When Microsoft acquired Nokia, several Lumia devices and including the Android smartphones were cancelled by the Redmond giant. This was part of the changes made during the Nokia’s Devices and Services division in 2014. For some reasons, Microsoft cancelled several great Lumia devices including the unreleased Lumia 435, which could have been the company’s first bezel-less smartphone.
The Lumia McLaren wasn’t ready for the consumers so it was a wise decision to cancel the Windows Phone with the 3D touch display. Unfortunately, another interesting device cancelled by Microsoft was the Lumia 435, which could have been the first bezel-less Windows Phone.
Codenamed, Vela – the Lumia 435 was supposed to a low-end Windows Phone with the narrower bezel, it could have been promoted as an all-screen device. As it is a bezel-less phone, it doesn’t have a front-facing camera on the top, the front camera is rather situated on the bottom of the screen. The Lumia 435 would have been priced under $200, it was cancelled only to be replaced by the Lumia 532.
On the sub-$200, the Lumia 435 could have been the best bezel-less smartphone in 2014. It features a solid design, somewhat a cool design and different from all other Windows Phone. Although it has a bezel-less display, the bottom bezel of the device is large. The Lumia 435 has a block-type design, this is different from all the rest phones.
As the Lumia 435 was a low-end Windows Phone, the hardware was pretty bad. Powered by Snapdragon 200, the phone had 1GB of RAM and 4GB internal storage. The HD five-inch display is an odd one too with 1280 x 720 resolution. Microsoft had also compromised with the camera on the phone, it has a 5-megapixel shooter.
Microsoft should have released the Lumia 435 as it has an impressive design but a low-end hardware. Anyways, it’s always nice to have a look at what the unreleased Lumia phones might have been.
