It used to be the case - not all that long ago, in fact - that "low-cost" was synonymous with "low quality" in the smartphone space. Flooded with torrents of wretched, miserable Android devices, anyone looking for a really cheap smartphone ended up staring at a dreadful screen, with underpowered specs and appalling battery life.

But within barely a couple of years, things have changed dramatically. Compelling and impressive handsets like Motorola's Moto E have transformed expectations at the entry-level for Android, finally showing users that they no longer have to settle for the very worst if they're shopping for a smartphone on a budget.

It's not just Android either - Microsoft's Windows Phone OS has convincingly demonstrated that a strong smartphone user experience can be offered to buyers across all price ranges, not just those who can afford the flagships. No device demonstrated this better than Nokia's Lumia 520, which has seen its price fall to as little as $39.99 off-contract (albeit on promotion).

More commonly sold for around $80, the Lumia 520 is nonetheless one of the most affordable smartphones on the market today. But it's not quite perfect - some compromises were made in its design to help keep its cost down, including the omission of a front-facing camera, and the inclusion of just 512MB of RAM.

But the 520 is almost a year and a half old, and a new entry-level Windows Phone has now been introduced to the range. The Lumia 630 was the first handset to launch with Windows Phone 8.1 onboard, and the first to go on sale following Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia earlier this year.

Priced at around $159 in the United States, €119 in Europe, £100 in the UK and Rs.10,500 in India, the 630 is certainly affordable. But Nokia is facing ever more competition at the lower end of the market, not just from Android, but also from the new wave of manufacturers that have joined Windows Phone in recent months, who are all concentrating - at least initially - on launching entry-level devices.

So does the Lumia 630 make a convincing case for itself, or would you be better off taking your money elsewhere?

Read the full review here.

This article is brought to you in  partnership with Neowin.