The Nokia Lumia 710 is about to launch as we can see the Nokia Lumia 710s page on T-Mobiles site! For those of you who don’t know, the Nokia Lumia series is Nokia’s attempt to get big in the smartphone market and the Nokia Lumia 710, among the two they have launched is the budget phone which is expected to contribute to making the numbers big. Will great specs, good price and Nokia’s name add some extra value to the Windows Phone OS? Or are the smaller app market and the lack of deep levels of customizability spoiling the OS? Let’s find out!
Before we start the comparison, the Nokia Lumia 710 is a Windows Phone running device and Windows Phone is an operating system that competes with the likes of iOS and Android and they are sure as hell giving them some kind of competition. If not now, Windows Phone will make it big as future updates will make the phone more competitive and Microsoft is trying to perfect it by taking it one step at a time. The app market is however not as huge as iOS’ or Androids, but it sure is big enough to consider buying a phone with the OS.
Design & Screen:
The Nokia Lumia 710 may not be as premium looking as the elder Nokia Lumia 800, but it still is a gorgeous phone that is built well and comes with high grade quality materials. The Nokia Lumia comes in two colours – Black and white, but the cover at the back comes with various color choices like black, white, yellow, cyan and fuchsia. When you buy the phone, you get to choose two colours out of the lot! When you pair these colours with the Windows Phone OS, it looks pretty darn cool. Overall, this 3.7 inch phones does look pretty slick when compared to its competition and probably is the best looking out of the lot. Unlike most windows phones, the Lumia 710 come with actual physical buttons than the touch buttons and in a way, it is much better than the touch buttons practically.
Among the 3.7 inch screen under the Windows Phone category, the HTC Mozart (eliminating the Lumia 800 from this list) is topping its list and the Nokia Lumia probably climbed over the Mozart and claimed the title with its gorgeously LCD screen that features Nokia’s ClearBlack display technology that is somewhat like that of an AMOLED screen. The colours come out vibrant with the right amount of contrast and provide great readability under direct sunlight. The small screen does not however feel cramped thanks to the Windows Phone OS’ design!
Hardware Specs & Connectivity:
Most of its competitors feature only a 1 GHz or at max a 1.2 GHz single core processor, but the Nokia Lumia running on the Windows Phone 7.5 comes with a quick 1.4 GHz single core processor that is paired with a 512 MB RAM. Windows phone does not require a dual core processor to run quick as it does pretty darn well with a single core processor and the phone will continue to perform even updates that happen two years later. It is just the way Windows Phone was designed! Use the phone and experience quick, smooth and fluid navigation with a swipe and scroll technique. Instead of icons, the windows phone comes with hubs that are more informative and more fun to use than an Android or an iOS.
The Nokia Lumia 710 supports GSM networks like 2G and 3G. Wifi and Bluetooth are other connectivity features that come along with the phone. However you will not be able to transfer files from one phone to the other via Bluetooth sadly. But if it is a song or a picture, you can however send them with Whatsapp! In the US, T-Mobile is selling their phones with 4G connectivity and is the first Windows Phone to feature 4G! If you are not in the US, then 4G will not be a feature.
Camera & Storage:
We all know how great nokia is with their phone camera and they don’t disappoint with the Lumia 710. Although it comes with only a 5 megapixel camera when compared to the Lumia 800s 8 megapixel camera, the job done by the younger sibling is however pretty awesome. The colours are bright, the contrast is almost perfect and the focus is also impressive. The phone even captures high quality videos at 720p HD and captures at 30 frames per second. Pretty awesome for the price!
This is one area where the Nokia Lumia 710 disappoints – Storage. It comes with an 8 GB internal memory, but the sad part is that you will not be able to extend that memory with a microSD card. But another fact is that you are not permitted to do that with pretty much any other Windows Phone in the market.
Pricing & Performance:
The pricing of the Lumia 710 is pretty competitive at $370 for the unlocked version. You can however get the phone for $49.99 at any T-Mobile store! The sales haven’t started yet, but according to the website, it is to start soon in the first weeks of January! But that news is only for the people in the US as the Nokia Lumia 710 is launched at competitive prices in places like India, Russia, Hong Kong, etc. The pricing is pretty much impressive and we sure as hell can expect the device to boost the Nokia sales.
With a 1.4 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM, the Nokia Lumia does not fail to impress. You can find information stacked in places that Microsoft would like to call “hubs” and this information are storage in slides which is pretty fun to do and is visually impressive. During our entire time with the phone, we have not experienced signs of lag even after doing heavy multi-tasking. After using this phone, I found iOS and the Android pretty plastic! The interface is gorgeous and apps are flowing into the market!
Conclusion:
If you are in search of a good phone at a decent price, then this is it. If you are looking for a completely new perspective in a phone, then this is it. If you are looking for a phone to set you apart from the others, this is it. If you want a phone that gets things done fast and efficiently, then this is it. You have everything you need in the Nokia Lumia 710 and it is embedded in a gorgeous OS. Go for it I would say!
