Nokia Lumia 710 Review

Nokia`s decision to ditch the Symbian smartphone operating system and jump on board with Microsoft`s Windows Phone platform may prove to have been a sensible one. The first handset to emerge from this partnership, the Nokia Lumia 800, sold twice as many units than analysts expected before the end of 2011. Now the Lumia 710 is here to court the favours of more budget-conscious, younger buyers who still want to experience the best Windows Phone has to offer. The Lumia 710 is more affordable than the Lumia 800, so its 3.7 inch display uses traditional TFT technology rather than the OLED screen you will find on the costlier sibling.

However, you still get the same resolution of 800x480, which is a minimum requirement for any Windows Phone handset. In fact Microsoft`s rules about hardware make it easier to buy with confidence, because you know that each Windows Phone model will be able to deliver a consistent software experience. Following on from this the Lumia 710 has a single core 1.4GHz processor which works a treat. The Metro interface familiar to any Windows Phone user is slick and intuitive, with customizeable Live Tiles giving the homes creen an individual look. Meanwhile you get 8GB of on board storage space and a five megapixel camera, the latter of which gets its own physical shutter button on the side of the phone. Interchangeable battery covers add personality to the Lumia 710 and hark back to Nokias of the past, but these are likely to be interesting only to younger buyers, who are admittedly the target audience for this handset. Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is preinstalled on the Lumia 710 and this comes with a host of social networking features.

You can sync your Facebook and Twitter accounts with the phone, which makes it easy to find out what your friends are up to in an instant. There are of course individual social networking apps, as well as comprehensive email support and even a well equipped Office suite which will let you create Word documents and Excel spreadsheets right on your smartphone. Gamers will love the inclusion of dedicated Xbox Live functionality. You can sign in using your existing profile, see when friends are playing online and even earn Gamerscore for achievements completed in a selection of compatible mobile games.

Microsoft`s insistence on hardware uniformity means that almost every game and application you see in the Windows Marketplace will work well on the Lumia 710. The only thing that it lacks is a forward-facing camera for video calls, but this is not necessarily going to be a deal breaker at the moment. For affordability and power the Nokia Lumia 710 seems to get the balance just about right. The quality of the materials used for its construction is not up there with the Lumia 800, but then the software experience is as near identical as makes no different. As such a lot of people will use mobile recycling to part ways with their old phone and upgrade to the Lumia 710.