Nokia Lumia 530 vs Nokia Lumia 525 vs Moto E: entry-level specs showdown

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Nokia Lumia 530 vs Nokia Lumia 525 vs Moto E: entry-level specs showdown
Microsoft just expanded its entry-level portfolio of Windows Phone devices with the Nokia Lumia 530, a successor to the Nokia Lumia 525. The latter, as you probably know, is a slightly refined version of the Nokia Lumia 520, Redmond's best-selling smartphone of all time. Thus, don't expect the new Lumia 530 to woo you with anything in the hardware department – after all, it's a low-end device that is targeted at emerging markets.

Microsoft's latest affordable device is equipped with a quad-core Snapdragon 200 SoC, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of native storage, and a 1430mAh juicer at the rear, which is touted as being able to keep the Lumia 530 kicking and ticking up to 22 days in standby mode. Oh, and it comes with the latest version of Redmond's OS, Windows Phone 8.1. The affordable device will retail at $114 before taxes and subsidies.

Well, okay, but how does the device fare against its predecessor? Does it deliver or is it just a minor improvement, similar to the Android-powered Nokia X2? Frankly said, we suppose that some may solely view Windows Phone 8.1 as a sound enough reason to upgrade to the Lumia 530, but that might not be the case for everybody. Let's check out the spec sheets and see if the Lumia 530 is a trooper, at least on paper. Note that we've also thrown in another affordable champ, the Motorola Moto E, for a good measure.

So, can you distinguish a clear winner or you're on the fence?

Nokia Lumia 530 Nokia Lumia 525 Motorola Moto E

Design

Dimensions
4.71 x 2.45 x 0.46 inches
119.7 x 62.3 x 11.7 mm
4.72 x 2.52 x 0.39 inches
119.9 x 64 x 9.9 mm
4.91 x 2.55 x 0.48 inches
124.8 x 64.8 x 12.3 mm
Weight
4.55 oz (129.0 g) 4.37 oz (124.0 g) 5.01 oz (142.0 g)
Resistance
Splash
Features
Notification light, Interchangeable covers Interchangeable covers, Notification light
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Camera shutter, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Black, Orange, Green, White Black, Yellow, Red, White Black, White

Display

Size
4.0-inch 4.0-inch 4.3-inch
Resolution
854x480px, 245 PPI 800x480px, 235 PPI 960x540px, 256 PPI
Technology
LCD IPS LCD
Screen-to-body
59.22 % 58.46 % 63.10 %
Colors
16 777 216 16 777 216 16 777 216
Features
Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8227 Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 8210
Processor
Quad-core
1200 MHz
ARM Cortex-A7
Dual-core
1000 MHz
Krait
Dual-core
1200 MHz
ARM Cortex-A7
GPU
Adreno 302 Adreno 305 Adreno 302
RAM
0.5GB (LPDDR2) 1GB 1GB (LPDDR2)
Internal storage
4GB 8GB 4GB, available to use: 2.21 GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 128 GB microSDXC up to 64 GB microSDHC up to 32 GB
OS
Windows Phone Windows Phone Android (4.4.4, 4.4.3, 4.4.2)

Battery

Capacity
1430 mAh 1430 mAh 1980 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Ion

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera Single camera
Main camera
5 MP
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 28 mm
Sensor size: 1/4"
5 MP (Autofocus)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 28 mm
5 MP
Video recording
Resolution, 864 x 480 pixels30 fps, 864 x, 480 pixels, 30 fps
Video sharing
1280x720 (HD) (30 fps) Resolution, 854 x 480 pixels30 fps, 854 x, 480 pixels, 30 fps
Picture-taking during video recording, Video sharing

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0 4.0 4.0
WLAN
802.11 b,g,n
Hotspot
802.11 b,g,n
Hotspot
802.11 b,g,n
Hotspot
USB
microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, S-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Sensors
Accelerometer Accelerometer Accelerometer
Other
Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share
Radio
FM FM
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation

Cellular

3G
Bands 8(900), 1(2100) Bands 8(900), 1(2100) Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100)
Data Speed
HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type
Micro SIM Micro SIM Micro SIM

Phone Features

Notifications
Music ringtones (MP3, WAV), Vibration, Phone profiles, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3, WAV), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Other features
Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording, TTY/TDD Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording, TTY/TDD Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording, TTY/TDD

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 129
In The Box
USB cable, Quick start guide

Availability

Officially announced
Jul 23, 2014 Nov 27, 2013 May 13, 2014


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