charger
Microsoft Lumia 435 and 532 360-degree views
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 share absolutely identical exterior, all their differences hidden deep under the hood. Neither phone has particularly slim bezels but coming with small 4 screens they sill remain rather compact at 118 x 65 x 11.7 mm for the Lumia 435 and 118 x 65 x 11.7 mm for the Lumia 532.
The weight of 135 g (137 g for the Lumia 532) is more than the exterior suggest, but it gives away a more solid vibe, when you hold the phones in hand so it's not all bad.
Design and build quality
Both compact smartphones follow the Lumia design guidelines to the letter. That may not win them many design awards, but it makes them solid devices that are instantly recognizable members of a family that has its loyal following. That's a win for any entry-level device.
Up front there is an ample screen bezel around the 4" display, while the back cover folds around the inner body and you can have it into a variety of paintjobs. Still it's not the worst case of bezel infestation we've seen - most Androids in this price range have it even worse.
Microsoft Lumia 532 (in orange) next to the Lumia 435 (in green)
Just like Lumia X and even Asha models of old, the back panels of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 wrap around the chassis and results in a slim colorful frame around the edge of the front panel. The plastic used on the cover is nice to the touch and we appreciate the matte finish all over the Lumia 435. Oddly, the Lumia 532 has glossy finish on the sides and matte finish on the rear.
Microsoft Lumia 435 • Microsoft Lumia 532
Handling the two smartphones is a rather nice experience. They are pocket-friendly, easy to operate with just one hand, while their solid build and matte finish provide for an excellent grip. The onscreen keyboard keys should be your only concern if your fingers tips are bigger than average.
Handling the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
Controls
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 feature virtually identical bodies and in turn control placement. The 4" display is flanked by the three capacitive Windows keys below. There's an issue with those keys however as we found they have no backlighting which made operating the two phones in darker environment quite a challenge.
Ambient light and proximity sensors are hidden around the earpiece above the screen, while the VGA front camera is more prominent.
The front of the Lumia duo
There is nothing on the left side, while the right one hosts the volume keys and the power/lock button. All three of them offer excellent tactile feedback.
There is nothing on the left • the right side has all hardware keys
The top of each handset packs the audio jack, while the bottom has the microUSB port. The microphone pinhole is hidden on the bottom edge of the front panel.
The top and bottom of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
Finally, the 2MP/5MP camera lenses are on the back alongside the loudspeaker grilles.
The 5MP camera on the orange Lumia 532 and the 2MP snapper on the green Lumia 435
Popping the battery is mandatory for gaining access to the microSD slots and the SIM beds.
A peek under the batteries
Display
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 utilize the same screen - a 4" LCD screen with 480 x 800 px resolution. The resolution is the lowest you can currently get on the market, but given the modest diagonal it works out to 233ppi density, which isn't too bad.
The 4" displays of the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532
But resolution isn't the main problem of the two screens - the low end panels also exhibit notable ghosting when scrolling rapidly and they have poor contrast and rather low brightness.
The viewing angles of the TFT units are pretty bad too, with contrast compression and color shift visible even with very minor tilts.
The only positive thing so far is that the lowly handsets get the color temperature and saturation options found on their more premium siblings. Yet even a very skillful tuner will find it hard to extract much performance from those two screens.
| Display test | 50% brightness | 100% brightness | ||||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | |||
| 0.19 | 138 | 728 | 0.49 | 360 | 735 | |
| 0.19 | 139 | 739 | 0.49 | 365 | 749 | |
| 0.26 | 312 | 1188 | 0.45 | 458 | 1118 | |
| 0 | 258 | ∞ | 0 | 363 | ∞ | |
| - | - | - | 0.51 | 422 | 834 | |
| undefined | undefined | undefined | undefined | undefined | undefined | |
| 0.08 | 158 | 1437 | 0.45 | 615 | 1370 | |
| 0 | 243 | ∞ | 0 | 470 | ∞ | |
| 0.27 | 278 | 1024 | 0.49 | 522 | 1062 | |
| - | - | - | 0.72 | 489 | 677 | |
Sunlight legibility is disappointing too - but we didn't expect anything else given the very dim screens and the reflective glass on top.
Sunlight contrast ratio
There's very little good that can be said about the Lumia 532 and Lumia 435 displays - those were the first most obvious corners cut to achieve the price. Yet, it's not hopeless for them as most of the other smartphones in this price range are just as poor. So while the screens certainly won't be earning those two much fans, they might just be good enough so they don't lose any to the competition.
Battery life
Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 are powered by the same kind of battery unit - the BV-5J with 1,560 mAh capacity. This sure doesn't seem much, but let's don't forget these are entry-level compact smartphones. Windows OS has a good energy-efficiency track record lately, so we expected these two Lumia phones to do fine.
And they sure did. The Lumia 532 offers Glance screen and we naturally tested it with this option turned on. If you decide not to opt for the Glance extras, you'll get the same great battery endurance as the Lumia 435.
The dual-SIM flavor of the Lumia 435 is good for 58 hours straight if you use it for an hour of 3G talks, an hour of web browsing and an hour video playback each day. You can squeeze 6 more hours up to 64h endurance rating by using just one SIM card.
As we mentioned, the Lumia 532 had its Glance screen turned on, so its dual-SIM endurance dropped down to 55 hours, which is still a decent achievement. By turning one of the SIMs off you'll get an additional 5 hours up to 60 hours.
Connectivity
The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 have quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support. The Lumia 435 offers dual-band, while the Lumia 532 has quad-band 3G with HSDPA. The Dual SIM models, as ours, support dual standby.
In terms of local connectivity, the two handsets offer 2.4GHz Wi-Fi b/g/n with DLNA and Wi-Fi Hotspot, and stereo Bluetooth 4.0, with file transfer support.
For positioning, the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 call on GPS and GLONASS. Compass isn't available though.
FM radio is on board, a nice alternative source of news and music that many Androids have been dropping recently in favor of its online streaming alternative.
Windows Phone 8.1 awaits with its live tiles
Both Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 are running the Windows Phone 8.1 (Update 1) out of box. The latest Lumia Denim software expansion package comes pre-installed, too, for some exclusive software perks. The duo lacks the Update 2 firmware, which brings organized Settings menu and app permissions, among other improvements.
Glance Screen is available only the Lumia 532, which is odd as both run the same OS on the same type of display. Anyway, Glance screen shows you the time and it also supports notifications - the same as the ones you've permitted on your lockscreen. What you get is basically a monochrome representation of your lockscreen. You can opt for the Glance to be always on, timing out after predefined interval, or to light up when you pick up the phone.
Other than the Glance screen, there are no software differences. The lockscreen itself looks the same as the Glance screen, but with colors. Double tap to wake and additional security are available as options.
The Lockscreen
The familiar interface with resizable live tiles is your Start page, you can group tiles into folders if you like. Almost every app within the Store comes with its own tile and you can see useful info live at your homescreen. Tile background is available and while it looks great, still not all live tiles are transparent, which can detract from the overall effect.
The Action Center is your place for four customizable toggles and all notifications in Windows. It works just like on Android OS - you access it by pulling down from the top of the screen, dismiss all notifications key is available.
The Start background • Action Center
Microsoft likes Apple's way of handling apps running in background - most of the apps are suspended upon hitting the Windows key and will be resumed once you bring them back. There are others, of course, such as Navigation, Cortana and Battery apps, which will continue to run in background unless you specifically kill them.
Multi-tasking • Quiet Hours
Quiet Hours mode is Windows Phone's take on the Do Not Disturb feature - it can be set to block calls and messages over pre-defined time interval, plus it can also go on automatically during events you have marked in your calendar. Naturally, exceptions are available.
Microsoft's Cortana is available to recognizes your natural language commands and questions and provide voice feedback. Cortana can fully interact with your phone and carry out all kind or commands related to it. Cortana can also track various news topics, makes suggestions for cooking and dinner, plan trips, find places and even crack the occasional joke.
Cortana in action
Performance
Microsoft Lumia 435 is powered by a very basic flavor of the Snapdragon 200 chipset with a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 processor, Adreno 302 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The Lumia 532 runs on a faster version of the chip with a quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, while keeping the same Adreno 302 GPU and 1GB of RAM.
It seems the 1GB RAM is now the minimum for the Lumia lineup, even within the entry-level, as it will ease the transition towards Windows 10 later this year. Microsoft promised to update all previous WP8 Lumia phones, even those with 512MB RAM, but the latter seems to require some (unspecified for now) sacrifices.
Nobody expected any records in benchmarks department, but we were still curious to see how they do.
The compound AnTuTu is highly skewed towards CPU marks and since the Lumia 435 has just two CPU cores, it gets half the points its sibling achieved. The Lumia 535 even managed to beat the way more expensive Lumia 640 here.
AnTuTu 4
Higher is better
The BaseMark OS II is another compound test, which gauges CPU, GPU, memory, system OS and web performance. The two phones outed the same scores on all departments but the processor, and thus the difference in the final rating.
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
The Internet Explorer browser in Windows Phone 8.1 is nothing spectacular, but it's fast and snappy as it could be on this hardware, does a great job rendering web pages and while its JavaScript performance is rather poor as determined by Kraken, the compound BrowserMark 2.1 shows decent numbers for the class.
Kraken 1.1
Lower is better
BrowserMark 2.1
Higher is better
The entry level Lumia smartphones aren't meant to do much gaming or provide blazing-fast performance. They are designed to cover the bare minumum - calls, messaging, social networks, even navigation and office tasks, and we found they managed to do that. Windows Phone 8.1 runs fine on those, as all the crucial apps, though some heavier system apps (such as Skype) may require a few seconds to load. There are a few games that run very well if you are not too pretentious about graphics.
Telephony and contact management
People Hub is the phonebook that you'll find on any Windows Phone device. It supports multiple accounts, including social ones, and has multiple pages like the rest of the WP interface. The first page is your contacts list, the second one is What's New with all of your friends' social updates, then come (chat) Rooms, and Groups.
Just like the People app, viewing a single contact also allows you to check this specific person's social updates plus you can view the complete history of exchange with this contact in one place, displayed chronologically. Everything but status updates is listed here: calls, texts (actually threads from the Messaging hub) and emails.
Contacts
Each SIM card has separate Phone and Messaging apps, so there is very little chance that you accidentally use the wrong SIM. The People Hub offers a comfy switch to each number, so you can easily choose the card you wish to initiate the call from.
We ran our traditional loudspeaker test and both the Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 scored Very Good marks. The loudspeakers embedded in both devices seems to be the same and are among the loudest around so you won't be missing calls or notifications in louder environments.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overall score | |
| 67.6 | 66.8 | 63.7 | Below Average | |
| 66.9 | 65.9 | 71.7 | Average | |
| 66.5 | 66.2 | 75.1 | Average | |
| 70.6 | 65.2 | 75.9 | Good | |
| 70.2 | 73.5 | 75.8 | Very Good | |
| 74.5 | 73.5 | 75.7 | Very Good | |
| 75.1 | 73.7 | 75.7 | Very Good | |
| 75.9 | 71.5 | 81.6 | Excellent |
Multimedia
In Windows Phone 8.1 the Photo Hub has lost the magazine UI in favor of the traditional WP page view. You get three swipe-able pages - all, albums and favorites - all pretty much self-explanatory. Automatic OneDrive backup is available, you just need to enable it from the settings. Microsoft gives you 30GB for free plus 3GB for the each device on which you turn on the automatic OneDrive camera upload.
Pictures hub
The default Music player in Windows Phone 8.1 uses the familiar page layout - you get Now Playing page; Collection view with shortcuts to artists, albums, songs, genres, playlists, and Music Store highlights. It also allows you to create, edit and delete playlists straight from your phone.
The player is compatible with your Xbox Music account and can stream your songs if you have active connection without saving them on the phone.
Unfortunately, the Music app doesn't support FLAC playback. Equalizer options are available from Settings -> Audio. You can either user presets or customize your own.
Music app with Now Playing screen and its album view • Equalizers
There's an FM radio with RDS support on board. You can use the loudspeaker for the FM radio, though you still need the headset connected as it doubles as an antenna.
The video player is a separate app called Video. It has a four-page layout - your collection, movie store, TV store and spotlight. It supports XviD, DivX, MOV, WMV and MP4 videos up to 1080p resolution. The few things it won't play are H.264 videos (often found in MKV containers) and videos using the AC3 audio codec. There is a limited subtitles support.
The Video hub
Basic camera department for entry-level smartphones
Microsoft Lumia 435 comes with a 2MP fixed-focus snapper, while the Lumia 532 offers a 5MP one, still with fixed-focus. Both phones lack LED flash and a secondary mic for stereo audio recording.
The Lumia camera interface is very familiar - it offers white balance, ISO, shutter speed up to 1s and exposure settings. Additionally, you can get more camera functionality via Lenses, such as Cinemagraph (animated photos), Panorama, Selfie, etc.
Lumia Camera UI
The 5MP images taken with the Lumia 532 turned out decent for the resolution, with reasonable amount of resolved detail. Contrast is good, although more often than not the white balance is off. Noise is dealt with nicely and generally we are happy with the overall processing.
Microsoft Lumia 532 camera samples
The 2MP shots taken with the Lumia 435 have less detail, more noise and noticeable pink tint in the center. Those will only do for occasional social network sharing unless you decided to shoot something up close, because of the fixed-focus camera.
Microsoft Lumia 435 camera samples
You can check the Lumia 532 in our Picture Compare Tool, too.
Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM in our picture compare tool
480p video recording
Both Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 camcorders can record video at FWVGA@30fps (848 x 480 px), with a low 3Mbps bitrate. The videos are recorded in a single channel AAC mode with a 160Kbps bitrate and 48KHz.
The camcorder interface is pretty much the same as the still camera. But you are able to choose the audio bass filter (off, 100 Hz or 200 Hz). Opting for 200 Hz (Strong) will capture much better sound in concerts or clubs.
Camcorder UI • Settings
The captured videos are nothing to barely worth much discussion. They resolve unimpressive amount of detail, the colors are warmer than they should be and the white balance is off. The Lumia 435 keeps the pink tint even while recording videos, too.
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