Lumia 640 vs 640 XL: benefit vs cost?

[uid15]

Good evening to you all (well okay, it's technically night, here in blighty ). I am seriously considering a new Lumia phone, and I have the choice between:

~ Lumia 640 - 8MP camera, 2,500mAh battery & 5" 720p screen.

~ Lumia 640 XL - 13MP Zeiss optics camera, 3,000mAh battery (goodness!) & 5.7" 720p screen.

The differences between them are obvious, but the difference to the pocket of someone who hasn't got a lot of dough to spare is ~ £100. I want to know - is the 13MP Zeiss camera of the XL *significantly* better than the 8MP of the standard 640, and what are the micron sizes of the sensors pixels going to do to the IQ for such a high MP count at such a low cost; am I right in thinking that the greater MP count for a device at this price point isn't necessarily better for IQ?

I am not too fussed about the extra 0.7" LCD size or the Zeiss optics, I just want to save £100 I *don't* have spare, whereas the ~£120 for the standard 640, I can afford with ease.

Is the 640 still a good bargain, and am I missing anything HUGE by considering not spending the extra on the XL?

Any informed comments from people who have either/both (no speculators please, I can make guesses myself, thanks).

Many thanks everyone

 

[albertfallickwa]

Lumia 640XL is going to be way better for sure.

 

[Vegastouch]

I dont like bigger phones so ill go with the 640 and if it is $89 , slam dunk!

Id still rather have the 830 if it ever comes to T-Mobile. Doesnt look like it but it was said to be a couple months ago. Both are 5" phones though.

My window is 4.7" to 5.2". Anything bigger im not interested in.

 

[uid15]

Update:

I had the standard 640 for a month and enjoyed it, but decided that the 640 XL was a better fit for me, so I sold the 640 on eBay, and bought the XL; I *love* it

 

[AppleRobert]

Update:

I had the standard 640 for a month and enjoyed it, but decided that the 640 XL was a better fit for me, so I sold the 640 on eBay, and bought the XL; I *love* it

Now that the cat is out of the bag, how about:

battery life
overall speed and any lag
Quality of display
Camera quality

Thanks much and enjoy, I am waiting its release at retailers.

 

[MRU]

I wish Microsoft was more successful in pushing these handsets to consumers. Seems like it's more like footsteps they are making rather than inroads. It's a shame because without a big big success and inroads being made, the likes of Google will consistently ignore the platform.

The 640/Xl look really great bang for buck handsets.

 

[uid15]

Now that the cat is out of the bag, how about:

battery life
overall speed and any lag
Quality of display
Camera quality

Thanks much and enjoy, I am waiting its release at retailers.

You may have asked a little more humbly... Google is your friend. It is great, that's all I have time to say

 

[Savor]

I personal choice would have been the 640 only because I am not much of a shutterbug and it corrects alot of areas that the 635 had which was an already great device for the price . For camera, go XL if it is worth spending more.

I expect battery life on the 640 to rock. With the same Snapdragon 400, my LG G3 Beat has "5/720p as well but with 2540 mAh which is close to the Z3 Compact's 2600 mAh. Except the latter which is the king of stamina for many smaller smartphones packing 720p has a half inch smaller screen but also packing a much faster 801 chip and more ppi. I am getting around 11 hrs SOT consistently on my G3 Beat and nearly 6 hrs SOT once it reaches 50%, so I expect the 640 to do the same since the 635 had a 480p screen packing only 1840 mAh but had amazing 9-10 hr SOT for me. A Snapdragon 400 powering a 4.5-"5 HD display with 2500 mAh is the perfect mix of efficiency for lower end devices. Unless you are dealing with MediaTek or Intel..

It really comes down to asking yourself if the extra dough is worth it for the better front and rear cameras and if you can live with the bulky size? For me, I think sub-$100 phones is better done on WP since it has all the basics and WP just seems much lighter on RAM which makes it efficient for lower end specs. In the $150-$300 range, I think Android is the way to go but you have to thoroughly search for the right one.

 

[AppleRobert]

You may have asked a little more humbly... Google is your friend. It is great, that's all I have time to say

Wow, based on this ringing endorsement I advice folks camp out at a Microsoft Store the night before release date to ensure they do not get shut out.