Problems reading Windows Phone SD card. Problems reading SD card Windows Phone Memory card for Lumia 640 phone

Often, built-in memory alone is not enough. It can be expanded by installing an external flash drive in a special slot on the device. So-called SD cards store a lot of important and unique information: photos, audio files, videos, applications, notes, etc. And if for some reason the drive fails and Windows Phone does not see the SD card, this can become a serious problem in using the smartphone.

The source of this failure can be various kinds of technical problems. However, the problem can be fixed. There are several effective methods for this.

Causes of flash drive read error

A message that SD card not found on Windows Phone can happen quite unexpectedly. Even if such problems had not arisen before and the flash drive was working properly in the device. If this error occurs, the first thing you need to do is make sure that the memory card used in the device is made by a reliable manufacturer. Otherwise, it is likely that the flash drive has simply failed and cannot be restored.

Along with this, a reading error can be caused by a number of other reasons that can be corrected:

• - the format of the card used does not match those supported by devices on the Windows Phone platform;
• - memory full;
• - data protection using a password;
• - software glitch.

For each reason there is its own solution. The most difficult problem to diagnose is a software failure, which will require a complete formatting of the flash drive.

What is Format Compliance?

If a problem occurs when connecting a flash drive Windows Phone SD card error, it is worth checking how well it meets the requirements.

The flash drive must be in Micro SD format. This information is indicated on the packaging and on the product itself. In addition, its volume must correspond to what is possible for a particular operating system:

• - for the Windows Background platform 8.1 and 10 versions, from 4 to 200 GB is allowed;
• - for software version 8, it is possible to use a flash drive with a capacity of 4 to 128 GB.

If the specified parameters correspond, but Windows Phone SD card problem All that remains is to check whether access to it is blocked with a password.

How to find out if there is an active password on a flash card

To understand whether the information on the SD card is protected, you need to connect it to a computer. This can be done using a special card reader or adapter.

Next, you will need to go to the “My Computer” section and find your flash drive in the list of removable media. If, when you try to open it, the PC asks for confirmation of access rights and the information is not available, you need to remove the set password. This can only be done on the device that has access protection has been installed.

In the case when access is open and the card meets the required parameters, there are two ways to solve an error that has arisen in the operation of the flash drive: scanning it and then troubleshooting it and formatting.

Scan SD card problems

This procedure will also require a connection to a computer. Before doing this, the flash drive must be safely removed from the mobile device. To do this, you need to go to the system settings section. In it, select the section responsible for the device’s memory. Find the SD card item in the list. Long press to open the context menu and select the “Delete” option from the list that opens.

For the Windows Background 8 platform, the path to the flash drive is through the settings section, which is responsible for applications. Here you can select the “Memory Control” item, in which the flash drive will be presented. Using the context menu, you will need to click on the “Remove card” item.

After the flash drive is removed, you need to connect it to the computer. If the scan and troubleshoot option is automatically offered, you need to select it. Or go to the “My Computer” section and click on the appropriate option in the context menu of the flash card.

In cases where a lot of data is stored on the card, the procedure for identifying problems and correcting them may take a long time. After it is completed, you need to install the card on your mobile device and restart the phone.

Formatting a flash drive

The last resort method for troubleshooting is to completely erase the memory card. Before doing this, you need to save a backup copy of the stored data. Otherwise they will be lost forever.

Formatting is also carried out using a PC. This item can be selected from the SD card context menu. In the window that opens, you need to set the necessary parameters:

• - for drives with memory capacity from 4 to 32 GB, you must select the “FAT32” file system and the cell size is 32 KB;
• - for a flash drive with a memory capacity from 64 to 200 GB - “exFAT” and size 128 KB.

The formatting procedure may take a long time. Once completed, the card must be removed from the PC using secure removal. You need to restore files from a backup copy only in formats compatible with the device. These are JPEG for images and photos, MP4 for videos and MP3 for audio files.

The range of “Windows backgrounds” has been expanded with the following models. Four variants of Lumia 640: single-SIM and 3G, single-SIM and LTE, dual-SIM and 3G, dual-SIM and LTE. Also presented to the public were four variants of the Lumia 640 XL with a similar combination of distinctive features. The younger model Lumia 640 is equipped with a 5″ screen, while the Lumia 640 XL has a slightly larger screen – 5.7″. Considering that all smartphones will be sold at the same time, and the versions with one and two SIM cards will have the same price, the question inevitably arises: what were Microsoft marketers thinking about? The Lumia lineup is already full of devices, and you can figure out how one of them differs from another only if you read the lists of characteristics and compare them line by line. The release of four pairs of smartphones with the same price and the difference only in the number of SIM card slots does not make the process of choosing a mobile companion any easier. Why even release identical smartphones on the market with support for one or two SIM card slots with the same price tags? After all, it is clear that, all other things being equal, buyers will give preference to models with support for two SIM cards.

Be that as it may, at the time of preparing the review, the Microsoft website had information about only four variants of the smartphone: 640 LTE, 640 DS LTE, 640 DS 3G and 640 XL DS 3G. Further in the text of the review, the abbreviation “DS” means support for two SIM cards. For all variants of the smartphone, several body colors are available: white, black, red and blue. Some of them were in stock, others were only available by pre-order.

The basis for the devices of the Lumia 640 family is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC; all smartphones are equipped with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of flash memory. The display type is the same for all models (the diagonal is different), but the main cameras of the 640 and 640 XL are different: 8 MP and 13 MP matrices, f/2.2 and f/2.0 optics, respectively. The front cameras are also different: a wide-angle Full HD 5 MP camera for the Lumia 640 XL and a 0.9 MP HD camera for the Lumia 640. Naturally, the larger 640 XL has a more powerful battery: 3000 mAh versus 2500 mAh. And one more difference: models with LTE support are also equipped with an NFC module.

The hero of this review is the Lumia 640 DS 3G smartphone.

Characteristics of Microsoft Lumia 640 smartphones

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926, 1.2 GHz, 4 cores ARM Cortex-A7
• GPU Adreno 305
• Operating system Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2, Lumia Denim package
• Touch display 5″, IPS, ClearBlack, 1280×720, capacitive, multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• RAM 1 GB
• Internal memory 8 GB
• Nokia Lumia 640 3G model: 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 3G WCDMA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• Nokia Lumia 640 LTE model: 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 3G WCDMA (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz), 4G/LTE (bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28)
• Data transfer GPRS, EDGE, HSPA+ (up to 42 Mbit/s), LTE (up to 150 Mbit/s)
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• GPS/Glonass/BeiDou, accelerometer, magnetometer (compass), gyroscope, proximity sensor, light sensor
• FM radio
• Cameras: main 8 MP (autofocus, flash), additional 0.9 MP
• Removable battery 2500 mAh
• Dimensions 141.3 x 72.2 x 8.8 mm
• Weight 145 g

For comparison, the table shows the characteristics of several recent Nokia models with LTE support.

	Microsoft Lumia 640	Nokia Lumia 735	Nokia Lumia 830	Nokia Lumia 930	Nokia Lumia 1520
Screen	5″, IPS	4.7″, AMOLED	5″, IPS	5″, AMOLED	6″, IPS
Permission	1280×720, 294 ppi	1280×720, 312 ppi	1280×720, 294 ppi	1920×1080, 441 ppi	1920×1080, 367 ppi
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926 @1.2 GHz (4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores)			Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 @2.2 GHz (4 Krait 400 cores)
GPU	Adreno 305			Adreno 330
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	8 GB	8 GB	16 GB	32 GB	32 GB
Memory card support	There is	There is	There is	No	There is
Operating system*	Windows Phone 8.1				Windows Phone 8
SIM format**	Micro-SIM	Nano-SIM
Communications		2G/3G/4G, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC	2G/3G/4G, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC		2G/3G/4G, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, NFC
Battery	removable, 2500 mAh	removable, 2220 mAh	removable, 2200 mAh	non-removable, 2420 mAh	non-removable, 3400 mAh
Cameras	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (0.9 MP)	rear (6.7 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP)	rear (10 MP; video 1080p), front (0.9 MP)		rear (20(5) MP; video 1080p), front (1.2 MP)
Dimensions and weight	141×72×8.8 mm, 145 g	135×69×8.9 mm, 134 g	139×71×8.5 mm, 150 g	137×71×9.8 mm, 167 g	163×86×10.6 mm, 209 g
Average price***	T-12206544	T-11030519	T-11030194	T-10771306	T-10548283
Nokia Lumia 640 DS LTE retail offers	L-12206544-10

* OS version is indicated at the time the device appeared on the market
** The most common SIM card formats are described in a separate material
*** average cost at the time of reading the article

Equipment

The smartphone comes in traditional packaging for the current generation of Lumia devices. The design is assembled from two boxes, the inner part is placed in the outer cover. There is little information about the smartphone's parameters on the packaging; all of it is presented in the form of a few icons. Some details about the characteristics of a particular smartphone model can be found in the text and abbreviations on the sticker attached to the package.

The mobile computer that visited the editorial office came with only a charger and documentation. Judging by information from the Microsoft website, Lumia 640 buyers will receive just such a modest set of accessories.

Appearance and ease of use

There are several standard appearance options for Lumia smartphones. The first group includes strict rectangular (in plan) devices with chopped sharp edges. Devices of the second group are also distinguished by edges that intersect strictly at an angle of 90 degrees, but their body is made of plastic rather than metal. Finally, the third broad group includes models with rounded, smoothed body contours and smoothly merging edges. Most representatives of the third category are also made of plastic. Obviously, cutting and turning metal at right angles is still easier than giving it a round or curved shape.

The current hero of this review belongs to the third category of Lumia smartphones. The smooth contours of the body and colored plastic give the Lumia 640 a somewhat frivolous look, but this is a long-standing trend among Nokia/Microsoft designers. They love fun and cheerful colors in their devices, and we can only praise them for that. For lovers of a strict style, there is a black and white back panel.

At first glance, the Lumia 640 makes a good impression, but the devil, as we know, is in the details. And the longer you work with your smartphone, the more, unfortunately, you discover such disappointing moments.

The main, main, almost ultimate design flaw of the Lumia 640 is its extremely slippery plastic. Perhaps the current hero of the review is the most “unstoppable”, in the bad sense of the word, smartphone that has come into my hands. The varnished back panel and side edges of the Lumia 640 turn the smartphone into a bar of soap. Nothing helps - neither the sufficiently large width of the edges, nor the significant surface area of ​​the rear panel; The smartphone still tries to slip out of your hands every now and then. Using the device in transport, much less doing anything there with one hand, is out of the question: one extra push and the Lumia 640 will go from the palm of your hand towards the center of the Earth. It’s easy to understand what made Microsoft’s designers choose such a material for the body of the review hero, but what allowed the engineers to agree with them is difficult. Most Lumiyas use much less slippery soft-touch plastic, which feels like rubber to the touch. However, judging by the appearance of the recently announced Lumia 435, slippery plastic is a long-term trend in the work of Microsoft developers. It's sad. Well, to finally close the topic of the plastic back panel of the Lumia 640, I’ll note that, as befits a lacquered surface, it perfectly collects fingerprints, traces of touches and scratches.

Considering the above, there would be no need to dwell in detail on how the smartphone fits in the palm of your hand. But if we ignore the varnished plastic or imagine that the owner of a mobile computer has extremely rough skin or the surface of the smartphone is covered with a layer of dirt, then the following should be noted: in terms of dimensions, the Lumia 640 fits perfectly into a medium-sized palm. You have to hold the smartphone tightly, and your fingers have something to grab onto - the wide side edges help. When working with a smartphone, the power control button is located just under the thumb of the right hand. The relatively light weight of the mobile computer does not cause discomfort or fatigue.

It is difficult to operate the Lumia 640 with one hand, but if you really want to, it is possible. The main obstacle to this is not the large display, but, as already mentioned, the slippery plastic. A mobile computer fits in a trouser or shirt pocket without any problems.

There are no complaints about the quality of materials and workmanship of the Lumia 640. The plastic does not look cheap, does not crunch or squeak, the back panel of the smartphone does not bend, there are no gaps in parts or extraneous sounds when shaking.

Let's move on to the next unpleasant feature of the Lumia 640's appearance and design - the wide gap for the telephone speaker. When the smartphone arrived at the editorial office, a certain amount of dust had already accumulated in this deep container. Over time, there will be even more of it there if you do not pay due attention to cleaning it. But the speaker hole isn't the only dust and dirt collector on the Lumia 640's bezel.

A hole of the same depth, but much smaller in size, is provided for the microphone, which is located at the bottom of the screen. It will be really difficult to clean anything out of it. This “in-depth” list ends with the gap between the protective glass of the display and its plastic rim.

The entire front panel of the Lumia 640 is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Below it are the display, front camera lens, light and proximity sensors. The Lumia 640 does not have dedicated touch buttons for system control; they are replaced by virtual analogues.

The back panel of the smartphone covers its entire body, “overlapping” all the side edges. This design of a mobile computer is also called a “boat”. The design is strong, but it can be very inconvenient if you need to gain access to the battery compartment. Lumia 640 is one such case. In order to more or less quickly detach the back panel, you have to press quite hard on the main camera lens, holding the smartphone by the upper edge of the case. There are no recesses for nails or other aids. We just press on the lens, the body is squeezed out, a millimeter of plastic appears, we catch it with a fingernail and separate the two parts further. It is clear that this is far from the most reliable solution, and only the rarity of the operation itself to replace the battery, SIM card or memory card during normal use of the smartphone helps to alleviate the fate of the camera glass.

The back panel of the Lumia 640 is installed back without any problems. Replacing the memory card and SIM cards is only possible when the battery is disconnected. If one of the Micro-SIM cards gets stuck, it can be pushed with a fingernail or other handy means through a special hole in the case. Judging by the fact that in almost every new smartphone, recesses and holes for pushing SIM cards have begun to appear, their jamming in the connectors is quite common.

There are holes on the back of the smartphone for the camera lens, LED flash, main speaker and connectors. There are repeaters for the keys. On the inside of the cover there are three rubber dampers and a black sticker in place of the NFC antenna, which this Lumia 640 model does not have.

Plastic keys located on the right side of the Lumia 640 case control the volume and power of the mobile computer. It’s strange, but Microsoft engineers did not provide a traditional button for controlling the camera in the Lumia 640. The shape of the keys is flat, the dimensions are sufficient for comfortable control of the smartphone blindly. Additional convenience is provided by the large key travel and a distinct click when pressed.

The left side of the Lumia 640 case is left empty. At the top end of the smartphone there is a hole for headphones. At the bottom there is a single Micro-USB-compatible connector for the sync and charging cable.

So, the appearance and design of the Lumia 640 left mixed impressions. Despite the general traditional design and execution, the current hero of the review has many minor and one major flaw in terms of the exterior. Let's be honest: using a smartphone is inconvenient and very slippery. The Lumia 640 should be immediately hidden in a case or the back panel should be replaced, for example, with a cover with a front curtain and a card holder.

Screen

The Lumia 640 screen parameters are as follows: IPS matrix, resolution 1280×720 pixels (HD), 5″ diagonal, pixel density - 293 dpi. The picture on the screen of the review hero is clear and colorful, individual pixels are invisible.

The smartphone display is protected from damage by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The backlight brightness is adjusted manually and automatically.

The Lumia 640's capacitive sensor confidently detects up to four simultaneous signals. If there are five or more signals, it begins to confuse them, the signals begin to disappear, and the behavior of the sensor becomes inadequate.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Microsoft Lumia 640, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Microsoft Lumia 640 is slightly darker (brightness according to photographs is 97 versus 111 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Microsoft Lumia 640 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (also known as the touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.

When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 385 cd/m², the minimum was 3.4 cd/m². The maximum value is quite high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, the image on the screen should be clearly visible in bright daylight. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Adjusting the brightness is quite complicated. Firstly, on a separate page the user can select one of three profiles with fixed brightness levels and enable a mode with automatic brightness adjustment based on the level of ambient light (the sensor is located to the right of the front camera eye).

Secondly, on another separate page (closer to the end of the list of applications and settings), you can go to the next level page and there, for manual mode, adjust the brightness levels for the specified three profiles.

And for the automatic mode, the degree of sensitivity is adjusted on this page:

Next, for the automatic mode (in which, when external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases) for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three positions of the sensitivity slider (at minimum, default and maximum). In complete darkness, in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 3.2, 12 and 25 cd/m², respectively (the first value is too low, the other two provide acceptable comfort for reading the screen in complete darkness); in an artificially lit office (approximately 400 lux) the brightness is set to 80, 250 and 385 cd/m² (the first two values ​​can be considered suitable), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20000 lux or a little more) - increases to 385 cd/m² in any case (the maximum that is expected). As a result, this function works more or less adequately and allows the user to make adjustments to its operation. Note that there is an option in the settings, turning it on supposedly improves readability in bright light. It is not clear what this setting actually changes, since when it is activated, the brightness of the backlight does not change, and nothing visually changes on the screen either - even in bright external light, even in the dark. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This smartphone uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Nexus 7 and Microsoft Lumia 640, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (over a white field in the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K . White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

Color rendition is good and the colors are saturated on both screens; the color balance differs insignificantly. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Microsoft Lumia 640 the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong brightening of blacks. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Microsoft Lumia 640 the drop in brightness is slightly greater (brightness according to photographs is 227 versus 230 for the Nexus 7). When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a yellowish tint or remains approximately neutral gray. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 750:1. The black-white-black response time is 23 ms (13 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 37 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.14, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma the curve deviates little from the power law:

Color gamut is close to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

By going to the second (far) page with screen settings and selecting the next nesting level - page Color profile— the user can select one of the preset profiles or a profile in which color rendering can be adjusted using color temperature, hue and saturation sliders.

The last slider slightly changes the color gamut. In position Bright we get:

In position Natural we get:

Profile cold- increased color temperature. Profile standard characterized above visually and by measurements. Profile bright- increased color saturation. Let's go to the profile additionally. Note that precise adjustment using a calibrator is significantly complicated by the lack of a numerical indication of the current values ​​and the ability to select your own image for display at the top of the screen or at least just a large section of white field on this page. The numerical result of the correction performed is shown in the graphs above with the caption Corr. There are some improvements, but not fundamental. You can choose the default profile standard.

Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gaps in the layers of the screen, as well as the sRGB color gamut and good color balance. Significant disadvantages include the low stability of black to gaze deviation from perpendicular to the screen plane. However, overall the screen quality is high.

Sound

The Microsoft Lumia 640 smartphone is equipped with two speakers and one microphone. The telephone speaker, which is located at the top of the front panel of the mobile computer, has high volume and good sound quality. Even with strong external noise, the voice of the interlocutor will be clearly distinguishable.

The main speaker of the Lumia 640 is located at the bottom of the rear panel of the smartphone. Its volume is also high, but the sound quality is average. At maximum power and with an abundance of low frequencies, it begins to noticeably wheeze.

For the main speaker there is only one hole in the back cover of the smartphone, and even of a small diameter. As a result, the speaker is very easy to muffle if you cover this hole with something. The volume of sound becomes almost zero, only vibrations will continue to pass through the body of the smartphone.

The Lumia 640 did not come with a standard headset, so the quality of the smartphone's headphone output was tested in conjunction with wired Sony MDR-XB30ER headphones. Subjectively, the sound quality was excellent. Even at the maximum comfortable volume there was no distortion. It was not possible to reach the maximum possible level of sound power - it became scary for my hearing. Thus, with good headphones, the Lumia 640 is quite suitable for listening to music in any conditions.

The sound volume in the smartphone can be changed both programmatically and using two keys on the left side of the device body. To play music, the standard Xbox Music audio player and the MixRadio program, a streaming radio service client with the option of a paid subscription for unlimited listening to audio compositions, are installed in the memory of the mobile computer.

The headphones connected to the Lumia 640 act as an antenna for the FM radio receiver built into the smartphone. It doesn't work without headphones. The program for controlling the receiver has a standard appearance. It can automatically search for stations; the stations you like can be collected in a list or placed on the desktop in the form of tiles. RDS technology and audio output to the main speaker of the smartphone are supported.

Camera

As already noted, the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL smartphones are equipped with different cameras. The mobile computer tested had models with 8 megapixel and 0.9 megapixel sensors for the main and secondary cameras, respectively. The physical size of the main camera sensor is 1/4 inch. The aperture number of the camera's optical system is f/2.2, the focal length is 28 mm. The camera is equipped with an autofocus system. An LED flash can be used for shooting in low light conditions. Video recording is carried out with a resolution of 1080p.

The aperture number of the optical system of the additional camera is f/2.4. There is no automatic focusing system. Video recording is carried out with a resolution of 720p.

It's a shame that the Lumia 640 doesn't have a traditional camera control button. Perhaps the manufacturer is making it clear that for photo experiments it is better to look at another smartphone model.

Filming is controlled by the Lumia Camera app. There are no serious delays when activating the camera; starting the application takes just over a second.

In addition to the Lumia Camera application, the Lumia 640 has several other photography-related programs: Lumia Stories, Lumia Moments, Lumia Live Photos, Lumia Selfies and Lumia Photo Studio.

	The shooting quality of the front camera is quite consistent with 1 megapixel.
	Good sharpness across the field and plans. It’s nice that the trees practically do not merge.
	The branches and even the grass were well done. The sharpness in distant shots is good.
	The camera copes quite well in low light conditions.
	Good sharpness across the field and plans. Not all 13-megapixel cameras are able to capture grass in the same way, even in the foreground.
	The camera copes with macro photography.
	The text is well done.

Perhaps, the camera has no obvious shortcomings, other than the low resolution of the matrix. But it makes full use of its 8 megapixels. However, we have already seen all this in previous non-top smartphones of the Lumia line: a good module and fairly clean program operation. Despite the fact that the module here is different, it has inherited the best qualities of its predecessors. And this is not surprising: why try to change something that has already been done well. The camera successfully combines good optics, a decent sensor and a reasonable, moderate program. And it’s difficult to find more accurate words than “just a good camera” to describe it. It is quite suitable for artistic and documentary photography.

Software

The Microsoft Lumia 640 smartphone runs the Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 operating system with the Lumia Denim package. In the future, all devices in this series should receive a firmware update based on the upcoming Windows 10 OS.

Traditionally for Microsoft/Nokia devices, the Lumia 640 comes pre-installed with a large amount of additional software. The list includes Microsoft applications: Office, OneNote, OneDrive, Skype. Together with the smartphone, the user receives 15 GB of space in the OneDrive cloud storage for storing any data and another 15 GB for backing up photos. Also, when purchasing a smartphone, a free subscription to Office 365 services is provided for a year.

On-site navigation and mapping services: Here Drive+ and Here Maps. But for some reason the Here Transit application was not in the memory of the review hero, but it can be easily installed from the Microsoft application store.

For those who like to photograph themselves, others and the surrounding reality, the smartphone developers have provided as many as five different applications.

The Lumia 640 is not spared domestic specifics: instead of the Cortana assistant, when you press a special button, Yandex search is called up, in addition to the Facebook client, the smartphone’s memory contains the VKontakte social network application, reading lovers can use the client of the virtual bookstore liters: Read!

Telephone and communications

All variants of Lumia 640 smartphones are capable of operating in 2G and 3G networks. The following frequencies are supported for GSM networks: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz. For WCDMA networks: 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz. The maximum data download speed on the 3G network is 42.2 Mbit/s.

Smartphones supporting LTE networks additionally work with the WCDMA 1700 MHz band. LTE support includes the following frequency bands: LTE FDD B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B17, B28, TD-LTE B38, B40. In LTE Cat 4 networks, the maximum data download speed is 150 Mbit/s.

Smartphones that have two slots for SIM cards operate according to the Dual Standby scheme: in standby mode, both communication channels are active, in phone call mode the second channel is turned off, and the smartphone is “out of reach”. Only one SIM card can work in fast 3G/4G networks, the second channel is always connected to the 2G network. You can switch between two channels for data, messages and phone calls without turning off the power to your smartphone.

Tests of the Lumia 640 sample tested showed reliable operation of the cellular communication module. The 3G network has been established both in Moscow and in the Moscow region. The data transfer speed in the WCDMA network turned out to be significantly lower than the stated maximum theoretical one, but this is normal for busy cellular networks in the capital region.

The Bluetooth 4.0 module in the Lumia 640 has a large number of operating profiles. Two of them were tested in conjunction with the Sony MW1 wireless stereo headset: A2DP and HSP. The support was at the highest level: playing music with broadcasting track names, answering phone calls with transmitting not only the phone number, but also the name of the interlocutor from the contact list of the mobile computer.

In a home Wi-Fi network with a TP-Link TL-WR1043ND router as an access point, the smartphone demonstrated data exchange speeds of 40 Mbit/s.

Lumia 640 models with support for LTE networks are also equipped with an NFC module. A smartphone that visited the editorial office and supported only 3G networks was deprived of it.

But all variants of the Lumia 640 interact equally with satellite navigation systems. The smartphone receiver receives a signal from GPS, Glonass and BeiDou satellites. A-GPS technology helps locate satellite signals and determine the approximate location of a smartphone based on data from cellular base stations and Wi-Fi networks.

Performance

The basis for the entire family of Lumia 640 smartphones was the well-known Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 platform, used in countless devices. There is no exact data on what specific modification of the chip is installed here - most likely it is MSM8926. The platform includes four ARM Cortex-A7 computing cores, the maximum operating frequency of which is 1.2 GHz, and an Adreno 305 graphics processor. The chip is manufactured using a 28 nm process technology.

All versions of the Lumia 640 have 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of flash memory. Of these, 3.3 GB is occupied by the operating system and pre-installed applications. Additional space for music, photos and videos can be obtained using a microSD memory card; cards with a capacity of up to 128 GB are supported. There is no support for external USB drives in the Lumia 640.

Introduced almost two years ago, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC was originally intended for the mid-range smartphone segment. In the time since the premiere, its performance and capabilities have been well studied; there is no need to expect any revelations here. Unfortunately, in all respects it is inferior to modern SoCs, even at the budget level, but, as the example of the Lumia 640 shows, its capabilities are sufficient for new devices even in 2015. In fact, most of the current line of Nokia/Microsoft Lumia devices use this platform in various variations.

Let's see what ratings the hero of this review received in performance tests.

	Microsoft Lumia 640	Nokia Lumia 735	Nokia Lumia 830	Nokia Lumia 930	Nokia Lumia 1520
	4×1.2 GHz Adreno 305 5″ 1280×720 2500 mAh	4×1.2 GHz Adreno 305 4.7″ 1280×720 2200 mAh	4×1.2 GHz Adreno 305 5″ 1280×720 2200 mAh	4x2.2 GHz Adreno 330 5″ 1920×1080 2420 mAh	4x2.2 GHz Adreno 330 6″ 1920×1080 3400 mAh
AnTuTu (points, more is better)	11719	11917	12001	25036	25473
MultiBench 2 CPU (points, more is better)	16,121	15,838	16,072	31,492	29,749
MultiBench 2 Graphics (points, more is better)	44,674	45,958	46,539	47,636	48,766
PhoneMark (points, more is better)	900	806	816	1946	1774

There is nothing new in the test results; we still have the same well-known platform in front of us.

The GFXBench graphics benchmark results table shows two values ​​for each test. This is due to the fact that in onscreen mode the application generates an image with a resolution of 720p, and in offscreen mode - 1080p.

Let's move on to testing the speed of JavaScript processing by browsers built into smartphones.

* The smartphone was tested in the Octane 1.0 benchmark

The range of MicroSD memory cards that you can install in your Lumia smartphones is very wide. When buying a MicroSD card, you should pay attention to two things: the actual storage capacity and the class. Not all MicroSDs offer the same write speeds, and the higher the class, the better results you can achieve. For example, for Class 10, an impressive 10 MB per second is the minimum performance. In this article we will figure out what the differences between the cards are.

The good thing about a MicroSD card is that it is one of the smallest options for removable flash memory. Designed specifically for mobile devices, the map is about the size of a fingernail. You can store your documents, photos, videos, music, games and even some applications on it.

Gamers and Photographers: Class 10

If you have, say, a Lumia 830, you take a lot of photos, and you also use the “raw” DNG format, and you don’t take your finger off the shutter at all, you need a memory card with the highest data writing speed so that the device can save images.

If you love games with great graphics like Asphalt 8: Airborne or Halo: Spartan Strike, having a high-speed card will ensure that your gaming experience won't be marred by stuttering.

Instagram fans: Class 4 and Class 6

If you are crazy about Instagram, constantly share your #Lumialove online, and even record HD videos on your Lumia 730 or Lumia 1520, 4th or 6th grade is quite suitable for you. The higher, the better, of course.

Typical Use: Class 2

Do you occupy most of your memory with documents and music? Second class cards will be the most attractive solution both in terms of capabilities and price.

If you're not at all willing to spend extra money on expanding memory, but still need additional space, use the OneDrive cloud storage that's already included in your Lumia. Up to 30GB is available for free, and when you purchase the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL, you'll also get a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, which includes a full terabyte of cloud storage.

The best gadgets of 2019 were named according to Runet users

On January 31, 2020, Hi-Tech Mail.ru summed up the results of the annual award “Best Gadget of the Year according to Runet.” Users cast more than a million votes to select the best products in several categories.

Chinese smartphone manufacturers: top 7 best and reliable brands

Mobile phones from China have long ceased to be considered unreliable and low-quality. On average, in their price category they do not differ in quality from models from brands from any other country. And Chinese phones from Huawei, OPPO and Xiaomi are constantly ranked among the best in terms of speed and price-quality ratio.

Stylish and reliable Fly FS526 Power Plus 2 with increased autonomy, smartphone review

The energy-intensive 4000 mAh battery, designed for 15 hours of active use, solves the main problem of modern smartphones - insufficient autonomy of the communication device. It is also important that, being equipped with a strong technical component, Fly FS526 Power Plus 2 remains budget-friendly.

BQ Space is one of the best offers in its class, smartphone review

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