Microsoft has launched its Lumia 540 smartphone in India. The smartphone is priced at Rs. 10,199 and will be available across major retail stores from May 18th. This new Windows Phone smartphone competes against many Android phones as well its older sibling, the Lumia 640. The Lumia 540 is deemed as the upgrade to the Lumia 535 which was launched late last year around the same price. The new Lumia 540 is a slightly thicker and heavier device then the Lumia 535 with a width of 9.4mm and a weight of 152 grams.
The Microsoft Lumia 540 carries over the same basic hardware as the Lumia 535; the smartphone runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 200 SoC, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage which can be further extended via a microSD card to upto 128GB. The similarities end here as the phone gets a bigger battery, better screen and better camera as well. The display has been updated to a 720p ClearBlack display which is definitely better than the one on the Lumia 535 as well as a majority of budget phones.
The smartphone also gets an upgrade in the camera department as it has an 8MP rear camera with 1/4-inch sized sensor. The 5MP camera at the front remains the same. The Lumia camera app offers a lot of features which will let you take good looking photos. The 2200mAh battery is removable and resides under the plastic shell of the back cover. Under the back cover, there are two SIM card slots and a microSD card slot. Microsoft has also updated the software to Windows 8.1 with Denim update. The company has also committed that the new phone will get Windows phone 10 as and when the update is available.
Microsoft has also tied up with Airtel, Ola cabs, Paytm and Gaana for offers which can be availed by Lumia 540 buyers. Lumia 540 owners can avail double data for two months with Airtel on their current data plan. Paytm will provide Rs. 200 off every month for five months. Ola cabs will give cashback of Rs. 200 for every top-up higher than Rs. 500 (for the first four top-ups only) and buyers can also avail a two month subscription on music streaming app Gaana.