Nokia Lumia 530 scrapes barrel, costs €85

Microsoft has announced the Nokia Lumia 530, a new budget Windows Phone 8.1 handset that will cost less than £100 when it launches in August. The Lumia 530 comes in single and dual-SIM versions, as a 1.2Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor and 512 MB of RAM.

It has a 4in screen with a resolution of just 854×480 and 4GB of internal storage expandable to 128GB via micro-SD. Microsoft also said the Lumia 530 would come with 15GB of free cloud storage through OneDrive. It comes with a 5MP camera and runs Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box.

“Lumia 530 underscores our commitment to making affordable smartphones for everyone, and introducing more people to the best of Microsoft,” said Microsoft’s Jo Harlow.

The Lumia 530 comes in orange, green, white and grey and will be launched sometime in August for €85 (£67), although a UK price is yet to be announced. Microsoft said that with taxes and subsidies added it still expects the Lumia 530 to sell for less than €100 (£78).

Microsoft has been cramming Windows Phone onto increasingly low-spec handsets in a bid to increase its market share. The company sees budget phones as a good way to set it apart from the iPhone while also eating into Android’s dominance. The Lumia 530 follows in the footsteps of the almost as cheap Lumia 520 and Lumia 630, both of which were released earlier this year. 

The company said the 530 was about bringing Windows 8.1 to more people “no matter your budget”. The dual-SIM version of the phone will also allow people to consolidate their main phone and second phone in one handset. Microsoft’s Jo Harlow said the company was commited to bringing “flagship services” such as Office, OneDrive and Cortana to more budget-friendly handsets.

Windows Phone 8.1 is currently being rolled out for Lumia devices as part of the Cyan update, with Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant coming to the UK later this year.