Microsoft Lumia 540 Dual SIM packs capable camera tech in budget body

That’s right. The world has indeed gained yet another Microsoft Lumia smartphone, but it’s not a flagship.

The Microsoft Lumia 540 Dual SIM bolsters what is already a sardine-packed tinned can of devices from the company, with many boasting extremely similar specs. The Microsoft Lumia 540 does, however, pack some Lumia optical imaging goodness into a US$150 shell.

The star of the show is that 8MP snapper on the phone’s rear, featuring an autofocus system and a dedicated LED flash. Around the front of the phone, there’s a 5MP camera too. Microsoft’s clearly positioning this device as a capable mid-range snapping companion.

Harder specs include a 5.0-inch 720p screen packing a respectable 296 pixels per inch, a (sadly) pedestrian Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 with 1GB of RAM and a removable 2200mAh battery. There’s 8GB of native storage with the option to expand this by 128GB thanks to the microSD slot.

Microsoft, as has been the trend with its Lumia devices, will offer 30GB of free OneDrive storage upon account activation (but only 15GB is activated once the “auto-upload” feature is enabled).

The Microsoft Lumia 540 Dual SIM will be offered in “glossy layered cyan, orange, white and matte black”, while the device will begin rolling out to select markets in May 2015.

Availability and pricing is not yet available for South Africa.