Microsoft Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM review: Size matters

Very good 13MP camera with ZEISS lens

Microsoft Lumia 640XL comes with a 13MP auto-focus camera, coupled with an LED flash though it lacks a dedicated camera key. The Lumia camera interface is very familiar - it offers white balance, focus, ISO, shutter speed up to 4s and exposure settings. You can choose between 13MP 4:3 mode and 10MP 16:9 samples, there are no other resolution options.

Additionally, you can get more camera functionality via Lenses, such as Cinemagraph (animated photos), Panorama, Refocus, Selfie, etc.

Lumia Camera UI

The 13MP images taken with the Lumia 640 XL turned out quite good, with reasonable amount of resolved detail. Contrast is good as is the color rendering, although sometimes the white balance is off. Noise can be somewhat of an issue - even in daylight but we are happy with the overall processing.

Microsoft Lumia 535 camera samples

Finally, here is are 5MP shots snapped with the front-facing camera.

5MP front camera samples

There are plenty of 13MP sharpshooters these days, so the Lumia 640 XL camera isn't something special even on a mid-range smartphone. It does very well when it comes to resolved detail, the colors are nicely warm, but sometimes the white balance is off. Notice the pinkish spot on the ISO chart, too.

Microsoft Lumia 640 XL in our photo quality comparison tool

1080p video recording

The Lumia 640 XL camcorder can record video at 1080p@30fps, with a solid 17Mbps bitrate and an solid 30fps. Sadly, videos are recorded in a single channel AAC mode with a 160Kbps bitrate and 48KHz.

The camcorder interface is pretty much the same as the still camera. It offers only white balance and manual focus settings, and also allows you to choose the audio bass filter (off, 100 Hz or 200 Hz). Opting for 200 Hz (Strong) will capture much better sound in concerts or clubs where the sound is overwhelmingly loud.

Camcorder UI • Settings

In video recording, the Lumia 640 XL performs similarly to its still photography shooting chops. White balance is off and the dynamic range could be better. The level of detail is decent, though.

Here is a 30s sample we've uploaded on YouTube.

Also here is an untouched 1080p@30fps video for you to download.

The Lumia 640 XL is ready to stand up against the competition in our video comparison tool. Its page will give you information on what to look for.

Microsoft Lumia 640 XL in our video quality comparison tool