Everyone does the same thing when they pick up a new smartphone: They try out the camera. The camera on this new Lumia 640 XL is great, which means everyone will, initially, be very happy with this big Windows phone. It's probably the best camera you can get on a smartphone that costs between $200 and $300—relatively inexpensive for a device with a 5.7-inch screen. It's coming to the US soon (on AT&T, T-Mobile, and MetroPCS) and is already available in Europe in different configurations, including 4G LTE, 3G, and dual-SIM.

The handset sports a Carl Zeiss lens on the center of its back. Inside is a 13-megapixel sensor, and the aperture is rated at f/2.0. The 640 XL does not boast the best camera software on a phone ever, but it comes with intriguing features like burst mode, HDR capabilities, and something called Dynamic Flash. This feature captures images automatically both with and without flash, giving you the power to decide the balance between the two shots afterwards. For having such a powerful camera, it's curious that there's no dedicated physical shutter button. Still, the camera is easily accessed by swiping down the notifications panel from the top and tapping on the quick-action camera icon.

As in previous versions of Lumia Windows phones, the Lumia Camera app supports additional "lenses" that let you add options and features. The Selfie lens lets you snap good-looking self portraits using the main camera, and the Refocus lens allows you to disregard focus entirely. It takes a picture and lets you adjust the focus later, as many times as you want.

But why do these "lenses" need to be downloaded separately instead of packaged into the phone's camera software? Microsoft is still following the path Nokia laid years ago, and it unnecessarily complicates things here. Regardless, the features work. Outdoor images show vivid colors and details; though not everything is perfect. Shooting in low light conditions renders more noise and grain, but photos are decent. Videos can be shot in 1080p at 30 frames per second with either camera—there's also a 5-megapixel f/2.4 wide-angle front-facing lens.

All of the camera hardware is great, especially for a budget phone. But the screen is where the 640 XL's low-tier limits surface. The IPS LCD panel suffers from reflection issues, and its 720p resolution is a bit too stretched for its 5.7-inch size—the same size as the Galaxy Note 4. But while Microsoft scores a pixel density of just 259 ppi, Samsung's device in the same size class tops at 515 ppi. While the Lumia's screen can't compete with the Note's clarity, it's still a decent display with good resolution and color accuracy.

The big display is really utilized well by productivity apps as Outlook, and Excel—not to mention Cortana. The last-generation 1.2 GHz quad-core processor is powerful enough to support good multitasking and still lasts a whole day without entirely draining the 3,000 mAh replaceable battery. During my review, I charged it about every two days—one of the things I most appreciated. The RAM is another important upgrade: With 1GB of memory, the 640 XL has better software compatibility and app support than most of the budget phones on the mid-lower range. Windows Phone runs smoothly here. Images flow nicely when streaming videos and playing games, and since some apps no longer support devices with 512MB of RAM, the bump up to double that amount is more than welcome. Such specs are meant to sustain the phone through Windows 10, too: This Lumia will get the update as soon as it becomes available later this year.

Meanwhile, the Lumia Denim update has brought some other improvements, such as Kids Mode, Guest Mode, and Glance Screen (which adds detailed notifications on the display, along with the floating clock). One of the features I prefer is Data Sense: It's an option that compresses images in the browser and blocks some ads, reducing the data you consume while surfing the web. You can even use it to set one-time or monthly limits, to avoid unexpected charges.

The more you use Windows Phone, the more you see how its matured, and how much attention to detail drove the last update—at least until you open a third-party app. Then, the inevitable disappointment hits. Really, how can such a big screen show me a measly two tweets at a time? How is it even possible that I still can't turn off notifications from a single Facebook conversation? Why do I have to awkwardly scroll through Flipboard, instead of—you know—flipping? It's like using the first, hacked-together versions of most apps, or even unofficial ones. It's depressing.

This phone is a great pick for somebody's first smartphone. It has kick-ass hardware at an affordable price: In Europe, the 3G model currently starts at 189 euros (around $210 USD), while the LTE model is priced at 219 euros ($245 USD). Translation: really inexpensive. In the US, the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL is coming later this summer on AT&T, T-Mobile, and MetroPCS. Costs will likely be comparable. You can choose between four different colors: matte cyan, orange, white, and black. Note that the glossy white finish shows off fingerprints like crazy—so please, whatever you do, go for the matte look.