Nokia Lumia 730

“Microsoft's Nokia Lumia 735 is a very good middle-class smartphone. The phone is ships with an up-to-date OS, offers plenty of performance, supports LTE and features good cameras as well. Although the chassis is made from polycarbonate, the overall as well as the build quality are impressive.The 8 GB of internal storage provide less space than expected, since less than 3 GB are actually usable. At least expansion is easy via a MicroSD card with a capacity of up to 128 GB. Speaking of expectations: the shipping box contains only the power adapter, which is stingy considering the MSRP of 299 Euro (~$340).Despite the shortcomings, the Lumia 735 is a very well-rounded package with a good display and satisfying battery life. Although the Moto G offers superior performance in some categories, the Lumia pulls ahead in other areas.”

“Microsoft is doing well to shake things up in the Lumia lineup. A couple of devices shown at IFA in September have hit the shelves and, the software boost courtesy of Lumia Denim aside, the lineup is being updated in the right place. The upgrades are even slightly overdue perhaps - busy adding a tablet and a couple of phablets to the lineup, along with dual-SIM support and cheap screen real estate, Nokia and Microsoft somehow overlooked the midrange.The Lumia 720 went nearly two years without an upgrade and it was by no means a phone that deserves such treatment. OK, this maybe just our opinion but we liked the 720 and the Lumia 735 we've just finished reviewing is showing due respect as well.LTE and HD screen resolution look nice on the list of upgrades but the good news don't end there. It's an AMOLED screen now with the ClearBlack technology for great contrast and outdoor legibility. The 5MP wide-angle front cam is perfect for selfies and the 1080p videos are welcome as well.The phone handles great and still looks good, although honestly it's not going to wow onlookers. Well familiar and deliberately understated, it's a design we've seen minor variations of on many Lumia handsets. Fair enough. This is one of the last Lumia phones to carry a Nokia brand and Redmond may be saving the fresh hardware for the ones that have the Microsoft logo. Just a thought.”

“The Nokia Lumia 730 lives up to the promise of being a great phone for those who like to take selfies. It’s not just that, though: with one of the best designs among its peers and an improved camera app it is a good phone overall. On the downside, Windows Phone just does not feel as snappy as Android does on a similar configuration, and you’d see apps loading too long too often. We’re also not perfectly happy with the default display color mode on the Lumia 730, which comes with overblown, unreal colors. Luckily, those who care about accurate colors have the option to fine tune the screen to their liking.At a price of $320 (€200 in Europe), the market is filled with rival Android phones, though. The Motorola Moto G (2014 edition) is a cheaper phone with a larger, 5” screen that offers the same Snapdragon 400 chip with a much smoother performance, and access to the richer Android ecosystem. Then, if you prefer a larger display, you can get the excellent HTC Desire 816 for around the same price, and you get a 5.5” 720p display, a Snapdragon 400 system chip, and a very capable 8-megapixel camera. Next, if you care about great design, you need to look no further than the iPhone 6-like Blu Vivo Air with its 4.8” 720p AMOLED display, and an equally capable MediaTek chip. Finally, you also have the LG G3 s, a 5” 720p phone with a Snapdragon 400 SoC. It’s a good performer with its physical keys on its back, which adds an interesting twist to usability.If you feel an attraction for Microsoft’s Live Tiles and Windows Phone on the whole, though, and have an affinity for selfies, the Lumia 730 is a device that has more pros than cons. Microsoft is also promising to upgrade it to Windows 10 in the future, so you probably should not be worried about updates as much as someone owning an Android phone would.”

“I won't lie: I came into this review worried that the Lumia 735 would lean too hard on the selfie angle at the expense of other features, much like the 720 did. Happily, this isn't the case. The 735 (and by extension, the 730) is really a capable, stylish budget smartphone that just happens to take some nice self-portraits. Microsoft Mobile has ironed out many of the kinks from the 720 while simultaneously lowering the price. How can you not like that? To me, the 735 is the real successor to Nokia's cult favorite, the Lumia 620. It costs a bit more, but it still strikes a fine balance among attractive design, affordability and solid performance. The 630 and 635 are only worth considering if you simply must have a modern Lumia and can't justify spending more.Having said this, there are a few big items on my upgrade wish list. The 735's cameras could stand to perform better, particularly in darker scenes, it really needs a camera key, or at least a lock screen shortcut, it'd be nice to get both a faster processor as well as more built-in storage. And yes, the app supply remains a concern. The Lumia 735 is a very good phone for what you're paying, particularly if you're committed to Windows, but it stops short of greatness.”