While there’s nothing technically wrong with the Lumia 620, it’s a fairly ordinary device, bringing the Windows Phone experience without any real discernible difference outside of price.
Download performance wasn’t stellar for us, though, and we never managed speeds higher than 8Mbps on this 3G phone. That’s not likely to make a huge impact on the majority of smartphone users out there, but it is something to be aware of.
Oh, and there’s that case thing (see, we said we’d get to it).
Just like how it was on older Nokia handsets – you know, the ones that predated the smartphone revolution – you can remove the main phone section from its colourful exterior and change its look quickly and easily.
Three cases were provided to GadgetGuy to test this out, with subdued white and cyan cases, and a neat glossy green with yellow trim which looked snazzy but wad very slippery, especially in comparison with the white and cyan cases.
These cases are easy to remove and equip, and they may help you add a splash of personality to your device more than the simple colour choice available from Nokia’s other handsets, but unless more brands and accessory makers get behind the 620 handset and produce external cases, you’ll probably only be left with the options Nokia makes.
You also won’t find the phone changing your Windows Phone colour scheme to match, not automatically, anyway, and if you want the software on your handset to resemble the case you’ve attached, you’ll need to change it yourself in the settings.
The screen also lacks Gorilla Glass, which means it might pick up scratches easily, though at least the case can be replaced quickly if that’s ever damaged.
Conclusion
We review enough phones at GadgetGuy to be able to spot the ordinary ones, and while there’s nothing that makes this phone particularly bad, there’s nothing outside of the price and replaceable cases that makes it stand out, either.
For the $329 mark, it’s a very balanced device, and while we wish there were more apps available on the Windows Phone platform, that’s an issue with the operating system and app developers, not Nokia itself, which has managed to produce a good all-round inexpensive handset in the Lumia 620.
If you’re interested in the simplicity of Windows Phone, this could be a decent handset to check out, as its price certainly won’t throw anyone off, and it does manage a little more personality – thanks to the colourful cases – than your average sub-$500 smartphone.
