At Nokia Malaysia’s launch of the two new additions to the Lumia family, we got our hands on a prototype device of the upcoming Lumia 720, the latest mid-range Windows Phone 8 device from the Finnish company. The Lumia 720 protoype shown to the media, we were told, is the latest build and will likely be the final version to be released to the public – so what we see here should be the version for public release.
Read on after the jump to find out more about the Lumia that was developed after listening to consumer response for a slimmer, lighter but powerful Lumia smartphone.
Nokia’s local reps repeatedly mentioned that the Lumia 720 was developed with consumer response of the flagship Lumia 920 firmly in their minds. The general response was that even though consumers loved the PureView camera’s low-light performance on the Lumia 920, many would have liked a slimmer and lighter device than the flagship WP8 phone from Nokia.
The result?
The Lumia 720 is one of the sleekest Lumia smartphones around. The subtle curves of the 720 lies in stark contrast to the 920, and somewhat evokes the design cues of the HTC 8X. The unibody construction and classic Nokia build quality also gives a reassuring feel to the 720, despite being only 128g.
The curved glass and curved sides of the Lumia 720 also makes it one of the more comfortable phones we’ve held in recent memory. Of course, the 4.3-inch screen is also another reason that makes the 720 easy for one-handed use. It certainly lives up to Nokia’s labeling of the Lumia 720 as a chic and social device.
The Lumia 720 also has support for wireless charging, albeit with an add-on cover. There are three pins at the back of the phone that connects to a thin snap-on cover for the 720, which unfortunately will not yet be available when the Lumia 720 arrives in stores at the end of this month.
Also, Nokia developed a new camera sensor for the Lumia 720. The aim was to find the perfect balance between sensor size, pixel size and resolutions, and the result was a new 6.7MP sensor with an f1.9 aperture, the largest in a Nokia smartphone. We managed to snap some quick shots around the event area, as well as imitating low-light conditions to try out the camera, and the results are as below.
(open images in new tabs for full resolution images)
Auto mode, flash off
Auto mode, flash off
Auto mode, flash off
Auto, low light conditions, no flash
Auto, low light conditions, flash on
Macro, no flash
Macro, flash on
The attractive design coupled with the impressive camera performance of the Lumia 720 could potentially make this one of the most popular Windows Phone 8 devices in the market today. Nokia is certainly aware of this, hence the retail price of of RM999 could prove to be a crucial factor to make the Lumia 720 be the Windows Phone 8 smartphone for curious consumers looking to try out WP8.
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