It is the main comment that comes to mind for days after assessing the Nokia Lumia 720, a smartphone that in many sections is a fantastic proposal of the Finnish manufacturer, and with just correct a few details had won many integers.
But one thing The Nokia Lumia 720 is the perfect intermediate member of the family of new handsets that began with the flagship of the company the 920, and he recently completed with the amazing 520. And as a mid-range product, the aim was to achieve a balanced device, something they achieve … in almost everything.
The Lumia 720 wins in lightness
The first thing you notice after you have had in hand the dense Lumia 920 is that his little brother has accomplished something that somewhat criticized terminal high-end Nokia: he has put on a diet, and it shows in evidently on its 128 grams of weight and also in thickness of 9 mm.
We analyze a unit with white colored casing and a glossy finish, but Nokia also sells models in other colors and matte finishes. The choice of polycarbonate as a material key construction of the housing is a hallmark for many medium, but as we have seen, these materials are also used in top-end terminals and the Galaxy S4 and many users prefer them for various reasons, as touch itself or the lightness of these solutions.
Anyway, the fact is that the polycarbonate works. Perhaps one just with little feeling that this Lumia seems almost toy-plastic reminds “indestructible” toys for the little ones, but its ergonomics are fantastic, something that helps the back is slightly curved one of the hallmarks of design in the whole family.
Surprises in the Unibody Design
Nokia engineers have adopted a unibody design where however there are some surprises. MicroSIM card slot found in the top, and is combined with a micro SD card slot are on the left side.
In both cases access to both slots is done with the small (and oddly elegant) Nokia accessory in the box provides Nokia Lumia 720, and while the microSIM slot is logically necessary, I would say that the micro SD slot is almost equally binding , since the storage capacity of this device is only 8 GB.
In the back of the terminal we found the camera, which I will discuss in detail below, and a lower part which highlights the small circular speaker. The latter is adjacent to the three contacts which are used to load the induction Lumia 720. To take advantage of this feature, though, is necessary to purchase a housing option (besides, of course, the charger) that we have not seen for sale and will cost approximately 30 euros.
The front is as usual absolutely dominated by the screen, which I will discuss in more detail the technical specifications. This screen is only accompanied by the front camera on top (with the speaker and the logo of Nokia) and the three capacitive buttons that are already standard in Windows Phone-based handsets.
The last point worth mentioning of that design is the presence on the right side of the volume control buttons, that of plenty of steam / Lock, and physical camera button, which is certainly a success for those willing to get advantage of this feature.
The microUSB connector on the bottom and the headphone jack at the top (I’ve always preferred that the lower position) complete an offer that could qualify as standard on the market. This does not mean that the design of the Lumia 720 is disappointing, far from it. It is a terminal in this section again demonstrates the ability of Nokia in design and production issues.
A cheating WVGA screen
The truth is that on paper the Lumia 720 screen (beware, because that 720 should not be confused with resolutions 720p) is disappointing. Diagonal 4.3-inch IPS LCD panel attention and WVGA resolution. Or what are the same, 480 × 800 pixels (217 ppi screen density) which, again, a priori seem to fall short.
But you have to do math, and above all, we must see the live screen. Clear Black technology long as the contrast of all the visual elements, but the density of that size screen and justify that decision almost as much as the other two key factors that Nokia has taken into account for that panel.
The first, obviously, is the price, as this component has allowed range average clearly lower costs of production. The second, much more important, is that Microsoft gave support to HD displays. A few weeks ago, the Redmond company announced (finally say many) future support 1080p screens on these devices.
That explains it. So far the resolutions seemed reserved 720p high-end terminals, while getting off screens we encountered ladder of resolutions that have been somewhat obsolete.
But as we say, one thing to deal with these data on paper and otherwise manages the terminal. The pixels are seen, and also, if you look, the horizontal lines reminiscent of old televisions. But the image quality and definition, not be comparable to terminals comparable in price, they are very decent, and if you guys were worried about this section, do not yet. The screen of the Nokia Lumia 720 is, of course, solvent, with fantastic viewing angles and outstanding balance of brightness and contrast of all the visual elements.
The Great Sin of the Lumia 720, And Its Great Virtue
If we go into the interior of the Nokia Lumia 720 we will be in first place with its dual-core processor, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 plus (MSM8227) at 1 GHz which is accompanied by an Adreno 305 GPU. Neither of these two components can boast of power, but from another aspect in which we will then impact: energy efficiency.
The performance achieved by this microprocessor is decent, and the tests we have done is clear that this is a mid-range terminal. Thus, in performance tests Sun Spider JavaScript test with the Lumia 720 finished in 1,433 ms, 937 ms of the Lumia 920, HTC 810 ms 909 One and Samsung Galaxy S4. In another similar test Future mark, Peacekeeper (which also evaluates the JavaScript engine) the Lumia 720 scored 208 points per 300 of the Lumia 920, HTC 595 508 One and Samsung Galaxy S4.
These tests rely heavily on the browser used. In Windows Phone Internet Explorer is the benchmark, although there is some alternative, but at least allow us to compare the performance with other platforms. And yet, take that data as mere reference and do it with some perspective. More specific test terminals WP Bench Windows Phone is, and in this benchmark the Nokia Lumia 720 scored 178 points, 229 of the Lumia 920.
Accompanying this is his aforementioned processor 8GB capacity, which fortunately we can expand with up to another 64 GB if we use the micro SD slot which comes as a godsend in this terminal. This capacity is therefore salvageable, but with it we find the big problem (perhaps the only) of the Lumia 720. The RAM, 512 MB, can be a barrier to getting the most out of this smartphone.
That amount of RAM that was perfectly acceptable a few years ago is hardly acceptable in 2013 when any terminal that range has understood that 1 GB is a standard that the market appears to have imposed. And by “the market” refers primarily to developers, some of whom do not even leave their applications leverage if we have less than 1 GB of RAM.
There are several examples today in Windows Phone Marketplace, the mobile application store Microsoft. Games like Temple Run, Asphalt 7: Heat, Modern Combat 4 Nokia Xpress browser or just have that requirement, and hopefully that little by little we see how more and more developments that impose minimum capacity of RAM.
Leaving aside this handicap, we find a characteristic that largely balances the scales. This is the battery of 2,000 mAh and that even without being interchangeable (unibody design has these things) is one of the major players in the Lumia 720. Contributes to this, as I was discussing, that processor that precisely because of their “discreet” helps power consumption is equally discreet terminal.
That allows this exhaust the battery terminal in an apparently slower than many of its competitors. In our tests we have done the same use as in other cases and we would comprise as a standard user and found that the battery lasts long a day without problems, even after two days if we do a more restrained use of its possibilities. It is almost miraculous to the end of the day with half battery available at this time, but the Lumia 720 easily meets in that paragraph.
PureView helps the Midrange
The rear camera of the Nokia Lumia 720 has a BSI of 6.7 Mega pixel sensor, Carl Zeiss lens and f/1.9 aperture. The technical characteristics are inferior to those of the 820 and 920, and that is also seen in the photo invoice.
Thus, in ideal light conditions these shots are very valid, but perhaps precisely affected the relevance and catches PureView low light. It is in this section where technology Nokia returns to be particularly interesting, but that does not mean that external quality is disappointing. It is clearly above average, yet when compared to the iPhone 5 shots of a sensor that logically lost some integer in the treatment of light and colors in our opinion
The front camera available in this smartphone has a 1.3 Mega pixel sensor whose prominent feature its wide-angle lens that helps in the shots. By taking advantage of the application portraits “Glam Me” that is “get handsome” making softening, a technique that is evident and you just prefer being a resource to disable.
Video Recording with the Lumia 720 from the posterior chamber is equally acceptable and offers 720p recording, autofocus and good quality good overall, although again the comparison with a camera like the iPhone 5 and its support 1080p resolutions sensor Apple returns to make a difference. The comparison is somewhat unfair considering that the Cupertino terminal is a high end, but it’s a good way to make clear that the capacity of the Lumia 720 is what it is, but not detract at all the terminal.
Special mention smartphone hardware button dedicated to the camera. While in camera mode by touching anywhere on the screen will make the decision, it is much more suitable depend on one physical button on the side, which also functions as the buttons classic conventional cameras, with two positions depending on the pressure (focus and trip). The response of the shutter button is fantastic and is certainly one of the outstanding features of Lumia 720 to use the camera mode.
The software of the Nokia Lumia 720
Nokia’s gamble for Microsoft’s mobile platform is known to all, and Windows Phone 8 returns to both its light and its shadows. His fluency and its interface, perfect for keep life simple, are again key values that are confirmed in the 720, which moves the system without problems.
In fact, those lights and shadows from which he spoke not the fault of Nokia, which has little say in the decisions of Microsoft. For example, the annoying limitation (or ban) there are no alternatives for on-screen keyboards, as in iOS, which is balanced by a Metro interface that continues to shine for their originality.
Where did Nokia have decision is in the presence of native applications on your terminal, and here we find some surprises. The software that came with the camera is pretty basic, but these options is that we add a handful of modes (lenses) that can trigger download and include panoramic shots, shots that are then integrated into Photosynth or modes with all kinds of artistic filters.
However, we also found the inclusion of Drive Here instead of Drive + Beta, which it is included in the Lumia 620. While the version of the Lumia 720 is more basic and maps can only enjoy in the region in which activated our SIM in Drive + Beta Here we have navigation in any region we wish to use. Nokia has already indicated that it will offer that version in the future, but it will be an alternative payment.
Moreover, we have a software catalog that keeps growing day by day and each time is more in line with what is expected of a platform that wants to compete with iOS and Android.
Conclusions
As indicated earlier, the Lumia 720 gives me some disappointment for those decisions that Nokia could have quite easily amended. Especially in the RAM memory issue because everything else we find a very reliable smartphone with a great design that corrects many of the things he criticized the Lumia 920 and with a clearly remarkable battery life.
The screen does not disappoint despite its apparent average quality, and since then this smartphone is in my opinion, and unless Drive + Beta Here is something especially key for the user-more interesting than the Nokia 620 and even 820.
Thus, the Nokia Lumia 720 is a perfect alternative for all fans of Windows Phone 8 and with a price of around $375. Currently online stores we have a competitive smartphone that will not disappoint those who choose it.
