Microsoft Lumia 650 an affordable $299

The new Microsoft Lumia 650 hits stores today with a remarkably affordable $299 outright price tag.

It will also join the Optus phone range on June 6.

We’re yet to try the Lumia 650 for ourselves, but it looks like incredible value. It comes with a 5-inch OLED HD screen, an 8-megapixel camera and is powered by the Windows 10 OS.

It is 4G ready and has a quad-core processor and dedicated graphics processor. In short: it has everything we expect in a modern smartphone, it is just a whole lot cheaper.

It looks the part, too, with a slick stainless steel trim and a soft-touch plastic battery cover. At 6.9mm thin, it is as svelte as other major releases for the year.

On the downside, the 2000mAh battery isn’t enormous, but depending on how you use your phone this should be good enough for a day at work.

You can buy the Lumia 650 now at JB HiFi or through Microsoft itself. Or, you can wait a week and grab it through Optus.

Joseph Hanlon

Editorial Director | X | LinkedIn

Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.

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