14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s new Windows Phone partners have started to launch their own smartphones in the last couple of months. Companies like Fly, Archos, Karbonn, Micromax and others, announced earlier this year that they would launch at least one Windows Phone handset by the end of 2014.
Each of these manufacturers has been given the chance to launch these smartphones without having to pay any licenses for the Windows Phone operating system. However, most of them will only release their Windows Phone handsets in their native countries.
India is one of the most important markets for low-end smartphones, so Microsoft couldn’t miss the opportunity to launch its cheapest Windows Phone device, the Lumia 530, in the territory.
However, it looks like the Redmond-based company has a serious rival, as Karbonn, an Indian OEM, has just released the Titanium Wind W4 for a very low price.
Karbonn Titanium Wind W4 lacks any Nokia apps and services
Karbonn Titanium Wind W4 is now available for purchase via Amazon India for just Rs 5,999 outright, which is about $98 or €77. Considering that the Nokia Lumia 530 can be purchased for around $99 (€77.7) off contract, Karbonn’s smartphone may seem like a good alternative, even if the price difference is negligible.
The bad news is that the Titanium Wind W4 will not come with any of Nokia’s apps and services, so users will have to completely rely on Microsoft services.
The Lumia 530 does offer the HERE Maps service for free along with other Nokia apps, which can’t be found in Karbonn’s cheap smartphone. This is probably one of the reasons why Indian customers will prefer the Lumia 530 over the Titanium Wind W4.
Moving on to specs, Karbonn’s low-end smartphone is powered by Windows Phone 8.1 and comes equipped with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor and only 512MB of RAM.
The amount of RAM is definitely not enough for some apps and games in the Windows Phone Store, but it was to be expected considering the phone’s price tag.
It’s also worth mentioning that Karbonn Titanium Wind W4 packs only 4GB of internal memory, so you will need a microSD card for storage expansion.
The smartphone sports a 4-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen display that supports 800 x 480 pixel resolution, as well as a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash. There’s also a VGA camera in the front for video calls and selfies.
Another positive thing would be the fact that it offers dual-SIM capability, along with 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB 2.0 and GPS with A-GPS support.