Nokia Lumia 720 hands-on review - pictures and first impressions

Nokia used MWC 2013 to fill in the gaps in its Lumia model line-up, introducing the Nokia 520 and Nokia 720 to sit nicely between the Nokia 620, Nokia 820 and the flagship 920.

The Nokia Lumia 520 is set to be the company's lowest-priced Windows 8 smartphone, offering entry-level consumers a Windows 8 experience for under £200.

However, our attentions were drawn towards its bigger sibling, the mid-range Nokia Lumia 720.

Nokia Lumia 720: display

With one glance, the Nokia 720 is quite obviously a part of the Lumia range, borrowing its unique design queues from its siblings.

The 720 is a polycarbonate unibody design like the 920, dropping the interchangeable covers of the 820. It does, however, come in a choice of five colours - white, black , yellow, red and blue.

It feels good in the hand - solid, but lightweight, and quite like an original Lumia 800.

Nokia Lumia 720: specs

As you'd expect, it takes a hit in the spec department from its pricier siblings - it has a 1Ghz dual-core processor instead of the 1.5GHz version in the 820, and it also drops down from 1080p HD video recording to 720p.

On-board storage is a fairly low 8GB, though it is expandable via microSD, and RAM is 512MB.

However, it is significantly lighter at 128g (vs 160g for the Lumia 820), despite having a bigger 2000mAh battery and is actually thinner by 1mm. Every mm counts.

Nokia Lumia 720: screen

It's 4.3-inch screen was crisp and vivid on the whole, matching the Lumia 820's resolution of 800 x 480.

It's nothing to shout about, but it does the job for its level, and can also be used with gloves, as per the 920.

It's also a really nice size. In a mobile world where screens seem to be heading more towards the 5-inch mark than the 4, it's refreshing to have someone not following the crowd. Below is a photo of it next to the 920.

Nokia Lumia 720: camera

As you might expect, there's not 4G on board, but there is NFC for pairing the 720 easily and quickly to compatible speakers and the like.

Nokia is really pushing the camera capability of the Nokia 720 and the 6.7MP camera with an impressive f1.9 aperture does a surprisingly good job.

We tested it out both with and without flash and found it captured colours realistically and handled low light snaps well, though blacks had a tendency to be a bit wishy washy.

It's by no means a camera that'll top the great camera in the Nokia 920, but it's a nice surprise to see from a phone at its price point - thought to be around £200 SIM free.

Performance was nippy enough considering the dip in processor power compared to the numerous high-end phones we've been fondling at MWC 2013.

That said, we can imagine that large apps or a vast amount of multitasking may trip it up. We'll have to wait until we get the 720 in for a full review to know for sure.

Nokia Lumia 720: early verdict

First impressions of the Nokia Lumia 720 are certainly promising for a mid-range phone, even if it's sometimes hard to get as excited by a mid-range handset as we do about one with all the bells and whistles.

If you're someone interested in getting a Windows 8 smartphone without the high-end price tag, the Nokia 720 offers enough to be a very interesting prospect indeed.

Follow whathifi.com on Twitter

Join us on Facebook

Verity Burns

Verity is a freelance technology journalist and former Multimedia Editor at What Hi-Fi?. 

Having chalked up more than 15 years in the industry, she has covered the highs and lows across the breadth of consumer tech, sometimes travelling to the other side of the world to do so. With a specialism in audio and TV, however, it means she's managed to spend a lot of time watching films and listening to music in the name of "work".

You'll occasionally catch her on BBC Radio commenting on the latest tech news stories, and always find her in the living room, tweaking terrible TV settings at parties.

Latest in Smartphones
The Google Pixel 9a being held horizontally at waist-height so only the back is visible.
The Google Pixel 9a launches at £100 less than the iPhone 16e with a better screen
iPhone 16 Plus smartphone
Got an old iPhone? We'll help you decide on how to upgrade
iPhone 16e in black and white on a white background
iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: what are the differences?
A blue iPhone 16 pictured next to a white iPhone 16e
The iPhone 16e's downgrades are in all the right places if, like me, movies on the move are your priority
iPhone 16e on white background
Apple officially unveils the affordable iPhone 16e complete with an OLED display and Dolby Atmos support
A blue iPhone 16 pictured next to a white iPhone 16e
iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: what's the difference, and which one should you buy?
Latest in News
The 65-inch Samsung S95C OLED TV photographed on a wooden table in a living room. On the display is the Netflix homescreen.
Samsung TV owners can finally get better HDR from Netflix
Focal Bathys Mg
Focal's high-end wireless headphones promise improved comfort, better ANC and greater musical precision
The LG B4 photographed on a white shelf with a tree-lined road on the screen
LG's budget OLED TV is even cheaper than before – but there are ‘only 7 left in stock’
Home cinema projector: Xgimi Horizon Ultra
The 'home cinema in a box' Dolby Vision projector I use every day is selling for its best price ever
Sony WF-C710N earbuds lined up in different finishes
They’re official! Sony finally takes the wraps off its WF-C710N budget wireless earbuds
A flower on a TV screen with a gem in the middle.
TCL's new Mini LED TV range comes with huge brightness gains, reduced blooming and souped-up sound