Microsoft recently announced the newest member of the Lumia family i.e. the Lumia 535 and here we are trying to determine the best one among Lumia 525, Lumia 530 and the new Lumia 535. Primary basis will be the specs and price as the features offered in Windows Phone devices generally remain the same.
| Lumia 535 | Lumia 530 | Lumia 525/520 | |
| SIM | Dual SIM Available (Micro) | Dual SIM Available (Micro) | Single SIM (Micro) |
| Network Support | 3G & 2G | 3G & 2G | 3G & 2G |
| Display | 5-inch qHD 540 x 960 | 4-inch WVGA 480×854 | 4-inch WVGA 480×800 |
| Display Type | IPS LCD | TFT | IPS LCD |
| Weight | 146g | 129g | 124g |
| Camera | Primary: 5MP (autofocus) Secondary: 5MP (Wide-angle Lens) |
Primary: 5MP (Fixed Focus) Secondary: None |
Primary: 5MP (autoFocus) Secondary: None |
| Processor | Quad Core Snapdragon 200 (1.2Ghz) | Quad Core Snapdragon 200 (1.2Ghz) | Dual Core Qualcomm MSM8227 (1Ghz) |
| Battery | 1905 mAh | 1430 mAh | 1430 mAh |
| Storage | Internal: 8GB Expandable: Upto 128GB |
Internal: 4GB Expandable: Upto 128GB |
Internal: 8GB Expandable: Upto 128GB |
| RAM | 1GB | 512MB | 525: 1GB 520: 512MB |
| Operating System | Windows Phone 8.1 | Windows Phone 8.1 | Windows Phone 8 (Upgradeable to 8.1) |
| Dedicated Camera Button | No | No | Yes |
| Price | ~₹8500 (Estimated) | ~₹5800 | 525: ~₹8200 520: ~₹6000 (w/ few sellers) |
Which One to Buy?
Lumia 525, Lumia 530 and Lumia 535 are all decent smartphones, but because price is a factor too, the Lumia 525 becomes pretty irrelevant and doesn’t remain a good buy unless its price fells by over ₹1500 ($25) or so. Lumia 535 is really a nice contender at its price and can be called a decent upgrade to the Lumia 525 (and 520). Features such as the 5MP front (selfie) camera with Wide-Angle lens and the big 5-inch display is really gonna roll some eyes towards it.
Lumia 530 on the other hand provides what it can for its price and can be a good buy for the first time smartphone users or those who don’t do a lot with their smartphones. If you’re looking to purchase the Lumia 530, do give a second thought to the Nokia Lumia 520 which sells nearly for the same price now and brings in a better camera, more in-built storage and goodies such as Double Tap to Wake. The display of Lumia 520 is also better than the Lumia 530, but it does lack the Dual-SIM option which can be make or break for some.