Microsoft Lumia 550 Review: A budget option for the productivity-minded

The Microsoft Lumia 550 is an entry level smartphone running on the windows 10 operating system. Its also my first time to review a widows device on Tech guy.

Damage

Anything from about KSHS 13,999.

What You Need to Know

• Windows 10 phone Operating System
• 4.7-inches, 1280×720 pixels
• 5 MP Rear Camera with flash and autofocus plus 720p HD video recording.
• 2MP Front camera with VGA video recording
• Connectivity-wifi ,Bluetooth 4.1, Micro USB 2.0,3.5mm headphone jack.
• Processor- Qualcomm snapdragon 210, 4 cores 1.1 GHz
• MEMORY – 8GB memory card (up to 200GB) and 1GB RAM, OneDrive cloud storage
• 4G LTE,3G HSPA plus quadband GSM & EGPRS.
• Battery- 2100mAh

What We Think You Need to Know

Design and Display

The  Microsoft Lumia 550  just like the 950  has similar appearance with Lumia 640 phone. Its finished in a skinny polycarbonate and has very basic styling. Its slightly smaller than the 640, but thicker. Its quit little strong phone. The volume and power buttons are on the right side of the body. The charging port is at the bottom while the 3.5mm earpiece jack is on top. The Lumia 550 is single sim and comes with 4G LTE Capability. Its available in Grey & Black Colours

The screen size is good with a diagonal 4.7 inches giving plenty room for the 3 column layout of the home screen and is fairly good for video and apps. It’s HD Display which is fair considering its price. However its not particularly bright or clear screen. Its definitely much better than other phones in the same price range.

 Performance

Now, this is where i will say the device does pretty well.  Windows 10 mobile runs pretty well on Lumia 550 but of course expect it to be slower the 950 and 950XL Its’ more expensive siblings in app load times  and general speeds.  Overall the Lumia 550 works as well I didn’t experience any random crashes or instability.  Lumia 550 has 4G connectivity included as well as support on 3G and 2G networks.
Camera(s)
Microsoft Lumia 550 isn’t the best or the worst camera phone I have seen so far considering the pricing. The rear camera has a 5MP sensor, LED flash, autofocus and a digital zoom. It can  can record video at 720HD resolution.

The selfie camera is okey, snaps selfies at 2MP resolution. However, I can’t promise much on video.

Battery

Microsoft Lumia 550 battery life is typical for a low end smartphone. It lasts almost the a whole day of medium use (messaging, twitter, etc)  For as long smartphones are a way of life, battery life will always be a major area of contention for most consumers until they find a technology approach that solves it permanently.

Bottom-line

With a fairly good camera a nice screen and a decent speaker,the Lumia 550 is worth the price. Lumia 550 offers basic features required from a smartphone  but limited by a slow processor and lack of apps. If you are looking for a bargain I suggest you upgrade to it more expensive series.

        So Rad

• Great display
• Decent batterry life
• Compact design
• Really fair price! for such a smartphone
• 4G capability

         Makes Us Sad

• Basic camera
• Weak performance
• Bugging Operating system

Disclaimer: This Lumia 550 Review was conducted on a review unit that will be returned to Microsoft Lumia East Africa.