Brand Microsoft Series Lumia Predecessor Microsoft Lumia 640 | Manufacturer Microsoft Mobile Compatible networks GSM, HSPA, LTE | |
 | ||
Slogan "The smart choice for your business" | ||
The Microsoft Lumia 650 is a smartphone developed by Microsoft, officially revealed on February 15, 2016. It is the successor to the Microsoft Lumia 640 and is aimed primarily at business users, with support for Microsoft's business applications as well as security features like device encryption and remote wiping. Due to hardware limitations, it does not support Continuum. The phone has both a single-SIM and dual-SIM variant.
Contents
Availability
In the United Kingdom, the Lumia 650 is available from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
In the United States, the Lumia 650 is available from Cricket Wireless.
In Canada, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, the Lumia 650 is available unlocked from the Microsoft Store.
Hardware
The Lumia 650 has a 5-inch pentile OLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and oleophobic (fingerprint-resistant) coating. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage with up to 128 GB expandable storage via microSD cards. It has a 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery, 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash and 5 megapixel wide-angle front-facing camera. It is available in black and white.
Unlike its predecessor, the Lumia 650 is built with an anodized metal frame design, which gives it a distinctive premium look and feel compared to its high-end siblings, the Microsoft Lumia 950 and Microsoft Lumia 950 XL.
Software
The Lumia 650 originally launched with the Windows 10 Mobile November Update (also known as Version 1511). In August 2016, Microsoft released the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update (also known as Windows 10 Mobile Version 1607).
Reception
The Lumia 650 was generally well-received, with most reviewers commending the design, display quality and low price. The main points of criticism were performance and stability.
Richard Devine of Windows Central praised the design of the Lumia 650, calling it "easily the best looking Lumia in the current lineup". While some performance problems were noted, especially in graphically intensive games, overall usability for everyday tasks was found to be acceptable. The reviewer also noted a number of bugs in Windows 10 Mobile, but most of those were fixed in a subsequent operating system update.
Steve Litchfield of All About Windows Phone gave the Lumia 650 a score of 83%, regarding it as a considerable upgrade from the Lumia 550, but expressing disappointment at the low-end Snapdragon 212 chipset. The phone was compared favourably to the Lumia 830, with the reviewer noting that it's "the nicest feeling Windows Phone I've ever held" and concluding that it's "the perfect smartphone to hand out in companies".
Rich Woods of Neowin gave the Lumia 650 a very favourable review, calling it "a budget device that punches well above its weight". The design was described as "stunning" and the display was said to have "vibrant colors and deep blacks". The reviewer also commended camera performance, noting the lack of 1080p video capture as the only drawback. Overall performance was found to be excellent considering the price tag, with idle battery life being the main point of criticism.
GSMArena commended the design as "gorgeous" and described the phone as feeling "almost unnaturally light", while also praising the display's sunlight legibility and colour accuracy. The review also noted multiple performance and stability issues with Windows 10 Mobile and pointed out Continuum and Windows Hello as significant missing features.
Alastair Stevenson of Trusted Reviews criticised the performance and described the camera as "uninspired", but considered the design and display to be better than most affordable smartphones. The reviewer also remarked that "for business users the Lumia 650 ticks all the right boxes".
Katharine Byrne of IT Pro gave the phone two stars out of five, calling it "A Windows 10 phone that entirely misses the point of Windows 10" due to the lack of Continuum, and criticising the phone's performance in benchmarks. While the design and display were commended, overall verdict for the phone was "rather forgettable".
Phone Arena commended the phone's design, build quality and camera performance, but noted a few issues with the out-of-the-box experience as well as the camera. Overall the phone was deemed "a solid choice for an entry-level Windows 10 handset".