Microsoft Unveils First Non-Nokia Windows Phone: The Lumia 535

In a definitive move away from the legacy Nokia brand, Microsoft officially released its first non-Nokia Windows phone, the Lumia 535. The announcement following our previous report confirming that the tech giant would be dissociating from the Nokia branding for its smartphones.

The Lumia 535 is the first Windows device to debut under the Microsoft banner, confidently bearing the brand’s name on its rear. Marketed as a budget-friendly phone, the device taps into the affordable segment of the smartphone market.

The newly launched Microsoft Lumia appears to be less of a compromise for those seeking budget-friendly smartphones, exhibiting an array of promising features:

• A five-inch display sporting a resolution of 960 x 540, providing ample screen real estate for multimedia consumption
• Powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, ensuring smooth operation across applications
• Supported by 1GB of RAM, offering adequate memory to handle multitasking
• A decent 5-megapixel camera bringing on an all right photography experience for casual mobile photographers.

This low-cost offering from Microsoft is largely targeted towards emerging markets and could be seen as a strategic countermove to the proliferation of economically priced handsets from competitors. The African market, in particular, has been witnessing an influx of cost-effective alternatives. Brands like Tecno and InnJoo have been thriving and witnessing notable sales growth in regions such as Nigeria with their Android-powered devices.

With the unveiling of Lumia 535, Microsoft seems set to carve out its niche in the enclosure of budget smartphones, offering users a viable alternative to Android-powered devices. Only time will reveal the impact of this shift from the long-established Nokia brand, and how the fresh Microsoft-branded smartphones resonate among users across the globe.

This article was updated in 2025 to reflect modern realities.