As expected, this morning Microsoft Malaysia officially launched two new Lumia devices into the Malaysian market. Both the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640XL were shown off during MWC 2015 last month and from the looks of if, Microsoft wants to conquer the mid-range smartphone category with these new smartphones.

The Microsoft branded Lumia 640 will be replacing the Lumia 630 from last year and this time around Microsoft has packed all the essentials into this device. Unlike on the Lumia 630, the Lumia 640 now features a 1MP front facing camera and also an ambient light sensor on the front. Besides the new Microsoft logo on the back, the Lumia 640 also features a new 8MP sensor.

Also, compared to the Lumia 630 from last year, the Microsoft Lumia 640 this year features a 5" 720P display which poses a respectable screen pixel density when compared to competing Android device in the same price point; namely the Moto G, and Asus's Zenfone 5.

“People are looking for a device which brings them more flexibility to switch easily between work and play, without breaking the bank” Bruce Howe, General Manager, Microsoft Mobile Devices Sales for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. 

Then it's the bigger Lumia 640 XL which looks a lot like the Lumia 640 but just bigger. Despite the name, the Lumia 640 XL is actually replacing the year old Lumia 1320 phablet which Nokia showed off in late 2013. As the name clearly suggest, the Lumia 640 XL features a big 5.7" 720P display which looks mediocre for the price it's going for.


Powering this new Windows Phone phablet is the same quad core Snapdragon 400 CPU found on the smaller Lumia 640 and both devices feature 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable memory. Beyond that, the only difference between the two is not only the physical size; Microsoft has kindly included at 13MP ZEISS branded camera on the back and also on the front is a better 5MP selfie camera capable of 1080P video.

In addition to that, both the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL runs Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 with Lumia Denim out of the box and Microsoft confirms that these two midrangers will received the Windows 10 update later this year.

“The Lumia 640 Dual Sim and Lumia 640 XL keeps people prepared for anything, with the full range of Microsoft experiences – including Office and OneDrive – that Lumia users have come to expect straight out of the box, a superb HD screen and long lasting battery”

Finally, you'll be happy to know that Microsoft Malaysia is bringing in the LTE enable versions of both these devices to the Malaysian malaysian market. It is worth noting that both the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL are also Dual SIM devices. Color options for both the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL are; white, black, orange and cyan.

Microsoft will start selling the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL in Nokia stores nationwide later this week and the Lumia 640 4G goes for RM 739 inclusive of GST and the Lumia 640 XL 3G is priced at RM 929 inclusive of GST. And for a limited period (till 30 June 2015), Microsoft is also bundling a 1-year subscription of Office 365 Personal worth RM 190 alongside the purchase of either devices.

To redeem this offer, users will need to download the Office 365 gift app from the Windows Phone Store by 14th August 2015. Microsoft Office 365 Personal comes with the full on Office Suite, 1TB of OneDrive storage and also free monthly skype minutes

UPDATE 1 12:04 14/04/2015: Article revised to reflect the availability of both the dual sim 4G and dual sim 3G variant of the Lumia 640 XL

UPDATE 2 23:15 16/04/2015: Article updated to reflect the Office 365 offer for the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL.