14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft introduced its budget-friendly Lumia 535 smartphone in Canada just a few days ago. Today, the Redmond-based company made the device available in the United States as well.
None of the US carriers is selling the Lumia 535, but the smartphone can be purchased through some authorized retailers. However, beginning today, customers will be able to pick this one up for just $150 via Microsoft Store.
Those who purchase the smartphone will also benefit from free shipping and free returns. The sale package contains the smartphone, battery and charger; nothing else.
Microsoft Lumia 535 will ship with Windows Phone 8.1, but it's expected to receive a Windows 10 upgrade later on after the new OS is released on the market.
Keep in mind that while Microsoft launched two Lumia 535 variants, the dual-SIM model is only available in some emerging markets. Microsoft is selling the single SIM version in the United States.
A cheap smartphone with decent specs
Microsoft's budget-friendly smartphones are very popular among consumers because they are cheap, though very well optimized, and can run just about any apps or games you throw at them.
The same goes for the Lumia 535 since the smartphone is packed with 1GB of RAM, which is the minimum require for some more demanding apps/games.
The smartphone is also equipped with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, which is complemented by an Adreno 302 graphics processing unit and 8GB of internal memory.
Obviously, users will be able to further expand storage up to 128GB via microSD card slot. The Lumia 535 sports a decent 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports qHD (540 x 960 pixels) resolution and features Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating.
It's also worth mentioning the smartphone comes with 5-megapixel dual cameras, but only the one in the front features LED flash.
It does not support LTE, but it features 3G connectivity along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, GPS with AGPS and FM Radio.