Nokia is continuing to push Windows Phone 8 down market with the Lumia 620, a low-end device selling at a low-end price. Available for $250 outright, the Lumia 620 is a fantastic value, packing quite a punch for such a small device.

In typical Nokia fashion, the 620 features a polycarbonate body that’s nicely designed, if not a little plain. The edges of the device are heavily tapered toward the back, giving the phone a smooth, seamless feel in hand. Like a few of Nokia’s other Lumias (the 820 and 520), the Lumia 620 features a removable back plate so you can change the colour of your device. The model I reviewed was black, but the phone also comes in green, yellow, cyan, pink, and orange, and white. The build quality is solid for a low-end device, and it certainly doesn’t feel cheap.

Specs wise the 620 won’t knock your socks off, but it sill performs well. Inside is a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage alongside a microSD card slot, and a 1300mAh battery. It’s running Windows Phone 8, which has been optimized for devices with minimal RAM and slower processors, so it zips along like a champ. As I’ve mentioned countless times before, Windows Phone is a snappy and responsive operating system, seemingly regardless of what’s powering it, and that holds true for the Lumia 620.

The screen measures 3.8-inches, which surprised me because it feels smaller than that, likely due to the physical size of the device itself. While the display is .3 inches larger than that of an iPhone 4S, it doesn’t feel or look as big. Nevertheless, I didn’t have any problems using or typing on the screen. The ClearBlack LCD display touts a relatively measly 800 x 480 resolution, but it still looks good; colours are vibrant, the screen is plenty bright, and even small text is perfectly legible.

Battery performance is solid; the 620 easily lasts a full day of use, and it spent almost 3 days in my bag on standby without needing a charge. Call quality is also as good as one would expect from a cellphone, and I got a consistent and strong connection on TELUS’s network. Being a low-end device, the Lumia 620 does not support LTE, peaking at HSPA+ speeds which were still pretty fast.

On the back is a 5 megapixel camera and LED flash, while a VGA camera lives on the front. Neither takes spectacular photos, but they’re alright for a cheap smartphone. The rear camera lacks sharpness, even in bright outdoor settings, while the front-facing camera was, as expected, pretty noisy. The camera’s will suffice for occasional use, or sharing a quick pic on Facebook or Twitter, but that’s about it.

(Above is a sample photo from the Lumia 620, click to view full size)

Other than that I don’t have a lot to say about the Lumia 620. Windows Phone 8 is the same as it is on every other device. As for social, the Facebook app is still subpar compared to other platforms, Twitter’s recent update is much better than it was before and provides one of the best Twitter experiences on Windows Phone, and Instagram is still non-existent. The 620 also comes pre-loaded with Nokia’s suite of HERE apps, including City Lens, Drive+, Maps, and Transit.

I wouldn’t recommend the Lumia 620 to most current Windows Phone users, as it’s likely you’ve already got a more powerful device like the Lumia 920 or HTC 8X. However, if you’re looking to get into the Windows Phone ecosystem on a budget, the Lumia 620 would be a great choice. It’s light, pocketable, and for $0 on a 2 year contract or $250 outright, it certainly won’t break the bank.

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