Nokia is investing heavily in the Lumia smartphone series of Windows Phones, and this year it's really trying to ensure that it fleshes out its selection with a variety of budget and mid-range devices. The Lumia 720 falls squarely into the mid-range category, but is it the best option for you?
Specs-wise, the Lumia 720 boasts a 4.3-inch 480 x 800 pixel display with 217 pixels per inch. It packs 512MB of RAM, a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 6.7-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It may not sound like the most powerful smartphone out there, and it's not supposed to, but how does Nokia pull it all together?
The first batch of reviews is starting to trickle in, so let's take a look.
Over at the The Verge, Tom Warren had generally good things to say about the phone, even recommending it over the 820 model. The specs aren't quite what you'd want out of the phone if you're really into downloading apps and games, but the phone design, build and screen size are what the high-end Lumia 920 should be mimicking in the future, presumably in the 928.
"The Lumia 720 is a solid mid-range device that's worth picking over the 520, 620, and even the 820," he wrote. "If you really need high performance and a great camera then the Lumia 920 is an obvious choice, but the 720 offers everything else that Nokia's flagship provides with a few drawbacks. If this design sets the stage for future flagship Lumia devices then it's a direction that many will approve of, but for now this appealing design is available in the mid-range Lumia 720 and that's a great thing for smartphone bargain hunters."
CNET UK also had some nice things to say about the Lumia 720, especially its People and Me hubs, which users can use to post updates and check their friends' status updates all in one place. It's a nice alternative to sifting through individual apps, which is good because the app store is still the place Windows and Lumia phones are lacking.
"The main issue that continues to plague Windows Phone 8 however is the lack of apps," Andrew Hoyle wrote. "While its app store has some great picks like Netflix, Spotify, Skype and WhatsApp, it doesn't offer anything like the choice you'll get from Android or iOS. If you love browsing the app store shelves looking for new games to wow your mates, Windows Phone probably isn't going to satisfy you."
The conclusion was that if you can stomach the smaller screen on the 620, it might be a better choice, considering its cheaper price and similar specs.
There are sure to be more reviews, but between the Lumia 720 and 620 it might come down to this: Do you want better battery life and a nicer build (720) or do you need a phone that fits in better with your budget without sacrificing the specs (620)?
