Nokia Lumia 521 review, specs: A Windows Phone 8-powered budget friendly handset offered by both Metro PCS and T-Mobile is earning good reviews for its quality at its price range. The device comes with a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 4-inch LCD WVGA display and 5MP camera and is sold for a price of $69.

According to Phone Arena, the Nokia Lumia 521 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus dual-core 1000 Mhz processor. It has 8GB of internal storage and has a memory of 512MB RAM. Its powered by a 1430mAh battery, which gives it a talk time of 14.80 hours.

The unit was officially announced on February 2013 and according to CNET is a “high-value budget hit” except with no LTE. The device actually has a better camera and more software features than you might expect for its affordable price.

The main downside with the Nokia Lumia 521 is its lack of LTE, poor screen quality and lack of camera flash. CNET notes that all its “lack” is a reminder that the 521 wasn’t built to become a premium device.

As an assortment of new budget-friendly handsets flood the market, the Nokia Lumia 521 stands as an example of a unit that can compete nonetheless, primarily on the price. The recently released 525, which is considered its variant is still around $200. Moto G, the budget-friendly version of an Android handset is at $178 and the iPhone C, the cheapest iPhone available is priced at $540 for 16GB.

In CNET’s review, the performance of the Nokia Lumia 521 without 4G LTE won’t be as fast as those enabled with the connection. But it’s 4G HSPA+ means that it won’t be stuck in 3G, either. The tech site noted that load times for the 521 weren’t too long that it’ll make you want to “smash down the phone in frustration.” In a test they did, loading up mobile-optimized sites took under 10 seconds.

One of the lowest-cost smartphones around, the 521 delivers on value and has a strong camera with HD video capture. But it’s important to caution to expect too much from this budget-friendly device.