The Nokia Lumia 530 is the cheapest Lumia device that you can buy today. Running on the latest Windows Phone 8.1 mobile OS, the Lumia 530, priced at Rs. 7,349, is a very compelling proposition for anyone looking to buy a basic smartphone. But, Microsoft/Nokia have cut many corners to achieve the 7K price-point. And, that makes the older Nokia Lumia 520 and 525 better devices compared to the new Nokia Lumia 530 on many counts. Here's why we say so…
Form-factor: Nokia has stuck to the same 4-inch 480×854 pixel display as on the Lumia 520/525 (though, they had 54 pixels lesser with a resolution of 480×800). But, the form factor and overall looks of the Lumia 530 is different compared to the earlier series. The Nokia Lumia 530 is a block-like device which ditches the earlier curved back design. The result is a slightly solid looking (and feeling) device at the cost of additional weight and bulk. Overall, we'd say the Lumia 530 looks a bit better than the Lumia 520/525, but just a bit!
SoC (processor and graphics): The Lumia 530 has gone from dual-core to a quad-core Snapdragon SoC. The result should be slightly better performance but the Lumia 530 could have achieved better if they'd fed the 4-core SoC with enough memory (more on that in the next point). The graphics are now Adreno 302 instead of the earlier Adreno 305. Which is a slight downgrade as the earlier Adreno 305 runs faster at 450 MHz vs. the Adreno 302 that runs at 400 MHz.
RAM and Memory: This is where the Lumia 530 makes a serious compromise compared to the Lumia 520/525. The Lumia 530 offers only 512MB RAM and 4GB internal memory as opposed to the Lumia 520 which offers 8GB of internal storage and the best of the lot, the Lumia 525 offers 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. We feel that Nokia missed a trick here, they should have upgraded the Lumia 530 with 1GB RAM to be at par with the growing competition (The Micromax and Xolo Windows Phones will offer 1GB RAM and all latest Android smartphones in same price range offer 1GB RAM)
Imaging (still camera and video): Another area where the Nokia Lumia 530 is shockingly disappointing. The 5MP camera on the Nokia Lumia drops auto focusing ability that was available in the Lumia 520 and 525. And, it further cripples the video capture ability by cutting down the maximum resolution to 480p instead of the 720p on the Nokia Lumia 520/525
No dedicated camera shutter button: Another area where Nokia has dropped a unique feature that made Lumia devices stand out, the dedicated camera shutter button is now gone! Something that was almost promised by Nokia for all Lumia devices. Seriously disappointing.
Bottomline: So, If you are looking for a good entry-level Windows Phone 8 device. The Nokia Lumia 530 is a good option in terms of price-point. But, if the additional Rs.1000-1,500 doesn't pinch you. We recommend buying the Nokia Lumia 525 or the Lumia 520 over the Nokia Lumia 530.