Microsoft Lumia 550 instruction manual online. Design, dimensions, control elements

Specifications

• Windows 10 Mobile
• Display 4.7 inches, 1280x720 pixels, 312 ppi, IPS
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 210, MSM8909, 4 cores up to 1.1 GHz, Adreno 304
• 1 GB random access memory, 8 GB built-in, memory cards up to 200 GB
• Battery Li-Ion 2100 mAh, declared talk time up to 16 hours, in standby mode– up to 672 hours, listening to music – up to 60 hours
• nanoSIM
• Front camera 2 megapixels, main camera 5 megapixels, autofocus
• FM radio
• LTE band 1/3/7/8/20
• Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.1, USB 2.0
• GPS/GLONASS
• Dimensions – 136.1x67.8x9.9 mm, weight – 142 grams

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger
• Battery Li-Ion 2100 mAh
• Instructions

Positioning

Microsoft was in a hurry to release a line of smartphones on Windows 10 Mobile to the market; it was planned for the 4th quarter of 2015. But the company was unable to create its operating system on time, and the question arose about in what form and what models to release; it was about canceling all planned devices. For many of them, components had already been purchased, and therefore refusing to release them meant incurring even greater losses. As a result, having canceled most of the line, Microsoft still left two flagships (Lumia 950/950 XL) and the most budget device in the line - Lumia 550.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, the sales rate of previous devices leaves much to be desired; there are many models on the market with Windows Phone 8.x, some of them easily outperform the Lumia 550, while costing the same or less. The same Lumia 540 in this price segment looks more attractive, it does not support LTE, but a little bigger screen, two SIM cards and stable version systems.

The main problem for the Lumia 550 was the operating system; it alienated Windows Phone fans, who quite rightly consider it very crude. And there are practically no other buyers on this platform; these are random sales that do not make a difference. It is curious that from the very first days the Microsoft brand store began to carry out a promotion when, when purchasing the flagship Lumia 950/950 XL, they gave a Lumia 550 as a gift. It is impossible to call this promotion anything other than the liquidation of a warehouse of unnecessary goods, two illiquid items for the price one.

It is safe to say that this model was a sales failure, although in terms of hardware it is excellent for its price segment.

Design, dimensions, control elements

Why reinvent the wheel if buyers are already accustomed to the fact that budget Windows Phones look more or less the same? A plastic case, which is built on the principle of a shoe placed on a base. Two possible color options – black and white. Typically, Microsoft tried to offer a variety of color solutions, but the understanding that there would be no sales forced it to limit itself to two colors.

The phone dimensions are 136.1x67.8x9.9 mm, weight is 142 grams. Compact, fits well in the hand. The quality of the plastic is normal; abrasions appear over time, since it is matte (I had a black device). Screen protection made of inexpensive glass, can easily appear deep scratches, this is a drawback of the device.

There is a 3.5 mm jack at the top end, and a regular microUSB connector at the bottom. On the right side there is a paired volume key, and right there is an on/off button. The speaker output is on the back surface, close to the camera and LED flash.

It’s easy to open the device, the body pulls out towards itself, it’s like a cover. The design, tested on many models, is very reliable. Inside you will see a battery, as well as a microSIM slot plus a memory card slot.

Dust quickly accumulates in the speaker grille, which looks untidy. But this does not cause problems with voice reproduction during a conversation.

Screen

Display 4.7 inches, 1280x720 pixels, 312 ppi, IPS. I like this budget screen, even if it is not amazing, but it copes with its tasks with a bang. It has everything you need and a little more. Unfortunately, in the sun the screen often glares and is unreadable. This refers to his weaknesses. Globally, we can say that the Lumia 550 display is typical in its segment, but nothing more.

Battery

Battery 2100 mAh Li-Ion, standby time - up to 28 days, talk time - up to 16 hours (3G), music playback - up to 60 hours, Wi-Fi work - up to 8 hours, video - up to 6.5 hours.

On average, the device works for 1-2 days under load, but it’s impossible to say exactly how long the phone will work, it all comes down to dampness operating system. In an ideal case, you will get about 2 days; with exactly the same consumption profile, the device can be discharged in half a day, and you will not change anything about it. The phone lives its own life, and you can’t be sure how long it will last, it’s a lottery. I don’t remember for a long time that budget devices showed such a spread in operating time.

Full battery charging time is about 2 hours.

Communication capabilities

Standard set of protocols – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.1 – a full set of standard profiles, WCDMA, LTE. As you can see, the device cannot boast of anything special or unusual.

Chipset, memory, performance

Typical solution from Microsoft, inside Snapdragon 210, 4 cores up to 1.1 GHz. The interface works quite quickly, which is also typical for such solutions. But in third party applications visible in games slow work, related to the chipset and RAM. RAM capacity – 1 GB, built-in memory – 8 GB, memory card – up to 200 GB. These are the results in synthetic tests.

Camera

The front camera is 2 megapixels, there is nothing noteworthy about it.

The main camera is 5 megapixels, quite ordinary, there is autofocus. It shoots well in the sun, but is already soapy indoors. If you compare the camera with many 8-megapixel cameras on Android, then it will most likely win, it has a better module.

Software – Windows 10 Mobile

We got pretty good detailed review system on which this device is built. All you need to know about it is that it is crude and works worse than Windows Phone 8.x, which was much inferior to Android and did not look like such a wonderful alternative. If everything was just bad there, now it has become even worse. I don’t see any point in repeating my complaints about the system; you can read about it in the review.

Impression

In terms of sound quality during a call, this is a standard solution from Nokia/Microsoft - not bad, but not good either, ordinary. One microphone is used. The vibration alert remains silent, you are guaranteed to miss it.

The price of the phone at the start of sales was 10,000 rubles and almost instantly dropped to 9,500 rubles. The day is not far off when the price will be reduced even more, since there is no demand for this device. Interestingly, even the Lumia 540 is selling more successfully than the new product from Microsoft.

By old memory Such devices are perceived as devices from a first-tier manufacturer, but Microsoft has never been like that and can never become one. This is a B-brand with all the attendant shortcomings, including in this case– the terrible quality of the software, which makes the phone of little use for anything more than calls and SMS. But it is also inconvenient as a touch dialer, since the operating time is unclear, there are freezes (which has never happened before) and reboots. In a word, this is a very crude device, and its dampness is associated with Windows 10 Mobile. The market has run out of people willing to buy even such inexpensive solutions, since there are many Android smartphones offering similar hardware for less money. I can list them for a very long time, I’ll just remember the Jinga Basco M500 4G, which appears at a slightly lower cost in the coming weeks, or its 3G version, which costs even less.

There are a lot of devices of this kind, and if previously budget Lumia beat them in terms of hardware for their cost, now those days are gone. They have absolutely no advantages, which immediately affected sales; there are none. Apparently, this is why the Lumia 550 is given as a load, since money does not buy it. As I see it, this is a death sentence for the platform and budget devices on her. However, another device, namely the Lumia 650, will go on sale; a review of it will appear in April. It’s interesting that Microsoft does its best to prevent reviews of Windows 10 Mobile devices from appearing anywhere; the company, unlike previous years, does not provide devices to anyone. Why? The answer is obvious - the Windows Phone project has come to an end in its current form. Buying a dead system, in my opinion, is akin to necrophilia.

I received a Microsoft Lumia 550 smartphone as a gift at the beginning of the year. I don’t think I would buy a similar phone for myself, since I was happy with my old Nokia, but still satisfied with the gift. Over the five months of service, the phone showed its best side!

Set

"Lumiya 550" is sold in a nice box. There are several color options for the phone case. Mine is stupid black. The picture shows white and black options.
In the box, of course, there is a charger, a standard one, we charge all the phones in the house with one! And instructions in several languages. I don’t know, does anyone use instructions in the age of the Internet???

Characteristics

I don’t want to go into the technical characteristics of the phone for a long time (resolution, weight, size), because, firstly, I’m not good at describing technology, and secondly, you can look at everything yourself on the Internet or find out in a store if you are interested in buying. So I'll keep it short.

The Lumiya 550 phone is quite massive. It fits easily in the hand, but weighs decently. Mine is still in its case. The phone is durable. How many times has my daughter dropped it - nothing matters, the screen hasn’t even cracked.

The on/off button is on the side, along with the volume control.

PS: The incomprehensible thing at the bottom is a coin)) They always stick to the magnet on the case, and “live” there.

There are two SIM cards inside the smartphone. The first disadvantage for me was the inability to place an old-style SIM card, that is, an uncut one. Therefore, I had to get a new tariff (also quite good).

operating system

The Lumia 550 is the most a budget option line C 10 Mobile. The price for it does not exceed 8000 in any of the stores. Not a bad device for the money, but they say that the operating Windows system 10 scares off buyers. I'm not picky. “Ten” suits me, especially since this is not the first Lumiya phone in our family. By the way, the author of the gift was guided when purchasing it precisely by the fact that the phone supports the Windows operating system.

What pleases me most about Lumiya is the photo and video camera with 5 megapixels (front camera with 2). The zoom is bad, but the quality of the photos is excellent for my taste! I’m demonstrating the latest one, made on Lumiya. Of course, without filters... Today my phone replaces my standard camera.

Screen

At first, I wasn't very comfortable using the phone. As always, it took me a long time to get used to it and get the hang of it. For dummies, I’ll tell you how and what works in the Lumiya 550.

This is the screen. Small windows, like in standard Windows, can be swapped, added, deleted, reduced...

To “work” with the window, you need to click on it and hold it. I apologize for going into such detail, I just didn’t understand it the first time)))

The screen is touchscreen, of course. Pull out from above standard set functions: network connection, airplane mode, flashlight (I looked for it for a long time, but it loomed before my eyes) and so on. Notifications from social networks appear in the same place, but just below.

Pull out on the right - another set of functions located in alphabetical order. Analogue of the "Start" button on a computer)))

In general, everything is clear and understandable. Overall, I'm happy with the phone's performance. It doesn't slow down, doesn't freeze, and works properly.

I had some minor issues using the Lumia 550.
1. The phone did not hold charge well. He sat down in front of his eyes, literally sat on exercises, as if on an IV. I turned off wi-fi - the battery didn’t drain so quickly. But after some time, this problem resolved itself when I completely sat down the phone and recharged it several times.
2. There was a problem with the Internet connection. To do this (see the picture above and even higher) it was necessary to activate the data transfer button. I went through all the settings, and then I got to know Lumiya better, but only after rebooting the phone, which, by the way, it didn’t require, did everything return to normal by itself. So it goes.

In general, these are minor disadvantages, as it seems to me, in using the phone. I like Lumiya 550, I will use it!

This is a review Lumia phone 550, which was released at the end of 2015. Review of the Lumia 550 smartphone is not paid for - this phone was bought with my own money, for myself personally.

So. This copy was manufactured in December 2015, has hardware version 3.0, Windows version - 1511 10.0.10586.0. The battery was manufactured in October 2015. No updates were installed. Everything is as is from the factory. Purchased at the beginning of September 2016. For almost a year all this lay in warehouses.

Microsoft Lumia 550 specifications

Lumia 550 smartphone size

Screen diagonal 4.7 inches. This is slightly less than the total trend of 2015 and 2016 (5 inches). As a result, the phone itself is five millimeters shorter and narrower than five-inch smartphones. And this size already allows you to use this smartphone with one hand. It's not as easy as with a 4-inch, but a little easier than with a 5-inch. Actually the size was one of the reasons for the purchase. Of course, you can’t put it in your shirt pocket, but you can put it in your jeans pocket. However, it will still be awkward to sit down when it’s in your jeans pocket and you’ll have to adjust it or take it out.

Lumia 550 screen

LCD screen matrix IPS, budget, without new technologies such as OGS. Not very bright, distortion of colors appears at high angles, especially black. But large viewing angles are irrelevant for a smartphone, because no one uses the phone holding it far to the side.

Be that as it may, the screen is good. Fine grain gives a very clear picture. The only drawback is that on a sunny day outside, even the full brightness of the screen is not enough, image legibility is poor. Even indoors, in sunlight, the screen brightness is not enough. By the way, this makes it very difficult to take photographs in sunny weather, you have to frame almost at random.

But that's everyone's problem mobile devices. In sunlight, all light-emitting screens will become blind.

Indoors without direct sunlight or outdoors in cloudy weather, you can get by with a brightness of 25-50 percent.

Lumia 550 glass

I can’t confirm this, I haven’t tried to scratch it, but according to the tactile sensations, the display coating is plastic. The surface is quite dirty, fingerprints remain. The glide is also not very good, but if your hands are dry and clean, it glides well. I would say that the screen quality is typical for inexpensive devices with a plastic coating.

There is a very small protruding frame around the edges of the glass - less than 1 mm. Thanks to this frame, the smartphone can be placed on a flat and smooth surface without the screen touching the surface.

Sensor (touchscreen)

The touchscreen works clearly.

Lumia 550 battery

The battery capacity of the Lumia 550 is decent for smartphones - 2100 mAh. In the budget segment, most models have batteries less than 2000 mAh. Moreover, this is an honest 2100 mAh. And the battery was one of the reasons for the purchase. But there are also problems. More details about the Lumia 550 battery later in this article.

Lumia 550 camera

The resolution of the main camera is modest, by today's standards, only 5 megapixels. But the camera quality is very decent. I think the Lumia 550 is comparable in photo quality to most Chinese budget phones with 8 or 13 megapixel cameras. More details about the camera later in this article. In any case, with the same sensor size, a lower resolution will produce less noise (in theory).

4G (LTE) support

In 2016, in large cities, LTE is quite good for all operators and its support is already an obvious plus.

VoLTE support

The "Voice over LTE" standard is a more advanced method than VoIP. The principle is the same, but optimized for use in a 4G hardware network (LTE). In our country, this technology is currently only available in Moscow from the Beeline operator. So, today there is no practical benefit in the fact that this smartphone supports VoLTE technology. But maybe in the near future it will be in demand.

Voice recording

Lumia 550 has a recording telephone conversations. And of course, a voice recorder too. Both functions work. The recorder, indoors, writes well.

Memory

This phone has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of flash memory. Definitely needs to be installed right away. microSD card. If you are going to install an update, take photos, listen to music. Because out of 8 GB of “on-board” memory, only 4-5 are available. If you have a microSD card, the Windows update is downloaded to it. Folders of all images, downloads, documents - that is, all user files - are transferred there automatically (but the system issues a request for transfer).

You can install applications on a microSD card. Windows prompts for this option when initial setup(if SD card is installed). And this option is in the Storage settings. But this only applies to new applications. Those “out of the box” cannot be transferred to the card.

You can install an SD card from file system NTFS.

1 GB of RAM is not enough for Windows 10 even though it is Mobile. According to the AIDA64 program, less than 400 MB of RAM is available for applications. Windows itself takes up more than 600 MB. It is clear that it can “make room” if necessary, but this will result in slower operation due to swap on the SSD.

SIM card

The SIM card slot has a size like nano SIM(4FF). If you are planning to trim your old SIM card To plug it into this slot, please note that the old SIM cards were thicker. And the old SIM card needs to not only be cut, but also ground off. According to the standard, the thickness of 4FF cards is 0.67 mm. Old SIM cards (2FF, mini SIM) have a thickness of 0.80 mm. The difference seems to be insignificant, but it is enough for the SIM card to get stuck in the connector.

Screensaver

Strictly speaking it's more likely Windows property 10 than a phone, but still. The screensaver displays the current time and notifications (about calls, SMS) on the switched off screen. That is, the touchscreen is turned off, the screen is almost turned off - only the time and notifications are displayed at the bottom.

A convenient feature that allows you to get information without turning on the smartphone screen.

However, not everything is great with her. It is tied to the readings of the light sensor and turns off in the dark. The logic of this decision is clear: if the smartphone is in your pocket or bag, why show the screensaver and waste energy on it. But when the illumination increases, the screensaver turns on with a long delay, up to several seconds. And when you take your phone out of your pocket, you will have to wait for the information to appear. It will be faster to turn on the screen with a button.

So, in fact, this function is only useful when the smartphone is in a bright room, on a table or on a shelf. In a dark room, the screensaver also turns off.

The idea is good, but poorly implemented. Battery consumption for this screensaver is approximately 1% per hour.

Lumia 550 review

Now the actual review Microsoft phone Lumia 550 LTE. I have a model with a black back cover.

Lumia 550 phone design

I read in some review, or maybe it was on YouTube, that the Lumia 550 smartphone looks cheap. In my opinion this is not the case at all. I don’t know what the model with a white cover looks like, but the all-black smartphone looks very good. All black, no shiny elements. Very strict, conservative look. There is not a single colored or shiny part.

Black block. This looks unusual against the backdrop of today's colorful smartphones.

The effect is enhanced by the fact that the background, in Windows 10 Mobile itself and in native applications, is also black. And the text is correspondingly white on black. It turns out very nice and original when turned on. The text seems to be displayed directly on the phone body. Because, due to the black background, the display itself barely stands out on the front panel of the case. Here's an example of the Explorer screen:

An additional advantage of the design, for me personally, is that there are no elements “a la iPhone” in it. That is, the design of the Lumia 550 smartphone is completely its own, without borrowing from Apple. And these borrowings are already in the older Lumiya models - 650 and 950.

We can say that the appearance of the Lumia 550 is a contrast to iPhones and iPhone mania.

The design of the 550 model is typical for all Nokia Lumia, which is not surprising, because in fact it is Nokia Lumia 550. Because smartphones with the Microsoft label are produced by this famous Finnish company.

The typical design for Nokia Lumia primarily refers to the back cover in the form of a bath in which the smartphone is immersed. That is, the lid is made entirely, together with the sidewalls. But there is a slight difference. In previous Nokia, the sides of the lid completely covered the screen and were rounded on the sides. In this model, the screen protrudes above the sides by about a millimeter. I don’t know why this solution was chosen, but it doesn’t seem to spoil the view. And the sidewalls have clear angular edges when transitioning to the back surface.

By the way, even Apple borrowed the idea of ​​such a cover from Nokia for its iPhone 5C.

Telephone

Actually this main function, even on a smartphone. Lumiya 550 rings perfectly. And in conversational dynamics and the microphone has good, clear and strong sound.

But full quality telephone sound The Lumia 550 can only be appreciated when you talk to someone who also has good phone. For example Samsung, Apple, Sony, Nokia.

If the interlocutor has a Chinese UG, then it is clear that Lumia will not be able to handle it for two.

Case ergonomics

Everything here is not good, if not bad. It seems to me that when they designed the Lumiya 550 case, they didn’t think about ergonomics at all. Based on the totality of all the problems, ergonomics can be given a two.

Power button.

Firstly, it is in the middle of the body, on the left side. Due to this location, it is inconvenient to press with your thumb if you hold the phone in right hand. Moreover, if you hold the phone tightly in your right hand, you can involuntarily press this button with your palm. Or with your fingers (if the phone is in your left hand). You walk with your phone in your hand and find that the screen is on fire. Because the button was accidentally pressed. Or, on the contrary, it happens that you are using your phone and suddenly the screen goes blank - because a button was accidentally pressed.

And to avoid random clicks, you have to hold the phone by the bottom half, and this is inconvenient. And you have to remember this button.

Secondly, the side edges of the case are beveled back. Because of this, both buttons are hard to feel with your thumb if you hold the smartphone in your right hand. My conclusion is that the buttons are designed for the left hand. If you hold the phone in your left hand, then everything becomes normal. And the beveled sides help you feel the buttons better. And it’s easier to avoid accidentally hitting the power button with your fingers.

Side faces of the body (cover).

They are beveled towards the rear surface. And the plastic is quite slippery.

And it creates big problem when you need to pick up the phone from a table (or other flat surface). More precisely, the problem occurs if the phone is lying face down. In this case, it is very difficult to lift it; due to the beveled sides, it slips out of your fingers. You have to lift it with your fingernails and stick your fingers under the screen.

You can, of course, place it face up. In this case, it will be easy to pick up, but then you will have to twist the phone in your hand to turn the screen towards you. In general, I would say that the sloping sides on the Lumia 550 are inconvenient.

And you can’t grab it by the middle of the case - because there’s a power button there!

External speaker.

It is displayed on back panel housings. At the same time, there is just a round hole (in the lid) with a diameter of about 4 mm. And when the phone is lying on the table with the screen up, the hole closes tightly and the sound is very muffled. Subjectively, without instruments, half as quiet. It is absolutely possible to miss a call or a signal about an incoming SMS if the phone is not lying next to you, but, say, in the next room.

Camera lens.

It is located in the middle of the body (widthwise). Instead of being in the corner of the case, as Sony and Apple do. Correct position phone, when shooting, horizontal. And in this position, holding a smartphone with both hands is uncomfortable. You can only hold the side edges with the fingers of your left hand. And this is unreliable. And the fixation is worse and you can simply drop the phone.

And when the lens is positioned in top corner case (in a horizontal position), this makes it possible to securely hold the smartphone by the screen and back cover.

Plastic.

The plastic of the lid is pleasant both in appearance and to the touch (the lid is made of polycarbonate). But it's quite slippery. So, you need to hold the phone tightly so as not to drop it. And if you hold it tightly, you may accidentally press the power button (see above). And the plastic is easily soiled. You will have to wipe it periodically.

SD card connector.

It does not have a return spring, such as in the SIM card connector. At the same time, the design of the connector is such that you cannot pull it out with your fingers (nails). Need tweezers.

Screen

But Nokia came up with a good solution for the screen in the form of a protruding frame around the perimeter (at the edges of the screen). This frame protects the screen from dirt and scratches when the smartphone is lying on a flat surface with the display facing down. In addition, the frame does not allow the smartphone to slide on a smooth inclined surface when it lies with the display down. For comparison, the Samsung J3 2016 (which does not have such a frame) slides off a slanted smooth surface (lacquered furniture) quite easily. And the same frame protects the screen from “sticking” to a very smooth surface (such as glass).

That is, Lumiya 550 can be quite safely and comfortably placed with the screen down on flat and smooth surfaces.

Lumia 550 camera

The resolution of the main camera is modest, by today's standards, only 5 megapixels. But the camera quality is very decent. I think the Lumia 550 is comparable in photo quality to most Chinese budget phones with 8 or 13 megapixel cameras. Personally, I'm not going to take pictures with this camera, I have a camera, but here are a couple of photos as an example:

Like all smartphone cameras, it is desperately photoshopped. But this Lumiya has a more beautiful photoshop than, for example, the Samsung J3 2016, and it has an 8 megapixel camera.

You can take good photos for publication on the Internet and for viewing on a computer. If you understand the limitations that all smartphone cameras have and know how to compensate for these limitations, then you can take good pictures.

Of course, it can’t compare with a camera, even a compact one, but among smartphones the level is not bad. In any case, among smartphones in the price segment of about $100, maybe best camera. Which is not surprising - after all, Nokia traditionally has good cameras in its smartphones.

The Camera application has the following functionality:

• Autofocus
• Focus point by touching the touchscreen.
• Exposure bracketing.
• Serial shooting.
• Self-timer.
• "Live photo" (videos 1 second long).
• Framing grid (4 types).
• Eat manual installations for ISO, shutter speed, focus and brightness! Although they are of course of little use.

Lumia 550 battery

Lumia 550 battery is Li-ion battery BL-T5A 2100 mAh, 3.7 v, 7.8 wh. Using a standard charger, it charges from zero (full discharge) to 100% in just over three hours.

Immediately after purchase it is worth doing 2-3 full discharge-charge cycles. By complete discharge we mean a situation where the phone itself turns off due to low battery. As a result of such full discharge-charge cycles, the controller (which monitors energy consumption from the battery) is recalibrated and it will provide more accurate information about battery capacity and energy consumption.

There are many reports on the Internet that the Lumia 550 runs out of battery quickly. In fact, the battery of the Lumia 550 is quite normal for a budget smartphone. The problem is in Windows 10 Mobile. Out of the box there is a ton of everything included in the settings. And this whole crowd is eating up the battery. Therefore, you need to configure Windows. After setting, you can get battery consumption, in standby mode (when the screen is off), even up to 0.1 % per hour ("Airplane" mode). That is, relatively speaking, in standby mode the Lumia 550 can last more than a month without recharging. These numbers 0.3 % per hour and 0.1 % per hour, this is not fiction. This real numbers, which I received on my Lumia 550.

These numbers are far from what is stated in the specifications on the Microsoft website. For example, they promise 60 hours of music playback, but in fact, both MP3 and radio consume 2.5% per hour. That is, you can play music on your headphones for a maximum of 40 hours. But 28 days of standby time is not fantastic. If you turn on the "Airplane" mode and don't touch the phone at all. But why do you need a phone that is lying on the shelf?

In general, you can really spend a day or two on one charge, if you use it carefully and without fanaticism. As little Internet as possible and no videos, no games. If without the Internet, games and videos, then you can probably last 3-4 days on one charge.

The problem is that lithium-ion batteries have a limited number of charge cycles. What’s interesting is that the number of these cycles depends on the depth of battery discharge. The more discharged the battery is (before charging), the fewer charge cycles it can withstand.

If you discharge the battery completely (before turning off the smartphone), then the number of charge cycles is the lowest - good batteries approximately 500 cycles. But if you put it on charge before the battery is completely discharged, then the number of charge cycles increases. If you start charging with 50% remaining charge, then the number of cycles increases to more than 1000. If you charge the battery with 80% remaining (20% discharge), then the number of cycles increases even more. However, such frequent charging (at 80% or 90% battery) can be inconvenient. And the total battery life in this case does not increase. The optimal option is to charge at 40-50 percent of the battery remaining.

Several rules that will extend the life of the battery.

• Do not discharge the battery to 100%, it is best to charge it at 50% or 40% of the battery remaining.
• Charge the battery to 100%. You can keep it charging for a while and after it shows 100% - it often happens that charging continues despite the indicator readings. But a little. 30 minutes. Maybe an hour. Not half the night.
• Do not leave a fully charged phone connected to the charger. A common mistake is to charge your phone overnight. The battery is charged in 2-3 hours, and then, already charged, remains charged for another 5 hours. The batteries have controllers that monitor the discharge and charge and automatically turn off the battery or charging. However, such a controller may fail during operation. So it's better to be safe.
• Use only standard Charger. Lithium-ion batteries are critical to charging current characteristics. And if the manufacturer includes a charger with certain characteristics, then such characteristics are better suited for the battery of this smartphone. Using any kind of chargers, in particular, can damage the battery controller. In particular, avoid using Chinese chargers of unknown origin.
• Do not keep your smartphone near heat sources; lithium-ion batteries do not like heat.

Once every few months, you can recalibrate the controller that monitors battery discharge. To do this, you need to completely discharge the battery and then fully charge it. With this cycle, the controller updates information about the actual battery capacity and the system will show more accurate discharge-charge data. Recalibration is worth doing because over time, the battery capacity gradually decreases. The capacity data stored by the controller is updated only after complete discharge-charge cycles.

Some indicators on battery consumption (from practice). These are the indicators on the factory firmware:

• Playing music on headphones (radio or player): 4-5% per hour.
• Browsing websites (Internet via 3G or 4G): 15-20% per hour.
• Smartphone operation in WiFi hotspot mode: approximately 15% per hour.
• Taking photographs, around 8-10 photos (calmly, without haste, in 15-20 minutes): 5%. Approximately 0.5% per photo.
• In idle mode (standby mode), if the Internet, WiFi and Bluetooth are turned off, only telephone GSM works: from 0.5 to 2%.

The summary is this - if you put it on a shelf and it lies in standby mode, it can last for three days on one charge. But if you use a phone, then it’s much less. From more than a day to 5-6 hours. The biggest drain on the battery is the screen and the Internet (no matter via a cellular network or via WiFi).

After updating the firmware and Windows, the situation with battery consumption has improved.

• Playing music on headphones (radio or player): 2.5% per hour.
• Smartphone operation in WiFi hotspot mode: approximately 10% per hour. Setting up an access point on Lumia 550.
• Browsing websites in a browser (Edge): approximately 15% per hour. Approximately the same figure should be when using applications such as Whatsapp, Viber.
• In idle mode (standby mode), if the Internet, WiFi and Bluetooth are turned off, but the telephone GSM is working: 0.3 %.
• In idle mode (standby mode), if everything is turned off (airplane mode): 0.1 %.
• Screensaver operation (with time and notifications displayed on the screen when the screen is off): approximately 1% per hour.

Such indicators can be obtained after updating both firmware and Windows via WDRT. The Windows version remains 1511, only the assembly is updated.

Further updating Windows (over the air) to version 1607 does not change anything in battery consumption. Apparently the developers have reached the limit to reduce power consumption on this smartphone. The consumption figures, when idle, are beautiful - theoretically, this Lumiya can lie on a shelf in “airplane” mode for up to 50 days. However, no one needs such a lying phone. But in real work it’s not so rosy. For example, in access point mode, this Lumiya can last a maximum of 10 hours. active use Internet (via a browser or other programs) working on one charge for 24 hours is a big question.

The battery discharges very smoothly, without dips. So it seems to be of good quality.

Note: If you are looking for a smartphone with a powerful battery, read the advisory article "Smartphone with a powerful battery". It contains useful tips for choosing a smartphone with a large battery.

Setting up Lumia 550

This section describes how to configure the Lumia 550 so that Windows 10 Mobile consumes less battery.

• Settings - Privacy - Background apps. In this list, you can disable all applications except the Messages application. If you disable Messages, then there will be no notifications about incoming SMS.
• Settings - Privacy - Reviews and diagnostics. Here select the "Never" option.
• Settings - Privacy - Location. If you do not use a navigator, disable this option.
• Settings - Privacy - Move. Turn it off.
• Settings - Privacy - Microphone. Disable everything except Accessories and Voice Recording.
• Settings - Privacy - Camera. Disable all applications.
• Settings - Privacy - Account Information. Turn it off.
• . Disable all applications except Messages.
• Settings - Privacy - Calendar. Disable all applications except Calendar
• Options - Privacy - Email. Disable all applications.
• Settings - Privacy - Messaging. Disable all applications except Messages
• Settings - Privacy - Contacts. Disable all applications except Messages
• Settings - Privacy - Ad ID. Disable
• Settings - Privacy - Other devices. Disable
• Settings - System - Notifications and Actions. You can turn everything off here too. However, in this case there will be no notification about received SMS!
• Settings - System - Messaging. Turn off MMS.
• Parameters - System -Offline maps. Disable the update.
• Settings - System - Battery Saver - Battery Saver Options. Set the limit to 100%, this means that the "Battery Saver" mode will always be enabled. Enabling this mode blocks downloading Windows updates!
• Settings - Network and wireless connection- WiFi. Set mode turn on WiFi"manually". And turn on WiFi only when you need it.
• Settings - Network and Wireless - Data Usage. You can set traffic limits.
• Settings - Personalization - Start. Turn off tile transparency and background.
• Settings - Personalization - Sounds. Disable vibration alerts and activity sounds.
• Settings - Personalization - Lock screen. Disable Outlook and set the image to black.
• Settings - Extras - Display - Brightness Profile. Reduce display brightness.
• Options - Add-ons - Touch input. Turn off vibration when typing.
• Options - Add-ons - Screensaver. Disable.
• Settings - Update and Security - Backup Service. Turn off OneDrive backup.
• Settings - Update & Security - Find your phone. Turn this feature off.
• Settings - Accounts - Sync your settings. Turn off synchronization.
• Settings - Accounts - Email and accounts. Set the mail checking mode to "manual".
• Settings - Time and language - Date and time. Disable time synchronization.
• Store - Settings - App Update. Disable automatic update applications.

Follow this section Settings - Privacy - Background applications. New apps (that you install) will most likely end up on this list with permission to background work. And in Windows versions 1607 The "phone update" application has been added to this list. If you prevent it from running in the background, then Windows will not automatically download and install updates. This is a workaround because you cannot explicitly prevent Windows from auto-updating.

In addition to these settings, a few more tips:

• Always keep WiFi, Bluetooth and Data turned off and turn them on only when you need them. This is easily done through the Quick Actions panel (Blind).
• Remove dynamic tiles from the Start screen. Such as Weather, News, etc.
• Always delete unused applications from RAM. The list of applications loaded into memory can be opened with a long tap on the "Back" button in the navigation panel. In theory, Windows itself should “silence” background applications (if the “Economy” mode is enabled). But in practice, it may fail and the background process will eat up the battery. This happened to my camera - Windows didn’t turn it off and the camera “gobbled up” 20% of the charge in 2-3 hours, just hanging out in the background.
• Turn on airplane mode at night. Better yet, turn off your smartphone completely, this will not only save you a few percent of the battery, but will also increase the stability of Windows.

Something like this:

Lock screen (black image) and home screen Windows screen 10 Mobile::

As a result, you can increase battery consumption to 0.3 % or even up to 0.1 % at one o'clock. Of course, this means consumption in the standby state when you are not using the phone. Because when you use a smartphone, there are few opportunities to save money - reducing the brightness of the display (if possible), refusing to use energy-intensive applications - videos, games.

What else can be done to reduce consumption?

Find out the signal strength in your area, for different communication standards. And to use the Internet, set the standard with the strongest signal. "Settings - Network and Wireless - Cellular network and SIM card - SIM card settings - Most high speed connection ". Even if it is 2G (EDGE). The weaker the signal, the more energy the phone spends communicating with base station. The same thing with WiFi - the weaker the connection with the access point, the more the battery drains. The same principle applies to voice cellular communications- how worse connection with the base station, the more the battery is discharged.

These settings help reduce battery consumption mainly only in standby mode. In real use, all this has little effect on consumption. What consumes me the most is working on the Internet. In 1 hour of browsing websites, up to 15-20% of the battery charge can be consumed.

Microsoft Lumia 550 applications

Out of the box, Windows 10 Mobile has the following applications on board:

Phone, Messages (send and receive SMS), People (Contacts), Camera (taking photos), Explorer, Photos (viewing and editing), Edge browser, Alarm clock, VKontakte, Yandex Money, Voice recording (dictaphone and recording of telephone conversations), Calculator, Radio (headphones required), Facebook, Groove Music, Data Transfer (sync via Bluetooth). All these applications work immediately. They don't require an account Microsoft entry. There is no need to download, update or install anything. All these programs work right out of the box.

But you will have to tinker with these programs. These apps require a Microsoft account and a Store login, meaning you'll need the Internet:

Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Skype, Twitter, Wallet, Outlook Calendar, OneDrive.

Note. After installing new programs, check the Privacy settings sections: “Background applications”, “Camera”, “Microphone”. New programs may be there with permissions to run in the background, as well as to use a microphone and camera.

Lumia 550 manual

A screenshot on the Lumia 550 is performed by simultaneously pressing the Volume + (louder) and Power buttons. On the one hand, this is inconvenient - you need to do it with both hands. On the other hand, you can use hardware buttons to take any screenshot, even a modal screen. An indicator that a screenshot has been taken appears at the top of the screen. Screenshots are saved to the "Pictures" folder.

Reducing the screen. If you make a long tap on the Home button, the screen will shrink to the bottom half of the display. This is convenient if you need to operate the phone with one hand, or rather with the thumb of this hand.

Lumia 550 music

Right out of the box there is:

• Music player"Groove Music". The player is simple, but it seems to work fine. In the Store, you can select another player, for example VLC. Battery consumption when listening to mp3 is approximately 2.5% per hour.
• FM Radio. But for the radio to work, you need to plug in wired headphones, they are used as an antenna. The reception is good, stations in the range from 80 - 108. In the application settings there are three ranges - America, Worldwide, Japan. It picks up stations differently in different bands. Battery consumption when listening to the radio is approximately 2.5% per hour.

Pinout in audio jack, this phone, OMTP type. If you have a headset with a microphone and the connector type is CTIA, then the microphone will not work. And the plug itself needs to be inserted not completely, about three-quarters. But it is better to buy an adapter from OMTP to CTIA.

Difference between OMTP And CTIA connectors is that the contacts zero and the microphone on them do not match (their contacts are made the other way around).

Note. In Windows, in update 1604, the native FM Radio program was removed! Actually, not at all. You need to look for something in the Store.

Connecting to a computer

On Windows 7, 8 and 10, the phone, after connecting with a USB cable, is visible directly in Explorer:

And here is a review of the competitor Lumiya 550: A little worse, but noticeably cheaper. This again comes to the question of the not very good price for the Lumia 550. Another option is to sacrifice a little on the quality of the hardware, but save 2-3 thousand rubles.

Purchased Lumiya here:

P.S.

Two months later, I am ambivalent about the Lumia 550.

On the one hand, high-quality filling and assembly. Interesting appearance. Decent camera. Sound. Good autonomy, if you do not abuse the Internet. In general, such a smooth, high-quality smartphone, without failures or weak points.

On the other hand, in terms of the set of programs, in terms of functionality, Windows Mobile Android outright loses. And also poor ergonomics of the case. Well, lack of zest. Something you can fall for. Or in appearance. Or in functionality. Here's how, for example, Samsung J1 - amoled display, design for iPhone 6.

It's hard to call this smartphone bad - objectively, it doesn't deserve it. But I don’t have a feeling of complete satisfaction from it either. It's not that there's disappointment, no. There is an understanding that for about the same amount you can buy an Android smartphone, which will be more useful to me.

Emotionally, I love this Lumiya. Very nice color scheme, solid black, no gypsy stuff. My heart votes for her. However, reason suggests that this is not the best option, for me, because there are no more important things in it for me than the camera or design.

Federal chain of stores Yulmart is a good place for purchasing computer and household appliances. Low prices, convenient purchasing process.
Registration in Yulmart
If you indicate a promotional code when registering 6023036 , then for purchases you can receive bonus points, which you can spend at Yulmart.

P.P.S.

If you want to buy a Lumia 550 for about 6,300 rubles, contact me, I will help. It will be of course new smartphone, from the shop. You can buy it yourself in the store. I'll just help you get a discount. Limited offer:

• In time - only until the end of 2016.
• Geographically - not all populated areas it's possible. Although you can send by mail, this will eat up most of the discount.

To use this offer, write to me by email - [email protected]

Ivan Sukhov, 2016 .

If you found this article useful or simply liked it, then do not hesitate to financially support the author. This is easy to do by throwing money at Yandex Wallet No. 410011416229354. Or on the phone +7 918-16-26-331 .

Even a small amount can help write new articles :)

Related articles:

Among smartphone owners on Windows based Phone 8.1 there are quite a few who have already installed a test version of Windows 10 Mobile on their device. And they managed to do this thanks to the fact that they took part in the Windows Insider program. Because official release Windows 10 for smartphones is just around the corner, some of the insiders are already […]

Participants in the Windows Insider Preview Program have already experienced mobile version new browser Microsoft Edge. And most likely, many were infuriated by the fact that in this browser it is impossible to change the default search engine (SE), since there is no corresponding parameter in the settings. Fortunately, in latest builds Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Microsoft developers have finally […]

Almost the first thing after purchasing a new Lumiya smartphone, each of us tries to set our own melody as a ringtone. However, most users who have not previously held a WP smartphone in their hands do not know how to put music on a call in Lumia. Actually, it was for this reason that it was removed short video instructions from which [...]

In principle, Microsoft has long officially announced that the Windows 10 Mobile operating system will be available not only to new models, but also to Lumia smartphones, which are currently running Windows Phone 8.x. And this cannot but please us, although there is one, and quite a big, “but” to this scheme. How will smartphones work that […]

One of the changes in preview version Windows 10 for smartphones is the absence of the usual language switching button. Those who decided to try the future version of Microsoft's mobile operating system on their Lumia smartphone were slightly stunned by the lack of a banal button with which they could switch between languages ​​(in messages, when searching for the necessary contact, when typing a website address, […]

This article is devoted to the question: how to reboot Lumiya? As we know, nothing is perfect in the world. Sooner or later everything stops working, freezes and may even break down completely. The situation is approximately the same with Lumia smartphones based on Windows Phone. Although we must say special thanks to the developers from Microsoft for being able to create a fast and […]

Majority Windows owners Phone Lumia smartphones We noticed that over time the phone’s memory is becoming less and less, and this despite the fact that no one installed or transferred anything new to their device. How so? Who "eats" free memory? Now I will try to answer this, as well as other related questions. So, first of all [...]

Relatively recently, Microsoft released the first Windows assembly 10 Technical Preview for smartphones, which in turn is currently available only for a limited number of smartphones. And, oddly enough, many of those whose smartphones were included in the list of supported devices immediately rushed to install this build of new software. Right away, I would like to say that [...]