Microsoft has introduced to the Philippine market the first Microsoft-branded Windows Phone, the Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM.
In October, Microsoft said that it would ditch the Nokia brand to eliminate confusion in the market following the company’s $7 billion acquisition of the Devices and Services business from Nokia.
The Lumia 535 features a wide-angle 5 megapixel front facing camera, and a spacious 5-inch display – all for Php5,990. Microsoft says the phone offers “five great integrated Microsoft experiences,” namely: built-in Skype integration, the pre-installed Microsoft Office suite, 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage, the Cortana digital assistant, and Microsoft Outlook.
Users can make Skype video calls and seamlessly switch between voice and video with built-in Skype integration. They can also access, edit and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and OneNote notebooks wherever they are, with the pre-installed Office suite.
With 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage, users can save and sync photos, videos and Office documents securely. They can also connect with work and personal e-mail while on the go, with Microsoft Outlook built-in.
“Many people, especially the younger tech-involved audiences, aspire to own the latest flagship smartphone, but often don’t have the means to get it,”said Karel Holub, General Manager, Philippines, Microsoft Mobile Devices Sales. “With access to the best services right out of the box, including the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update, Lumia Denim, Lumia 535 helps people do more of what they want, for less.”
The Lumia 535 measures 140.2 x 72.45 x 8.8 mm and weighs 146 grams. Inside is a Qualcomm 200 CPU, 1GB of memory, and 8GB of storage. It does include a 128GB microSD card slot, however. Microsoft estimates that the 1,905 mAh removeable battery will allow for GSM talk time of up to 11 hours.
“More and more of our customers are demanding a large screen experience at an affordable price. With a spacious 5-inch screen, the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update and access to a range of Microsoft services. Lumia 535 Dual is an ideal solution to offer them,” said Gary Chan, Microsoft Devices’ Head of Marketing in Pan Asia.
The Lumia 535 Dual SIM will be available for only Php 5,990 (SRP)in the Philippines from December 15, 2014. Lumia 535 is also available under Globe’s P599 plan and under Sun’s P499 plan. It is available in a range of colors including green, orange, white, cyan and black.
On the other hand, the Lumia 735 with LTE/4G and wireless charging will be available in the Philippines from December 19, 2014 in green, white and grey. It will only be available at Globe, free at Plan 1499.