The Nokia Lumia 730 and Nokia Lumia 830 are the last two smartphones under the Nokia brand as Microsoft bought the Finnish division and decided to change the name to Microsoft Lumia. Although the Lumia 730 is Nokia's latest smartphone, that doesn't mean it's bad in any way. Microsoft is positioning the device as a "selfie phone" for creating high-quality selfies. it Nokia Lumia 730 review- phone of an average price segment on Windows Phone.

The smartphone can take good pictures with the 5MP front camera. You'll also get a 4.7" screen, 4G support (in the Lumia 735 analog model), dual-SIM support (Lumia 730), NFC, and even wireless charging (provided additional accessories are connected).

We liked:

• Bright and colorful design.
• Good shooting in low light conditions.
• Great selfies and group photos.
• Good set of features.

We didn't like:

• Sometimes lags in some games.
• Slightly oversaturated screen.
• Lack of HDR mode.
• Not the best speaker.

Design and features

Lumia 735 follows the standard formula of Nokia and Microsoft: a bright polycarbonate case. It can be dyed in green and orange glossy colors. There is also a white and black version in matte color. In our opinion, green looks the most attractive. White and black are too banal, and orange is too bright.

The design of the smartphone is very nice. The device is comfortable to hold thanks to rounded edges and a flat back panel. The slightly bulging rear camera is a little annoying. All controls are located on the right side. This is not bad, it is convenient to control a smartphone, but in a car the ergonomics of a smartphone falls - it is not very convenient to use a device on a holder. This problem affects all Lumia smartphones.

The case of the device is collapsible. Removing the back cover you will find a removable battery, microSD port and memory cards. The internal memory of the smartphone is 8GB. This is quite enough for adequate operation of the device, but if you want to fill your gadget with multimedia, games and applications, you simply have to buy a memory card. Windows Phone 8.1.1, which runs the Lumia 730, has the ability to install apps on a memory card, so there shouldn't be any memory issues.

The back cover of the Lumia 730 sits tight, only a crunch was found in some places, which can drive any perfectionist crazy. This little thing spoils the overall feeling of the device and creates the impression of cheapness. But apart from those annoying crunches, the Lumia 730 is actually very well put together. During the test, it was dropped a couple of times and at the same time not a scratch remained on the case.

Another plus of the removable cover is not only that you can change the battery if necessary, but also that the back cover can be changed to another one that supports wireless charging for use with branded Nokia Wireless Charging Shell or Nokia Wireless Charging Plate chargers. .

The Nokia Lumia 730 also has an NFC chip that allows you to connect devices, make wireless payments and use NFC tags. In addition, the Microsoft Screen Sharing Tool accessory for projecting your smartphone's screen onto another large screen was shown along with the Lumia 730.

All this ultimately gives the user good functionality and features for a good price. Speaking of specs, the Lumia 730 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and comes with 1GB of storage. Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi 802.11n are also supported. Inside you will also find an FM radio, which is now rarely installed in smartphones. The cameras received a resolution of 6.7MP on the back with LED flash, and the front one at 5MP.

Screen

The main part of the Lumia 730 smartphone is the screen. It's a 4.7" AMOLED with a resolution of 1280x720. Like most other AMOLED screens, blacks are completely black (add ClearBlack technology), but other colors are sometimes too saturated. For those who are moving from an IPS screen, the difference will be very noticeable But thanks to such a screen, photos on the screen will look very bright, full of contrast and at times, too unrealistic.Glance Screen, which displays clock and notifications on the lock screen, was also disappointing.

Another disadvantage of the Lumia 730's screen is its resolution. 1280x720 pixels with a density of 316 ppi should be enough for the best and most comfortable work. For comparison, on the iPhone 6 326 ppi and this is enough for the praises in the reviews. So why is the Lumia 730 screen worse? It's all about how the pixels are arranged. This technology is called PenTile and in such screens small interface elements suffer greatly, if you look closely, you will see that the pixels seem to vibrate. The screens in the Moto G and Moto G2 with 720p screens and LCDs are much sharper.

Although on paper all these disadvantages do not sound very good, practice has shown that many users love rich, high-contrast screens. Moreover, such a solution is welcome on Windows Phone, where there are a lot of black interface elements. Also the latest Nokia update allows you to customize the colors of your screen. So if you don't like excessive saturation, just turn it down in the settings.

In bright sunlight, the screen performs well. But it is not as good as IPS-matrices. Sensor for automatic adjustment brightness perfectly copes with any conditions and accurately adjusts to outdoor lighting.

Soft

One of the reasons Nokia is still making Windows Phone smartphones is the time and effort the Finnish company has invested in Windows development phone. Lumia 730 runs on latest version Windows Phone 8.1.1 and Lumia firmware Denim. The latter adds a number of unique features - double tap to wake, Miracast support and screen color profile settings - features not found in other Windows Phones.

For a deeper acquaintance with Windows Phone 8.1, you can read our separate review, which talks about the capabilities of the operating system. Briefly, compared to the standard OS in previous generations (Windows Phone 8.0), the third generation of Lumia received features such as a notification center, improved live tiles, live folders and so on right out of the box.

To install applications, use your store. The situation there is much more positive than many describe it. The vast majority of applications (80%) from Android and iOS are present on Windows Phone. The remaining 20% ​​are rarer, but no less popular applications. It's also worth noting that many of the apps that are present on Windows Phone are often left behind by updates from iOS and Android. For example, the Instagram client, which is now in beta status, has not received updates for more than 7 months. How bad all this is depends only on how fanatically you use your smartphone. In a nutshell, almost 400,000 applications in Windows Phone are enough for all the needs of a Windows Phone user.

Finally, we must remember that the standard applications are very good. The Nokia HERE Drive app is one of the best navigation services in the store and even on other operating systems. Applications Weather, News, Sports and others are also very well done. They are pre-installed right out of the box, so the user does not have to worry about finding the necessary applications.

Performance

Smartphones average price category from Nokia are made almost according to the same formula. Lumia 730 received a Qualcomm 400 processor, 1.2GHz and 1GB random access memory, which is completely similar to the more expensive Lumia 830. These parameters are more than enough for the most efficient and fast work. This is exactly what many Android counterparts cannot boast of.

In 99% of cases, Windows Phone works perfectly fast. But we noticed that the smartphone starts to lag during the background installation of applications, especially if the application is large or there are several of them at once. They are most noticeable during long animations.

Speaking of games, we ran into the same issues as the Lumia 830 (same hardware). FIFA 15 does not work, and some games that run smoothly and stably on Android counterparts sometimes lag on the Lumia 730, the graphics quality is not so high, and so on. Moto G2, which received the same iron specs and screen, works much better with games. For example, Asphalt Overdrive, although it works fine, takes an infinitely long time to load, and the graphics quality is noticeably lower. It is difficult to say what the problem is - poor optimization of games on Windows Phone or platform shortcomings. Whatever it was, if you buy this smartphone to play games, you should consider all these shortcomings and think twice.

Not particularly demanding games and applications work very well without any problems or comments.

Camera

Nokia is not in vain proud of its cameras. Their lenses produce truly high-quality images. The main camera received a resolution of 6.7 megapixels, and the front camera received a 5 megapixel resolution and a wide-angle lens. At the same time, rear camera aperture size F / 1.9, which means good pictures in poor lighting conditions. Microsoft is touting the Lumia 730 as the world's best selfie camera phone. Needless to say, they did it.

The quality of the front camera is very high. Image Source: Geeksonggadgets

No matter how many selfies or group photos you take, the Lumia 735 good telephone. The wide-angle lens of the front camera allows you to "shove" a lot of your friends into the frame. Under normal lighting conditions, the pictures look good, but if you look closely, you can see some noise. But for publishing photos on Instagram or Vkontakte, they are quite enough.

Especially for high-quality selfies, Nokia has released the Nokia Selfie app. It gives you several tools to enhance your photos. You can apply filters to your photo, retouch your face, enlarge your eyes a bit, whiten your teeth, and so on. In a word, everything for the perfect "self". Of course, other manufacturers also shove "cool" front cameras into their devices. Some manage to insert 13 or 18-megapixel sensors on the front panel. But no one pays such attention to software and optimization, which is also quite important.

The main camera is also very good. Its resolution is capped at 6.7 megapixels, which means you shouldn't expect too much detail. But this camera will come in handy if you mainly share photos on social networks.

This shot shows the strengths and weaknesses of the Lumia 730's camera. It's perfectly balanced and color accurate, but again, we're facing the same problem as the Lumia 830's lack of HDR, which means the sky outside will be completely overexposed.

But this shot shows how well the Lumia 730 can shoot. Yes, if you zoom in a lot, you won’t see much detail, but compared to the competition Moto smartphone G2, color reproduction and contrast look much better. And thanks to aperture 1.9, the picture will be much brighter. That being said, note that it was made without HDR mode.

Lumia 730

But when it comes to shooting scenes with different modes lighting, the Lumia 730 is losing ground. The sky is overexposed, and the details in the shadows are irrevocably lost. The balance in the exposure, Lumia 730 could not find. But the Moto G2 did better, thanks to its HDR mode, which produced a beautiful and balanced shot. Colours, contrast and exposure. Everything is in place.

Switching to macro mode, the Nokia Lumia 730 beat the Moto G2 full program. The macro is very well done. The subject is in sharp focus, the colors are correct, and there is even a semblance of bokeh in the background. On the Moto G2, we weren't able to capture the same shot - the camera simply refused to focus properly.

It is also impossible to pass by shooting in low light conditions. Again, Moto G2 lost. It's impossible to photograph without a flash, as the photo is dark as tar, and in turn, the Lumia 730 did it perfectly. Without a doubt, you'll want to take photos with the Lumia more than with the Moto G2.

Battery

Lumia 730 received a good 2200 mAh battery. By the end of a normal day, when you moderately combine listening to music, light gaming, web browsing and calls, the battery was down to 15-20%. If you refrain from playing games, then by the end of the day you will have much more battery left. But this is hardly enough for the night and the next day. You will most likely need to charge your Lumia 730 every evening.

This is sufficient for the vast majority of users. The battery isn't much to complain about, except that it also doesn't charge very fast, like the Lumia 830. 30% per hour, so you need about three and a half hours to fully charge. For comparison: Moto G2 gets 30% in half an hour. Much faster.

Sound and call quality

Everything is in order here, as in other smartphones. The Lumia 730 features Active Noise Canceling technology to ensure that your voice is clearly transmitted to the other person. There are no unexpected signal loss or any trouble with reception. Everything is stable here, even with a weak signal, Lumia 730 will provide you with a stable connection. The speaker is high quality and loud.

But with the outside, everything is much worse. It is located on the back cover and if the phone is on the table, the sound will sound worse. If you put your phone on the holder in the car, the sound will be muffled quite a lot. The same is observed in cases and pockets. Make sure that the sound on your device is at a high level, otherwise you may miss an important event. The very same sound quality also leaves much to be desired. On the face of the marriage of bass and the sound squeaks a little.

Should I buy Lumia 730?

There are many reasons why you might choose the Lumia 730 as your main gadget. It has good cameras and nice features offered by Nokia. Support for two SIM cards should also be attributed to the unambiguous plus. The 735 model also supports 4G, which the Moto G2 cannot boast of. The problems with the Lumia 730 are not the best performance in games and the lack of an HDR mode in the camera. If you are not interested in Android smartphones in this price range, the Lumia 730 is the perfect choice.

Verdikit:

Highly good smartphone for photography, but not the best solution for games. But if you don't play games, there are good reasons to buy the Lumia 730.

As you probably know, IFA 2014, the largest consumer electronics show, will be held in Berlin from 5 to 10 September. However, the time for announcements has already come.

As part of Microsoft's special event "Ready for #morelumia?", we introduced three smartphones from the new line: the slim Lumia 830 and the two selfie phones Lumia 730 DS and Lumia 735.

Nokia Lumia 830

The first novelty of the event was the vice-flagship Nokia Lumia 830. The smartphone successfully combines the successful design solutions of its predecessors, such as, for example, Nokia Lumia 1020. But most of all, he drew on the appearance of the flagship model of the "big brother" - Lumia 930.

Nokia Lumia 930 (pictured left) and Nokia Lumia 830

At the heart of the Lumia 830, as well as the flagship presented in the spring, is a monolithic metal frame in silver or black, which is also a design element of the smartphone. The front part is almost completely covered with a slightly convex Gorilla 3.0 protective glass, and on the back there is a colored polycarbonate protective cover. The smartphone is available in all black, as well as combinations of a silver frame and back cover in white, bright orange or bright green. Such a design "recipe" is already becoming traditional for Lumia and allows you to focus on both lovers of bright colorful design and conservative users.

Another important point concerning the physical characteristics of the new smartphone is its thickness and weight. They are 8.5 mm and 150 grams respectively, making the Lumia 830 the thinnest and lightest device in the line at the moment. The length and width of the new smartphone is 139.4 x 70.7 mm.

It is worth paying attention to the technical component. The smartphone is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.2 GHz processor with Adreno 305 graphics chip and 1 GB of RAM.

The Lumia 830 has 16GB of onboard storage, expandable via microSD cards (up to a whopping 128GB). Plus, users will have free access to 15 GB in the OneDrive cloud.

The clear 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (pixel density - 296 pixels / inch) with ClearBlack technology boasts excellent readability in sunlight and makes it easy to control your smartphone in various conditions thanks to an ultra-sensitive sensor.

The Lumia 830 features a 10MP PureView main camera, LED flash, ZEISS optics (6-lens optical system) and the lightest and thinnest optical image stabilization system we've ever created. The camera has a high light sensitivity, allowing you to take high-quality pictures in low light conditions. The sensor size is 1/3.4 inch, the focal length is 26mm, and the aperture is f/2.2. The front camera has a resolution of 0.9 megapixels and a wide-angle lens for better self-portraits and video calls.

The main camera allows you to shoot video with a resolution of Full HD (1080p). And Nokia's Rich Recording technology and three high-performance microphones ensure that surround sound (5.1) audio is recorded without distortion throughout the full range.

A powerful replaceable battery (which is rare for flagship devices today) with a capacity of 2200 mAh will provide up to 14.8 hours of talk time (in 3G network). You can recharge your Lumia 830 battery using QI wireless charging.

The smartphone supports SensorCore technology, which allows you to collect information for fitness applications (such as Health and Fitness and Adidas miCoach) in low power conditions.

The new Lumia 830 is already preinstalled latest update Lumia Denim with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1. We will tell you a little more about it later in the post.

World sales Lumia 830 will begin this fall. In Russia, the novelty will appear approximately in October. The retail price will be announced later (estimated cost will be about 330 euros, excluding taxes and discounts).

Specifications Lumia 830:

HERE Location Services: Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+ navigator. The HERE Transit app is also available for free in the Store
Display: 5” Clear Black IPS-LCD 1280x720, improved sunlight readability, rounded (“2.25D”) Gorilla 3.0 glass, ultra-sensitive sensor that allows you to work with gloves
Battery: Replaceable, 2200 mAh, integrated Qi wireless charging

Main camera: 10 megapixels, PureView technology with optical image stabilization. Improved "Nokia Camera". LED flash, ZEISS optics
Front camera: 1 megapixel, 720p video
Memory: 16 GB + 15 GB for free cloud storage OneDrive, microSD slot up to 128 GB
Full list of technical specifications.

Nokia Lumia 730DS/735

Presented today Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 are two versions of the same model with similar features and design, focused on Skype video calls and shooting self-portraits (or so-called "selfies"). The main difference between the models is that the Lumia 735 supports LTE networks, while the Lumia 730 DS supports two SIM cards simultaneously.

A key feature of the new devices is a powerful front wide-angle camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels and the ability to record Full HD video. The focal length of this camera is 24mm and the aperture is f/2.4. Thanks to the above characteristics and wide-angle lens front-camera good for taking group photos with friends and group chatting on Skype. Especially for the presentation of the smartphone, a special application was developed for capturing high-quality self-portraits - Lumia Selfie.

The main camera in the new smartphones Lumia 730 DS / 735 has a resolution of 6.7 megapixels, autofocus, ZEISS optics and LED flash. The sensor size is 1/3.4 inch, aperture is f/1.9, and focal length is 26mm.

Deep integration of Microsoft services in Windows Phone 8.1, pre-installed in new smartphones, allows you to switch from voice calls to Skype video calls with one touch. A system consisting of a pair of microphones and intelligent voice processing technology guarantees clear sound transmission during conversations.

In select markets, users of the new smartphones will also have access to a three-month free Skype Worldwide Unlimited subscription to make international calls to a mobile or landline.

The devices have a 4.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a pixel density of 316 ppi. The smartphone supports ClearBlack technology and, like the Lumia 830, features a high-sensitivity sensor.

As for the other specifications of the smartphone, the Lumia 730/735 smartphones will offer users a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.2 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8 GB, but it can be expanded with MicroSD memory cards up to a maximum of 128 GB and cloud storage 15. It is worth recalling here that with the recent update of Lumia Cyan, all Lumia devices received the ability to install applications on a memory card (respectively, if device supports them).

The 2220 mAh battery will allow you to use your smartphone all day without thinking about charging. The maximum talk time in the 3G network is 17 hours. Lumia 735 supports QI wireless charging (but only with optional Wireless Charging Shell (CC-3086) - UPD).

The novelties are presented in the recognizable Lumia palette: bright green, bright orange, dark gray and white. The dimensions of the smartphone are 134.7 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm and the weight is 130.4 grams.

The Lumia 730 and Lumia 735 also come preloaded with the Lumia Denim update, which includes the new Lumia Camera app for photography. The package will also be available to users mobile applications Microsoft Office, detailed maps and satellite navigation (HERE Maps and Drive+), clients of leading social services, such as Instagram and Twitter, as well as the latest fitness apps that take advantage of SensorCore technology, such as Fitbit and Adidas miCoach.

Deliveries of affordable and powerful Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 to Russia are expected in October. The price will be announced additionally. The estimated cost of the 4G/LTE modification will be about 219 euros, and the 3G Dual SIM version will cost about 199 euros (all prices are excluding taxes and fees).

Specifications Lumia 730 DS / 735:

Operating system: Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update
HERE Location Services: Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+. The HERE Transit app is also available for free in the Store
Display: 4.7” HD OLED 720×1280, improved sunlight readability, super sensitive glove sensor
Battery: 2220 mAh capacity, compatible with wireless charging(in model with LTE)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core, 1.2 GHz
Primary camera: 6.7 megapixels, FF, improved "Nokia Camera", LED flash
Front camera: 5 megapixels, wide angle, Full HD, 1080p video
Storage: 8 GB + 15 GB free with OneDrive cloud storage, microSD support up to 128 GB
Full list of specifications

Nokia Denim update

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1

We've already covered the major changes in Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, so this post will just list them.

"Real" folders - now, to create a new folder on the start screen, you do not need to resort to help special applications, just drag one of the tiles onto the other. Each folder can be renamed in the text field at the top.

App Corner - A customized home screen that only allows certain apps and games to be available. This feature will be useful for corporate use, but other use cases are possible.

Improved SMS experience - Users can now select individual text messages in a conversation to remove them from a conversation or copy and paste them into a new conversation for forwarding.

Alarm Clock - You can now set up snooze in the Alarm Clock app.

Custom VPN - Ensuring privacy and security when working with data in public places WiFi access or on your home network.

Improvements in IE - faster and smoother browser experience.

Lumia Unique Features

The Lumia Denim update also includes a number of exclusive features. Many features depend on hardware and are currently only announced for the Lumia 930, Lumia 1520, and Lumia 830. Information about the availability of certain features on other Lumia devices will be provided simultaneously with the distribution of this update.

« Lumia Camera" - will replace the application "Nokia Camera". It features an improved shooting algorithm, new features and more intuitive controls. Lumia Camera will allow users to capture the important moment by quickly turning on the camera and burst shooting with a pause between shots of a few milliseconds.

Moment Capture, activated by long pressing the camera button in the app, automatically starts capturing 4K video at 24 fps. Each frame of video has a resolution of 8.3 megapixels, which means that each frame can be saved as a still image.
The Rich Capture feature will add support for HDR and allow users to first take a picture and then adjust the settings and choose the best option.

Improved Glance Screen(screen displayed in smartphone lock mode) - Lumia devices that support it will be able to display other information in addition to the date and alerts, for example, from the Weather or Health and Fitness applications.

The Lumia Denim update will be available for over-the-air download in the fourth quarter of 2014 after testing and approval by partners.

But with a relatively affordable option, I want to introduce you today - Lumia 730.

To be honest, another Lumia-smartphone for the middle price segment was shown in Berlin - Lumia 735. There are only two differences from the 730th model, which I will talk about now: support for one SIM card (Lumia 730 is a DualSIM smartphone) and the ability to work with LTE networks.

Appearance

Smartphones of the Lumia line are very easy to identify precisely because of their appearance. All phones in this series have a similar design (rectangle with rounded sides), but at the same time the company managed to make each device “a little bit individual”, they cannot be confused (especially by the appearance of the back panel). In our case, we will talk about a plastic case (not polycarbonate, of course, but it will work), which can be of three colors: white, orange and black. The White version came into our hands, just for the winter.

The front face of the “extreme” Nokia phone is occupied by a 4.7-inch screen, over which they placed the inscription Nokia (look, you won’t see this anywhere else), a speaker and a front camera. Actually, the selfie machine deserves special attention here, so we will devote a whole section to it. But for now, I'd like to poke around a bit about the keys below the screen. Here the situation has developed in such a way that there is a place for them, but there are no buttons themselves. The trick is that starting from Windows Phone 8.1, the keys were made on-screen (something similar happened with Android at one time). It seems that when they developed the phone, they simply forgot about the “features” of the updated system. In short, the fingers are reaching out to press where, in fact, there is nothing to press. All this is a matter of habit, but not a very pleasant moment, to be honest.

The largest abundance of controls is on the left side - there is nothing there. On the right side, there was a place for a volume rocker and a power control button. On the bottom is a microUSB port, on the top is a headphone jack. The phone is ideal for perfectionists - all the "holes" are placed strictly in the center of the faces. I liked that the buttons stick out a little, so finding them by touch is not a problem at all, unlike the same one.

The back cover is removable, but this does not affect the build quality of the device, the phone lies well in the hand and all the famous solidity of the Lumia line is felt. You can replace SIM 1 without pulling out the battery, but SIM 2 and microSD do not support hot swapping. Although I don’t know if in this case we can talk about a quick replacement at all, since removing the panel is not the easiest thing to do, which every time turns into a miller’s hell. I also want to note that the company has finally abandoned nano-SIM, here the usual type is micro.

There is nothing interesting on the back panel: a 6.7 MP camera, a flash, a second microphone and a speaker, which is very muffled if you put the phone on a sofa or something similar. In principle, I liked the design of the device. Its dimensions are 134.7 x 68.5 x 8.7 mm and seem almost ideal for use with one hand - you can easily reach any corner of the screen, and thanks to the rounded sides of the display, the issue of frames ceases to be relevant.

Screen

With the display, the situation is ambiguous. On the one hand, we have a good diagonal / pixel density ratio, that is, with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 4.7 inches, we get 316 PPI, which is quite good. But on the other - PenTile. And this is exactly the case when the points are visible to the naked eye. The end of 2014 is already in the yard, so I would like the owner of the phone not to receive a nice bonus in the form of the game “Find the square on the screen”. The presence of ClearBlack technology has a positive effect on the characteristics of the display; when working in the sun, the screen not only does not fade, but also behaves quite worthy. They did not forget about tempered glass and installed Gorilla Glass 3.

Traditionally, there are some items in the phone settings that help to adjust the screen to your requirements. For example, choose a brightness profile, because the quick adjustment of this parameter only supports three modes (low, medium and high levels). BUT color profile allows you to choose the most comfortable screen shade for yourself. The sensitivity is also adjustable. If necessary, you can select the “winter” mode and control your smartphone even with gloves on.

In principle, there is also a light sensor that behaves adequately in any conditions. The need to climb into the tinctures to tweak or reduce the brightness rarely occurs.

Camera

From the main camera with a resolution of 6.7 MP, I did not expect anything supernatural. I hoped that the capabilities of the matrix would be enough to “take a picture of food on Instagram”, but for other things, for the time of testing, I planned to take a more serious phone. But in practice it turned out quite differently. The device takes high-quality pictures (however, their size cannot be changed) - saturated and with good brightness, and in poor lighting, the Lumia 730 even outperforms its “big brothers” (Lumia 930, for example).

During the presentation, a lot of emphasis was placed on the “front camera”, they say: “Here you are, friends, a cool front camera, saw selfies.” But in the end, we got 5 MP, which provide good shots of yourself and ... that's it. There is no additional software. Except perhaps the “Lumia Selfie” application, but it is available on absolutely all devices in the line. In short, see examples.

Photo examples

Video example

Specifications

The most interesting thing here is the operating system Windows Phone 8.1 + Lumia Denim. Formally, there are not so many changes, but if you used Windows Phone 8 before, then the differences are immediately evident. The heart of the device is a quad-core (Cortex-A7) Snapdragon 400 chip clocked at 1.2 GHz. The GPU Adreno 305 is responsible for the graphics. The RAM is 1 GB, and the built-in memory is only 8 GB. It is very good that the manufacturer has provided a slot for microSD cards. You can see for yourself that the characteristics are far from top-end, but in everyday use we get a smooth operation of the interface and third-party applications. The only thing that confused me was the speed at which the camera was launched (this happens in 4-5 seconds, seriously).

As for simple games, everything works well, and if you take the same Asphalt 6, sometimes the FPS sags noticeably. It's very funny that in Antutu Tester, the 730th practically did not lag behind the 830th in any way, and in some points even overtook it. If speak about wireless technologies, then there was a place for Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0 and an NFC chip. The GPS and GLONAS modules have not disappeared either.

Characteristics:

• Dimensions: 134.7 x 68.5 x 8.7 mm.
• Weight: 130.4 g.
• Operating system: Windows Phone 8.1 + Lumia Denim.
• Processor: Quad-core Snapdragon 400, 1.2 GHz.
• Graphics: Adreno 305.
• Display: OLED, 4.7″, 720 × 1280 pixels, 316 PPI.
• Memory: 8 GB, microSD card slot.
• RAM: 1 GB.
• Camera: main - 6.7 MP, front - 5 MP.
• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC chip.

  We have already told you about all the main features of the Windows Phone operating system in the review. In general, I like the platform. Now the circumstances are such that my main phone is Lumia 1520, so I can safely say that the problem of the lack of games and applications is slowly losing its relevance.

  autonomy

  The Lumia 730 uses a 2220 mAh battery. To be honest, the maximum that this smartphone is capable of is 2 days. In my usage scenario (always on Wi-Fi, several hours social networks, 1 hour of music and about an hour of talking) the device survived until night with great difficulty. In short, the scheme is simple: went to bed - put it on charge, woke up - turned off the charge. But I did not expect any record performance in terms of autonomy from this smartphone compared to top-end gadgets on Windows Phone, which sometimes gave out real records (up to 3 days of work).

  Eventually

  If we talk about the cost, then in Ukraine it is about 3800 hryvnia (240 dollars and 13 thousand rubles). What do we get for this money? A really good Windows Phone smartphone that has a design similar to all Lumia devices (read “has a cool appearance”), high-quality screen and a good camera. The only thing I didn't like was the operating time (it's the same here as most Android smartphones) and a lot of space under the display (you just want to press keys that aren't there). As for the title “selfifon”, this is a moot point here - look at the same. But it is quite possible that among smartphones on Windows Phone it is the leader in this indicator.

  If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Nokia Lumia 730 is a prime example of how you can own a device from Microsoft, but at the same time enjoy the legendary logo of the brand and the great company Nokia. New bright smartphone in Finnish style was released in a new era - post-Nokia - however, all the known features of Finnish creations remained in place. In Nokia Lumia 730 you will find everything that became popular thanks to this company: bright polycarbonate cases, stylish design and Windows Phone operating system, which, you see, would not have become so widespread without Nokia's efforts. Let's find out how Microsoft is now using its own mobile division and what are the successes of production.
Technical specifications Nokia Lumia 730:

• 4.7-inch high-sensitivity display, HD resolution (1280x720 pixels), OLED, ClearBlack, 316 ppi
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor @ 1.2 GHz
• 8 GB of internal memory + support for microSD memory cards up to 128 GB
• 1 GB RAM
• Primary 6.7-megapixel camera, autofocus, ZEISS optics, sensor size 1/3.4", f/1.9 aperture, focal length 26mm, LED flash, video resolution 1080p (FullHD, 1920x1080)
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera, f/2.4 aperture, 24mm focal length, 1080p video resolution (FullHD, 1920x1080)
• Sensors: ambient light sensor, spatial orientation sensor, proximity sensor, magnetometer, SensorCore
• Connections: Micro-SIM, 3.5mm audio jack, MicroUSB, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 low energy, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• GSM networks: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, WCDMA networks: Band 1 (2100 MHz), Band 2 (1900 MHz), Band 5 (850 MHz), Band 8900 MHz
• Battery BV-T5A 2220 mAh, 3.8 V, replaceable
• Operating system Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim software preinstalled
• Dimensions: 134.7x68.5x8.7 mm, weight - 130 grams
• Body colors: white, black, green, orange (glossy)

Contents of delivery

Before Microsoft bought the mobile division of Nokia Devices & Services, the boxes with the cherished devices looked, frankly, rather weak. A few months after the completion of the deal, the same devices familiar to everyone began to arrive on store shelves, but in updated stylish packages. I definitely like the new box design - it is stylish, bright, memorable, light and beautiful. Some information about the product is also available: Microsoft says the Nokia Lumia 730 is a stylish Lumia for stylish people, has two powerful cameras, recommends apps for this smartphone, and also mentions the presence of two SIM cards.

The delivery set, unfortunately, is not as bright in the figurative sense of the word as in the more flagship models of the line. Opening a thin box, you will find, respectively, the Nokia Lumia 730 smartphone itself, Charger AC-20, as well as the user manual. You will not find any colored headphones in the color of the case, but Microsoft gives an additional gray back panel for free. Thus, when buying a model of a certain color, you can choose from two color schemes of the smartphone - white, green or orange, as well as gray. By the way, this shade is similar to the color of asphalt - suitable for business people.

In my case, a model with a bright green (you can even call light green) rear panel is being reviewed. On the street it looks very bright, eye-catching - you will immediately stand out from the crowd. Indoors, the smartphone seems darker, but the shade from bright light green does not go far.

Appearance and usability

The design of the Nokia Lumia 730 smartphone is certainly known to every fan of the Finnish mobile giant - a square shape, rounded ends, a protective glass bent at the edges, which gives a pleasant effect when used, as well as a bright monochromatic body made of durable polycarbonate. In short, hello longtime Nokia N9. Back panel is removable and depending on the color can be either matte or glossy. In general, there is nothing remarkable in the appearance of Nokia Lumia 730, but the design is incredibly beautiful, pleases the eye and just asks you to admire it.

On the front, you'll naturally find a large display, as well as a modest speaker and a front-facing 5-megapixel selfie camera. Indeed, the Nokia logo adorns all these design charms, although the smartphone is actually produced under the wing of Microsoft.

On one of the side ends, the main control keys are conveniently located: volume control and on / off device. It is worth noting that the Power button is especially well located on the right side - it is ideally located in the center of the case and therefore, when the smartphone is in the hand, it is convenient to use it (fortunately, the dimensions allow). As you might expect, the control keys are not made of ceramic, but of bright plastic in the color of the case, which is also glossy. This decision should not be considered a minus, because the overall appearance remains at a decent level.

Of course, it was not without the traditional 3.5 mm audio jack and MicroUSB port for connecting and synchronizing the Nokia Lumia 730 c personal computer and special software. On the case, they are located directly opposite to each other - the audio jack has found a place on the upper side face, and the MicroUSB port, respectively, on the bottom.

And now about usability. The Nokia Lumia 730 is slightly large at 4.7 inches and is larger than the LG Nexus 5, which has a 5-inch display, 0.3 inches larger. However, this does not interfere with comfortable one-handed use of the device - Nokia Lumia 730 lies solidly in the hand and is pleasant to the touch. Perhaps the only drawback in this area, I will call partly the slipperiness of the case - if you have dry hands, then be careful during active use, because there is a high probability of dropping the smartphone from your hands.

Screen

New smartphone mid-range Nokia Lumia 730 received a 4.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, made using useful ClearBlack technology. Viewing angles are wide - the picture looks good at any angle, with the exception of some "features" of the OLED matrix. Third-generation Gorilla Glass from Corning is installed as a protective glass - it makes no sense to talk about impact resistance, because we all know perfectly well how it behaves this technology in various tests.

The positive aspects of the Nokia Lumia 730 screen are the absence of the “floating” effect of the image when the screen is pressed hard, deep natural black color thanks to ClearBlack technology, high sensitivity, with which the Nokia Lumia 730 can be operated without any problems even with gloves, and especially the oleophobic coating - the finger moves across the screen, and the fingerprints are erased as soon as you go through the microfiber once (for example, because I use this material).

Test to support the number of multi-touch gestures, as in the case of most modern smartphones, showed the possibility of using a maximum of 10 touches on the screen. Have you ever used all 10 fingers while using a smartphone other than in the MultiTouch test? I'm sure not, so I think that this factor is insignificant.

Operating system

The default operating system in Nokia Lumia 730 is Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim software, which was officially presented by Microsoft this autumn during the presentation of new Lumia smartphones.

There is nothing noteworthy new in the Lumia Denim update. Microsoft is so touting the support for creating folders in this update, but I don’t see anything so amazing and stunning in this function, and besides, I never needed it during the entire operation of the Nokia Lumia 730. In any case, it is undoubtedly , will be convenient and will allow you to place a large number of live tiles with constantly updated information on the main screen.

I would also like to note the function of manually hiding the navigation bar. Initially, the navigation bar is always available to the user, but as soon as you swipe up from the bottom of the screen, the on-screen control keys for the Windows Phone operating system will quickly leave the screen. In Android, for example, there is no such functionality.

Well, the last thing I want to talk about is support for the function to wake up from sleep mode by touching with two fingers on the screen. I am sure that this feature would be used more often if it was available in bulk and supported by a large number of mobile devices. In Android, by the way, it will appear in version 5.0 Lollipop, and even more than that - users will be able to control their devices completely hands-free.

Otherwise, it's still the same Windows Phone 8.1 with Cortana voice assistant that only works when the default language is set to English, a Notification Center similar to Android and iOS, and informative live tiles, which now fit even more on the screen thanks to new sizes and folder support. .

Performance

The heart of the Nokia Lumia 730 smartphone is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 processor, which includes four processor cores with a clock speed of 1.2 GHz - this model has already established itself as a decent mobile chipset for mid-range devices. The amount of RAM is 1 GB and, as you know, for a smooth Windows work Phone and undemanding toys are quite enough. In any case, the latest hits Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 5: Blackout and the like are also quite "playable", which is good news.

I am glad that the smartphone does not heat up under prolonged load - this happens during a different process, but more on that later. Long-term viewing of high-quality videos, listening to music, several hours of games and calls - in this situation, there is not a single hint of heating. This is understandable: the Nokia Lumia 730 has an energy-efficient hardware platform that uses energy efficiently, so there is no high level of heating, or rather, no slightest heating at all. To be short, Nokia Lumia 730, unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, will not be able to warm you up in the harsh Russian winter (well, you know what I mean...).

The games I play occasionally, but not too often, don't suffer from the childhood maladies of understaffing or poor graphical levels - the graphical quality is good and the performance leaves nothing to be desired. Standard benchmarks show good results - the device shows itself as a confident good player. You can view the results of numerous tests of all benchmarks available for the Windows Phone operating system below.

• AnTuTu Benchmark: 11567

• MultiBench 2: CPU: 15.873, Data Transfer: 22.894, Memory: 0.6729, Graphics: 46.033

• Basemark X 1.1: 4823

• Basemark OS II Free: Overall: 450, System: 567, Memory: 720, Graphics: 255, Web: 392

• GFXBench (DXBenchmark): for reasons unknown to me, the test was not fully passed - the result is not known

autonomy

We've done a test battery life devices from charging for a full day. You can find out which applications and features of the Nokia Lumia 730 were used during our proprietary test below. The results, I would say, are really impressive. So.

• Working in the background: VKontakte, Telegram, Twitter
• Two accounts Email who send push notifications
• Presence about 15 calls
• Watching videos and listening to music for a long time
• Half an hour to an hour of games: Asphalt 8: Airborne, Flappy Bird, Subway Surfers and the like

Using these criteria, we were able to achieve the following results: 1 day and 2 hours of active battery life is quite impressive for a mid-range device. If we talk about the level of autonomy in some specific situations, then the “dry numbers” are as follows:

• Standby time: 25 days
• Maximum talk time on 2G network: 22 hours
• Maximum talk time on 3G network: 17 hours
• Maximum music playback time: 60 hours
• Maximum internet time WiFi connection: 10.5 hours
• Maximum video playback time: 9 hours

Memory

Smartphone Nokia Lumia 730 comes with 8 GB of internal memory, of which about 5 GB will be available to the user. However, don't get discouraged - you can always expand the memory with microSD cards, with a maximum supported capacity of 128 GB. Another plus in the piggy bank of a selfie smartphone from Microsoft is the ability to install or transfer applications to a memory card - without hacking, third-party applications and other, other, other.

cameras

Microsoft's new smartphone is equipped with a 6.7-megapixel main camera module with LED flash. The front camera received a resolution of 5 megapixels and a special wide-angle lens for taking selfie photos. I tested the camera in various lighting conditions, as well as how the main and front modules perform in general. Microsoft has improved software for the camera: the new Lumia Camera and Lumia Selfie apps are much faster, more convenient and more functional to use.

Shooting in the daytime, as you can see, is very good. Saturation levels are decent, although you may feel some oversaturation due to the OLED matrix used. Detailing is really pleasing for a mid-range device. Macro photography is close to ideal with respect to real objects in terms of color reproduction.

The front-facing camera, which the software giant claims was built specifically for selfies, takes decent photos, but there is a slight problem with focusing close objects. The color reproduction and detail is impressive. In general, the 5-megapixel front module is very good for selfies, and not only.

Photos in low light conditions, unfortunately, have high level noise, but with moderate artificial lighting, the pictures are pretty good, and with a flash, they are generally excellent. Also smartphone Nokia Lumia 730 is capable of recording video in 1080p (1920x1080, FullHD).

Photos in cloudy weather are not bad - almost accurate color reproduction, a sufficient level of brightness and good detail

When shooting in the dark with flash, objects are not exposed to light - excellent

Macro photography is great. Lumia software is also available specifically for this shooting mode And, of course, selfies (exclusively for review!), because it is precisely this direction that Microsoft is focusing on. Used the effect, but otherwise not a bit of editing

Outcome

One of the first smartphones from Microsoft, sold at a price of 12990 rubles in the territory Russian Federation, is very beautiful, balanced and powerful enough mobile device. For the money, Nokia Lumia 730 has a high-quality screen, a competitive camera and a decent level of battery life. FROM latest update Windows Phone has finally caught up with its competitors and got rid of many shortcomings. I recommend this device for those who are looking for a solid all-round representative of mid-range smartphones. price range.

Pros:

• Design
• High-quality assembly - solidity
• Good ones specifications
• Strong and powerful camera modules
• Great screen, low power consumption (OLED)
• Oleophobic coating
• Loud and clear sound
• Collapsible body: replaceable panels, battery
• Windows Phone 8.1 + Lumia Denim

Minuses:

• Slippery body
• 8 GB built-in memory
• Some camera imperfections

Smartphone provided by Ivan Shevelev for the best mobile portal.

In September at IFA 2014, Microsoft introduced Nokia smartphones Lumia 830 and 730. The first one was recently on our review, now it's time for the Lumia 730, which just went on sale. In October, it became known that Microsoft decided to stop using the Nokia brand in smartphones, so the Lumia 730, apparently, is the last smartphone under this brand on this moment and in the foreseeable future.

What's this?

Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM is a smartphone based on operating system Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim. Given the current price and exchange rate realities, it is in the lower part of the middle price category.

Why is he interesting?

The smartphone received a 4.7-inch HD OLED display, proprietary ClearBlack technology and a high-sensitivity mode for working with gloves. Inside, there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor and 1 GB of RAM, which is enough for the vigorous operation of Windows Phone 8.1. Special attention is paid to the cameras: the main one has a resolution of 6.7 megapixels, Zeiss optics and f/1.9 aperture. Front - wide-angle 5 megapixels, f/2.4. Both can shoot video in FullHD, plus there are proprietary software tools for editing and creating all sorts of effects.

What's in the box?

The smartphone comes in a standard square box for Nokia phones. Set - in the best traditions budget models: smartphone, battery, manual, warning not to use adapters for SIM-cards and charger. It is a charger, and not a USB cable plus a power supply, so you should take a third-party MicroUSB cable to connect to a PC, since everyone now has enough of such good at home.

What does it look like?

Nokia smartphones retain their minimalist style even in this case. The case (more precisely, the cover that covers everything except the front panel) is made of polycarbonate and has rounded ends on the sides. On the front panel above the screen there is a logo, still Nokia, a front camera, a speaker and a set of sensors:

Lumia 730 is available in Ukraine in dark grey, orange and white. The orange uses glossy plastic, the other two are matte. We have a white version, which seems to me the most successful: glossy is impractical, and dark gray and black colors are somewhat boring. The matte version is pleasant in the hand, does not slip and does not collect fingerprints. On the back - main camera, single LED flash, microphone, below - the Nokia logo and the only external speaker that sounds quiet but not muffled on the table.

The MicroUSB connector is located on the bottom:

Left - empty:

Standard headphone jack on the top of the smartphone:

Mechanical volume and power buttons are located on the right side, they are easy to find and press. The Lumia 730 decided to abandon the useful and convenient camera button, which is a pity:

The back cover has a design similar to protective bumpers for smartphones, you can remove it by picking up one of the corners and resting your thumb on the middle part of the smartphone. Under it is a removable battery, slots for SIM-cards and MicroSD. Unfortunately, only SIM2 can be replaced without removing the battery:

Despite the collapsible design, the smartphone feels solid and does not creak in the hand. Everything is good with the build quality and fit of parts. The case has a slightly convex shape, which has a positive effect on the convenience of the device.

How is his screen?

The smartphone uses an OLED display with a fairly comfortable diagonal of 4.7 inches and a resolution of 1280x720. Subjectively, more is not necessary with such a diagonal. The screen has maximum viewing angles and a decent margin of brightness. The disadvantage is that the pixels in this case are arranged according to the PenTile scheme, which can be seen upon close examination without any additional means. The consequences are the presence of a small halo around the elements on the screen and slightly blurred small fonts. The screen has ClearBlack polarization layer for better sun behavior and higher contrast and oleophobic coating. Black really looks like black. Protective glass Gorilla Glass 3 has rounded edges.

In the settings, you can select the sensitivity of the screen, in high sensitivity mode, you can work with gloves. In the same section, you can enable the exit from sleep mode by double tap.

It is possible to individually adjust the color temperature with the corresponding utility. There are three presets: standard, bright, cool and manual:

The screen is quite high quality, with rich colors and close to perfect blacks, but with the usual nuances of AMOLED screens with PenTile. It's a matter of taste: some like it, some don't, and many users won't notice at all. Thanks to a good margin of brightness, it remains readable in the sun, and the ability to work with gloves is another nice bonus, although it is worth mentioning that it does not work with all gloves.

How are things going with performance and battery life?

As expected, the hardware of the smartphone allows the operating system to work without brakes and crashes, all applications work quickly. The filling of the smartphone is similar to the more expensive Lumia 830, so the performance here is approximately at the same level: the interface works smoothly, applications launch quickly enough, the same applies to games. The same Asphalt 8 does not slow down and looks pretty:

And Halo: Spartan Assault

Wireless modules work properly, including GPS. HERE Drive+ and HERE Maps are preinstalled for smartphone navigation:

The smartphone is powered by a 2220 mAh removable battery. With an average load (15 minutes of calls, always-on Internet, periodic synchronization of accounts and about 1.5 hours of web surfing), the Lumia 730 lives until late in the evening. Not the best indicator. HD-video on one charge is played for about 6 hours. There is a regular utility for monitoring and saving battery power:

For those who want to know more

As we wrote above, the smartphone runs on a far from top-end, but quite decent (especially considering the rather modest requests of Windows Phone 8.1) Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with four ARM Cortex-A7 cores, a clock speed of 1.2 GHz and Adreno 305 graphics. - 1 GB. Built-in - 8 GB plus slot for MicroSD. Below are the benchmark results:

How user-friendly is the interface?

The smartphone runs on Windows 8.1 with the latest Lumia Denim update. Some fundamental differences from previous versions WP8.1 is not here, just a gradual increase in functionality. Familiar tiled interface, the ability to change the background and color of tiles, set a photo that will be displayed in these tiles, group by folders, and so on.

The OS has already been discussed in more detail in the Lumia 830 review, in the case of the Lumia 730 smartphone, everything is the same. There are a lot of pre-installed additional applications, in particular - for sports, cooking, reading books, podcasts, creating a kind of presentation from existing photos with musical accompaniment, separate application for a selfie with a bunch of filters and so on:

How are things with the camera?

The camera interface is easy to use, everything is intuitive. There is a more familiar view with a list of settings in a row. When you click on the arrow, the settings are collapsed and shooting takes place in fully automatic mode:

Pulling the shutter button opens the shooting mode with the rotary settings controls:

I'm not a photographer and I'm not too picky about the quality of mobile photos, but (subjectively) the photos are quite good quality. Photo examples:

I shoot the video in FullHD resolution, example:

In the dry matter

When viewed in cross section smartphones based Windows Phone, the Lumia 730 essentially has no direct competitors due to the small range of Windows-smartphones in our market. The smartphone currently costs 3800 UAH: there are cheaper models with more modest characteristics, there is a comparable Prestigio MultiPhone 8500 Duo. It has a more budgetary Snapdragon 200 and a worse screen (IPS, but not one of the best). The older brother Lumia 830 has a more advanced main camera with a hardware button, a larger screen, a few more interesting features and a metal frame. At the same time, the same processor, 1 GB of RAM, but costs UAH 2,000 more. The Lumia 730 boasts a pleasant, comfortable and high-quality case, a good screen, performance and photographic capabilities (in particular for selfie lovers). Of the minuses, it is worth mentioning a frankly weak vibration alert and an external speaker. I managed to hear the call only being in a relatively quiet room, and the alarm clock could not wake me up at all. Also, I could not please with anything the battery life: enough for a day, but no more.

4 reasons to buy Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM:

• High-quality body and construction;
• good screen;
• good price (taking into account the characteristics and competitors);
• cameras.

2 reasons not to buy Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM:

• weak external speaker and vibrating alert;
• not the best battery life.