Microsoft (now owner of the Nokia brand for phones) has revealed its latest smartphones. The Nokia Lumia 730, 735, and 830 will all join Microsoft’s line of Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones, and feature a new “Denim” software update that will help improve camera performance on all Lumia devices.
Microsoft announces its affordable fall flagship Lumia 830
Headlining the fall launch for Microsoft is the Nokia Lumia 830, a cheaper, thinner compliment to the Nokia Lumia 930 and Lumia Icon, which both launched earlier this year. The Lumia 830 will be just 8.5 mm (0.33 inches) thick, making it one of the thinnest Windows Phones yet. The Lumia 830 will also feature a 10-megapixel camera which, like past Lumia devices, is integrated with Carl Zeiss optics and an optical image stabilizer. Everything on the Lumia 830 will be viewed on a 5-inch, 720p HD display which Microsoft says will have Corning Gorilla Glass 3, a 2.25D curved design and a wide viewing angle.
Related: Our review of the Lumia Icon
The Lumia 830 will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 2,200mAh removable battery. For storage, the Lumia 830 will have only 16GB of internal memory, but will have a MicroSD slot that can be expanded up to 128GB. Users will also get 15GB of free OneDrive storage along with Microsoft Office Mobile built right into the device. The Lumia 830 will come in a host of colors, cost 330 euros (about $430), and will launch later this month worldwide.
Microsoft announces the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735
The other two phones announced by Microsoft are the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735, which both focus on offering lower cost Windows Phones while still having great camera functionality and Skype-friendly usage for video calling. The Lumia 730 Dual SIM, as its name suggests, also includes a pair of SIM card slots, allowing ease of use for those who travel often and need multiple carriers. The Lumia 735 meanwhile is LTE-capable but will only have one SIM card slot.
Beyond these differences, the Lumia 730 and 735 are more or less identical. Both feature a 6.7-megapixel Carl Zeiss rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera for high resolution selfies and video calls. The devices will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2GHZ quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 2,220 mAh removable battery. For storage, both will have only 8GB of internal memory, which is, again, not a lot, but they will have a MicroSD slot that can take cards up to 128GB. Like the Lumia 830, users will also get 15GB of free OneDrive storage along with Microsoft Office Mobile built right into the device.
Both the Lumia 730 and 735 will come in a variety of colors and launch later this month. They’ll both cost a bit less than the Lumia 830, rounding out at 200 (about $260) euros for the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and 220 euros (about $290) for the Lumia 735.
Lumia Denim update
Finally, all three of these smartphones will also feature the Windows Phone 8.1 Lumia Denim update, which is designed to help improve the camera features on Lumia devices. According to Microsoft, the Lumia Denim update will make the Lumia Camera app even faster for taking photos, allow for “4K-quality video recording” at 24 frames per second using Moment Capture, and improve photo quality by improving performance in low-light conditions and better integrating HDR and Dynamic Flash. It will launch with these devices initially, and will come to the Lumia 930, 1520, and Icon later this year — eventually rolling out to all other Lumia Windows Phones.
We have no word yet on U.S. wireless carrier distribution for any of the new phones announced today.
