Windows Phones

From the Lumia 520 to the 950 XL:

the line splits by operating system before it splits by price. Lumias that launched on Windows Phone 8 and 8.1, the 520, 920 and 1020 among them, stayed there. Models such as the 640, 930 and 1520 were offered the move to Windows 10 Mobile, and the 550, 650, 950 and 950 XL shipped with it. That split matters more than any spec sheet: a phone left on 8.1 can no longer sign in to a Microsoft account. Outside the Lumia family you will come across the HTC 8X, the Alcatel Idol 4S and the HP Elite x3, a business phone built around the same Continuum desktop as the 950 XL.

A Lumia on a Kölbi, Claro or Liberty chip:

4G in Costa Rica runs on a pair of bands, and many Lumias were built in separate versions for different regions. The international versions of the 1020, 930 and 950 cover both. A phone made for a US carrier, such as the AT&T 1020 or the Verizon Lumia Icon, usually still connects on 3G for calls and slow data but never finds 4G here. The version code beginning with RM shows in Settings under About and on the box label, and searching it with the model name shows which bands it covers. On most of these phones calls go over the 3G network, which still runs alongside 4G in Costa Rica.

What a Windows phone still does without its app store:

calls, texts, photos and music stored on the phone. WhatsApp stopped working on Windows phones years ago, the store on Windows Phone 8.1 no longer opens, and Windows 10 Mobile has had no updates since Microsoft ended support, so the browser falls further behind modern websites. For WhatsApp, banking and maps, look at Android phones or iPhones instead. Lumia buyers are collectors, photographers drawn to the 1020’s camera and its xenon flash, and people who want a plain phone for calls. That is where the value sits too: a 1020 or 950 XL in good order, or anything still sealed, interests a collector, while a budget 520 or 640 is worth what it does as a spare.

Checking a second-hand Lumia before paying:

start with the battery, because every one of these is years old. On the 520, 640 and 950 the back comes off, and a swollen cell shows as a bulge or a cover that will not sit flat. On the 1020, 930 and 1520 it is sealed inside, so look for a screen lifting away from the frame. Replacement batteries are scarce. Take a few shots, since the camera is the reason anyone pays for a 1020, then leave the phone running for a while: random restarts and overheating are known complaints on the 1020 and 925. On Windows 10 Mobile, have the seller turn off reset protection while signed in to their Microsoft account, then reset the phone in front of you, or it will ask for their password at setup. Be wary of a “Nokia Lumia” listed with 5G, a huge battery or Android. No Lumia ever had 5G, and those are clones borrowing an old name.

What a collector wants to see in a Lumia listing:

the exact model and its RM code in the title, which system it runs, and whether the battery still lasts a day. Collectors pay for completeness, so photograph the box, the charger and extras such as the camera grip for a 1020 or the Display Dock for a 950 XL. Say whether the phone is liberado and which operator’s chip it has worked with, and charge it fully before you meet. Someone coming from Ciudad Quesada or Puntarenas for a phone this old will want to watch it boot, put their own chip in and hear it ring, and many older Lumias take a micro-SIM, so mention it if you have an adapter for the nano chip in their pocket.