Microsoft Lumia 535 vs Android One: Which is the better budget smartphone?

Microsoft Lumia 535, the first non-Nokia branded Lumia smartphone had been discussed in great deal even before its official launch, by virtue of its exclusive Microsoft branding and because the device was expected to cater to smartphone buyers on shoestring budgets.

Now that the Lumia 535 has been launched in multiple countries of the world, and the device is also apparently catering to the budget smartphone buyers, the smartphone comes under competition from devices of other well-known brands that have also been launched to specifically cater to budget conscious people.

One such competitor is Google's Android One smartphone range which also offers affordability and hardware specifications that seemingly complement the price tag of the device.

Google initially launched affordable smartphones under its Android One initiative, in India. The Karbonn (an India-based smartphone brand) Sparkle V holds the distinction of being the first-ever Android One device to get a launch in the United Kingdom.

Hence, let's take a look at how the Lumia 535 and Karbonn Sparkle V Android One smartphones stack up against each other.

Microsoft Lumia 535 vs Karbonn Sparkle V Android One

Display

Microsoft's Lumia 535 has a 5in display with resolution of 540 x 960 and pixel density of 220 ppi. The smartphones' touchscreen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.

On the other hand, the Karbonn Sparkle V features a 4.5in IPS LCD display having resolutions of 480 x 854 pixels, and pixel density of 218 ppi.

Both smartphones boast multi-touch support and 16 million colours.

From the above, it is evident that sharper images are rendered on the Lumia 535's screen, more than on the Sparkle V's screen, by virtue of the former's better pixel density.

Hardware

Microsoft Lumia 535 is driven by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC clocked at 1.2GHz and supported by 1GB RAM on board.

The Android One Karbonn Sparkle V incorporates a quad-core Cortex-A7 processor clocked at 1.3GHz, over a Mediatek MT6582 SoC. The processor assembly is also backed-up by a 1GB RAM.

Both the devices have an identical Cortex-A7 chipset.

With respect to offering efficient performance, the battle is even. Gamers can also expect a decent degree of basic gaming experience within both the smartphones.

In terms of connectivity, both the handsets offer 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and microUSB connectivity options.

Memory

To buyers, Microsoft's Lumia 535 offers 8GB of internal storage as standard, but features a microSD card slot for expansion of internal storage area up to 128 GB. This aspect should serve as a boon for users preferring to view multimedia content/watch movies within their smartphones, rather than on a bigger screen.

By default, Karbonn's Sparkle V features a comparatively lesser 4GB internal storage. Even expansion via MicroSD card is limited to 32 GB.

From the above, it is evident which phone is the storage space winner here.

Camera

The Microsoft Lumia 535 features a 5MP autofocus rear camera that comes with LED flash and supports geo-tagging of images. The camera supports shooting 480p videos at 30 frames per second (fps). The handset also features an identical 5MP front camera.

Karbonn Sparkle V comes with an identical 5MP LED flash rear camera that supports image geo-tagging, but lags behind the Lumia 535 with respect to its 2MP front camera.

The Lumia 535's 5MP front camera should prove a hit among the selfie generation.

Battery

The Android One Karbonn Sparkle V features a 1700 mAh Li-Ion battery out of the box, which is claimed to offer a talk-time of up to eight hours and standby time of up to 160 hours.

Microsoft Lumia 535 pips the Karbonn Sparkle with its 1905 Li-Ion battery which offers a talk-time of up to 12 hours, along with a 552 hour stand-by time.

If you are looking at a smartphone offering decent battery backup time and talk-time, choose the Lumia 535 over the Android one device.

Software

Lumia 535 runs Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.1 operating platform (Also read how Windows Phone 8.1 performed in December 2014), out of the box, and incorporates Lumia Denim. Buyers of Lumia 535 should also get to observe Nokia-specific native applications viz MixRadio and Here Maps (both online and offline).

In contrast, Karbonn's Sparkle V runs Google's Android 4.4.4 KitKat straight out of the box, and the USP of this device is its Android One nature which offers it all of Google's latest software updates.

Karbonn Sparkle V is slated to receive the most expected Android 5.0 (Lollipop) OS update very soon.

Both the smartphones draw level as far as the software aspects are concerned.

Release date and price

Both the Lumia 535 and Redmi 1S have been released and are available for purchase in several countries.

Lumia 535 has been officially launched in India where the device is priced at £95 (INR 9,199). The smartphone has also hit European shores, and is available for purchase in France for a price of €109.

Lumia 535 is confirmed to have a sub £100 price-tag in the UK as well. Microsoft Great Britain has listed the budget smartphone on its portal, which means that an official launch in the country is imminent.

Karbonn Sparkle V is open for purchase in the United Kingdom, via Amazon UK, and has a price tag of £124.

Both the smartphones offer their own degree of value for money and affordability to buyers, but the Lumia 535 offers comparatively greater value for money than Karbonn's Sparkle V Android One smartphone.

Also, Microsoft's reliability factor and Nokia roots can work in Lumia 535's favour.