Nokia Lumia 720 review

Camera

The Lumia 720's camera is not the best phone camera on the market, but it isn't far off. Considering this is a mid-range handset we've only seen three setups which are better, two of those use the same configuration on different handsets. All three candidates are on premium handsets which are all made by Nokia.

The sensor is sized at 1 /3.6in and rated at 6.7-megapixels with an f/1.9 aperture, plus it has Carl Zeiss optics, an LED flash and 720p video.

Importantly, captured images and videos are packed with detail and in good lighting conditions images are incredibly sharp with excellent dynamic range and depth of field. The camera is good at capturing detail-rich close-up snaps but is generally an extremely good all-rounder. For low-light shots the night-time mode does make a noticeable difference too.

A 1.3-megapixel front-facing secondary can be used for video calls and delivers reasonably good 720p quality.

Connectivity and Web

As we've found on previous Lumia and Windows Phone 8 devices, the built-in Internet Explorer 10 browser offers one of the fastest web experiences on mobiles.

It's lightning quick on a decent connection and operates smoothly with all the functionality you might expect such as multiple tabs and pinch-t0-zoom. For speed, Sunspider clocked up 1,436.3 milliseconds - not as fast as the Lumia 920 but still zippy.

Connectivity includes 3G HSPA+ but there is no 4G. The rest of your options include Wi-Fi (with hotspot), microUSB, NFC, Bluetooth and GPS. You can also buy a cover for the handset which enabled wireless charging and the SIM type is micro SIM.

Conclusion

There is a shedload of stuff to like about the Lumia 720 - the design, the feel in the hand, the camera, the expandable storage, the display and even the performance are all very good.

But overall, Windows 8 is the Achille's heel. Microsoft's platform covers all the basics, but in the modern smartphone era that isn't going to cut it for a good chunk of the potential user base when competing platforms offer better functionality and larger selection of apps.

Verdict

A well designed and beautifully crafted smartphone, which packs a stunning camera for the price point. Windows Phone 8 is its Achilles heel, however. If you want a good smartphone with above average capabilities basics and don’t want to pay the earth this may well be it. If you’re hoping for an app-rich experience look to Android, BlackBerry and iOS.

OS: Windows Phone 8 Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1GHz RAM: 512MB Storage: 8GB + 7GB Cloud + micro SD up to 64GB Screen: 4.3in WVGA 800 x 480 Connectivity: WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3, NFC Others: Magnetometer, A-GPS, A-GLONASS Dimensions: 128 x 68 x 9mm (WxDxH) Weight: 128g