Microsoft(s msft) is following up on last month's debut of the first Windows Phone 8.1 handset with an LTE variant. The Lumia 635 is similar to the currently available Lumia 630 but adds the faster mobile broadband radio for a small increase in price. The handset is now on sale with a suggested retail price of $189 in certain Europe and Asia Pacific regions.
The $30 extra cost over the Lumia 630 doesn't get you anything else besides faster mobile broadband. Still, Microsoft and Nokia have put together a nice mid-range handset that won't break the bank. Lumia 635 uses a 4.5-inch 854 x 480 touchscreen protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 3. It uses Nokia's ClearBlack technology, providing high contrast, and is an IPS panel for wide viewing angles.
Inside is Qualcomm's(s qcom) Snapdragon 400, a capable 1.2 GHz chip, paired with 512 MB of memory. There's 8 GB of internal storage and the microSD card slot supports up to another 128 GB. There's just a single camera, on the back of the Lumia 635 -- so no selfies or video chatting -- with a 5 megapixel sensor. A camera flash is also noticeably absent.
The phone doesn't skimp on software, though. Aside from shipping with the latest Windows Phone software -- which includes Microsoft's digital assistant , Cortana -- it's also filled with Nokia apps such as MixRadio, HERE Maps, HERE Transit, HERE City Lens and HERE Drive, Storyteller and Refocus.
Given the Lumia's history, there are surely other similar Windows Phones coming from Microsoft with both higher and lower price points based on hardware changes. For now, the 635 isn't a bad offering for the markets it's aimed it. Nokia says we will see it in the U.S., but the phone is more likely to find wider success on distant shores.