At MWC Nokia added the Lumia 720 to its portfolio of Windows Phone 8 devices. The company has launched this product as a mid-range player as it aims to provide feature-rich experiences to its customers without burning a hole in their pockets. Knowing that there is hardly any option at present that offers the Windows Phone 8 experience at a sub-$340.00 price, Nokia Lumia 720 will be a tough competitor to mainly the HTC Windows Phone 8S. Read on to find out which device stands out in this battle of the mid-range heavyweights.
HTC had introduced 8S soon after the launch of Windows Phone 8 with an array of interesting features packed in a uni-body design available in various bright colors and framed in a 120.5x63x10.28mm chassis, which weight 113g. On the other hand Lumia 720 also features a uni-body design and comes with some accessory lines as well, but it's a bigger device as it weighs 128g and has dimensions measuring 27.9×67.5×9.0mm.
While HTC ensured to launch this device with a myriad of features, Nokia has followed to the trail and has packed the device by not only focusing on its look but has also powered it with impressive hardware and some software additions.
To begin with the hardware, while HTC 8S flaunts 4-inch super LCD Gorilla Glass display offering WVGA resolution, Lumia 720 boasts a bigger 4.3-inch IPS ClearBlack screen 4 that is backed up by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and has a WVGA resolution. Both the device run on WP8 though with software additions like Nokia Music and Nokia Here amongst many more give Lumia 720 an edge over the HTC 8S.
Processor wise, as Windows Phone 8 at minimum requires dual-core chips to run it, both the phones are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processors which are clocked at 1GHz. However both devices are using the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play chip that's based on the ARM Cortex A5 architecture hence its nearly not as capable as the Snapdragon Plus CPU seen in the Lumia 920. Another common feature is the need of a MicroSIM.
On storage front, HTC 8S has 512MB RAM and offers 4GB storage on-board which can further be expanded using a microSD card. Nokia Lumia 720 offers more space for you to store with 512MB RAM, 8GB internal storage, microSD card support for up to 64GB and additionally 7GB storage space on cloud.
As far as the camera goes, Lumia carries a 6.7-megapixel snapper at the back with 2848×2144 pixels resolution and features like auto focus, flashlight and wide-angle lens. Notably, Nokia uses Carl Zeiss optic and has a very wide f/1.9 aperture, even the Lumia 920 does not boast of such a wide aperture. Apart from that there is a 1.3-megapixel HD camera at the front with 1280 x 960 pixels resolution.
HTC on the flip side features a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus, LED flash, and is capable of 720p video recording, however misses a secondary camera. Nokia Lumia 720 has surely played it impressive on camera front, scoring better than the HTC 8S.
Connectivity options on both the devices are almost the same with both devices supporting Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and more, but with Lumia users get the taste of NFC as well. Additionally, the users of the Lumia 720 can also invest in a wireless charging back plate, which will enable wireless charging. This back plate is sold separately and will add to the cost of the device.
With all these features, you need these devices to have large battery life. At least on paper, Lumia 720 overtakes the HTC 8S by offering a 2,000mAh battery as compared to 1,700mAh battery on the 8S.
All in all on the face of it both devices are pretty similar in terms of specs, but Nokia does have an advantage on paper in terms of photography and also pre-loaded software, something, which no other Windows Phone 8 OEM can match.
The HTC Windows Phone 8S is available for $327.00, while Nokia has announced that the Lumia 720 will launch at a price of $341 in Europe which converts to $340.00, but as it has not launched yet we still can't be sure of the price.
Here is close look at the specs of the HTC 8S and Lumia 720
| HTC 8S | Lumia 720 | |
| Dimension, weight | 120.5x63x10.28mm, 113g | 127.9×67.5×9.0mm, 128g |
| Processor | Qualcomm S4 1 GHz, Dual-core | Qualcomm S4 1 GHz, Dual-core |
| OS | WP 8 | WP 8 |
| Display | 4-inch super LCD Gorilla Glass display, WVGA | 4.3-inch IPS ClearBlack Corning Gorilla Glass 2 display, (800x480p) |
| Camera | 5-megapixel (2592х1944p) rear camera, no front camera with f/2.8 | 6.7-megapixel (2848x2144p) rear camera with f/1.9, 1.3-megapixel (1280 x 960p) front camera with f/2.4 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 3.0, WI-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Bluetooth 3.0, WI-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, NFC |
| Memory | 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, microSD | 512MB RAM, 8GB storage, up to 64GB microSD |
| Battery | 1,700mAh | 2,000mAh |
| Sensor | G-Sensor Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor | G-Sensor Proximity sensor Magnetometer Ambient light sensor |
| Price | $327.00 | approx. $340.00 |
Comments
Post a Comment