Microsoft has made it tough for prospective mid-range Lumia buyers by announcing one more compelling device, the Lumia 540 after Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL. The Lumia 540 belongs to the lower mid-range and it hits the sweet spot with 5-inch, 720p display, 8 MP rear camera and 5 MP FFC. Price wise too it is expected to be pretty close to Lumia 640.
So, in this article we will compare Lumia 640, Lumia 535, Lumia 730 and Lumia 540 and see how these four fare against each other in terms of specs, features and pricing. Check the comparison table below. We will bring more in terms of hand-on comparisons when we will get the review units.
| Lumia 730 | Lumia 640 | Lumia 540 | Lumia 535 | |
| Display | Lumia 730 has 4.7-inch, 720p resolution OLED display. 316 PPI. | Lumia 640 has 5-inch, 720p resolution display. 294 PPI. | Lumia 540 has a 5 inch, 720p IPS LCD display. 294 PPI. | Lumia 535 has 5-inch, 960x540p display. 220 PPI. |
| Design, Thickness & Weight | Polycarbonate, 130.4 gm, 8.7 mm | Polycarbonate, 145 gm, 8.8 mm | Polycarbonate, 152 gm, 9.4 mm | Polycarbonate, 145.3 gm, 8.8 mm |
| Navigation | Lumia 730 has on-screen touch buttons | Lumia 640 has on-screen touch buttons | Lumia 540 has on-screen touch buttons. | Lumia 535 has on-screen touch buttons. |
| Processor | Lumia 730 is powered by a quad-core Snapdrgon 400 processor | Lumia 640 by a quad-core Snapdrgon 400 processor | Lumia 540 by a quad-core Snapdrgon 200 processor | Lumia 535 by a quad-core Snapdrgon 200 processor |
| Battery | Lumia 730 has 2220 mAh battery | Lumia 640 has 2500 mAh battery | Lumia 540 has 2200 mAh Battery | Lumia 535 has 1905 mAh battery |
| Storage | 8GB of memory as well as the ability to house a micro-SD up to 128GB. | 8GB of memory as well as the ability to house a micro-SD up to 128GB. | 8GB of memory as well as the ability to house a micro-SD up to 128GB. | 8 GB of memory as well as the ability to house a micro-SD up to 128GB. |
| RAM | 1GB of RAM | 1GB of RAM | 1 GB of RAM | 1GB of RAM |
| Sim | Dual-Sim support | Dual-Sim support | Dual-Sim support | Dual-Sim support |
| FFC | 5 MP FFC, 1080p video | 0.9 MP FFC, 720p video | 5 MP FFC, (848 x 480) | 5 MP FFC, (848 x 480) |
| Motion Data (SensorCore) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Rear Camera | 6.7 MP rear camera with Zeiss optics, F/1.9 aperture, 1/3.4 inch sensor | 8 MP rear camera, 1/4 inch sensor, F/2.2 aperture | 8 MP rear camera, 1/4 inch sensor, F/2.2 aperture | 5 MP camera, F/2.4, 1/4 inch sensor |
| Advanced Imaging features | Living Images only | Dynamic flash, Rich capture, Living Images | No | No |
| Video capture | 1080p | 1080p | FWVGA (848 x 480) | FWVGA (848 x 480) |
| Glance Screen | No | Yes | No | No |
| Pricing (RRP in India) | Rs 14999 | Rs 11999 | Rs 10499 (Expected) | Rs 8999 |
| Pricing Europe | £149.99 | £169.99 / $228 | £129 (Expected) | £99.99 |
Lumia 640 stands out with 8 MP camera and features like Glance screen, advanced camera features, 1080p video capture, SensorCore, bigger battery and very good pricing that may make it favorite device of many. Only let down is the 0.9 MP FFC.
Lumia 540 comes packed with its 5 inch display, 8 MP camera and 5 MP FFC. Its rear camera is similar to what we have on Lumia 640. But it can’t capture videos beyond 480p resolution. It also lacks Glance screen and advanced imaging features. It also has Snapdragon 200 processor as compared to Snapdragon 400 on Lumia 640. Catch all our Lumia 540 hands-on coverage by clicking here.
Coming to Lumia 535, for the features it packs and price it commands, it is still a very compelling device but not a competitor to Lumia 540 and even Lumia 540 is placed comfortably ahead of it.
For the price it commands, Lumia 730 is still a very compelling package. Though with Lumia 540 topping it up with higher MP camera and bigger display, it may loose many buyers to Lumia 540. But those who like to have Zeiss branded camera with good low-light performance and 1080p video capture on a budget, may like to pay some extra bucks for it over Lumia 540.
Lumia 540 may prove to be another Lumia 535 in terms of sales performance, as it packs lots of punch for the indicated price of $150.
