Nokia Lumia 735 Review
by Brett Howse on February 3, 2015 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Microsoft
- Nokia
- Lumia
Back in September, Microsoft launched what would be the last two Nokia branded Lumias. The Lumia 830 was announced as an affordable flagship, and we reviewed the 830 back in November. The Lumia 730 and 735 were launched with a different feature set, a lower price, and a higher resolution front facing camera. Microsoft announced them as “built for Skype calls and selfies” with the inclusion of the five megapixel front facing camera and put the package in a smaller, lighter body. It was launched with four colors, with the 730 being a dual SIM version and the 735 is a single SIM with LTE capabilities.
Right after our Lumia 830 review, Microsoft asked if I would like to review the 735 as well. Although many of the internals are similar or identical to the 830 and 630, there is enough different that this is really a unique phone in the Lumia range. It lacks the PureView branded camera system, but still has a good camera. The OLED display is 720p, which is a step up from the lower cost 630, and the same resolution as the 830, but in a slightly smaller screen size. At 4.7”, this is the only Lumia available at this size.
The Lumia 830 tried to put a higher end package together with the metal frame, 5” display, and a PureView 10 MP camera with OIS into a less expensive price bracket. Although the SoC in the 830 is only a Snapdragon 400, it is overall a great phone which is hampered only by its price. The 735 steps the price down further and packages the phone in a more traditional Lumia style with a fully polycarbonate body.
| Nokia Lumia 735 | Nokia Lumia 830 | |
| SoC | MSM8926 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 | MSM8926 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400 |
| RAM/NAND | 1 GB LPDDR2, 8 GB NAND + microSD 128 GB |
1 GB LPDDR2, 16 GB NAND + microSD 128 GB |
| Display | 4.7” 1280x720 ClearBlack OLED Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
5.0” 1280x720 IPS ClearBlack LCD Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Network | GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA/LTE up to 150 Mbps |
GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA/LTE up to 150 Mbps |
| Dimensions | 134.7 x 68.5 x 8.9 (mm) | 139.4 x 70.7 x 8.5 (mm) |
| Weight | 134.3 grams | 150 grams |
| Rear Camera | 6.7MP, 1.4 µm pixels, 1/3.4" 16x9 CMOS, f/1.9, 26 mm focal length, LED Flash |
10MP, 1.1 µm pixels, 1/3.4" 16x9 CMOS, f/2.2, 26 mm focal length, LED Flash |
| Front Camera | 5MP wide angle, f/2.4, 1920x1080 video resolution |
0.9MP wide angle, f/2.4, 1280x720 video resolution |
| Battery | 2200 mAh, 3.8 V, 7.04 Wh | BV-L4A 2200 mAh, 3.8 V, 7.04 Wh |
| OS | Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim Firmware |
Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim Firmware |
| Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz) + BT 4.0, USB2.0, DLNA, FM Radio |
802.11 a/b/g/n + BT 4.0, USB2.0, DLNA, FM Radio |
| Location Technologies |
Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning, A-GPS, A-GLONASS, BeiDou |
Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning, A-GPS, A-GLONASS, BeiDou |
| SIM Size | Nano SIM, Dual-SIM HSPA on Lumia 730 |
Nano SIM |
Internally, it is very similar to the Lumia 830. The Snapdragon 400 MSM8926 provides the quad-core Cortex A7 at 1.2 GHz, as well as the LTE modem. Memory is identical at 1 GB of LPDDR2, which opens the entire range of Windows Store apps to this device. The OLED display also features ClearBlack, which is a polarizing filter to keep refractions and reflections from outside lighting to a minimum. Storage is less than the Lumia 830, with only 8 GB of internal NAND available. A micro SD card slot allows an additional 128 GB to be added, and Windows Phone’s Storage Sense app makes it easy to control where your data gets stored. The latest update to Windows Phone also allows future software updates to be staged to the SD card, making the 8 GB not as much of a detriment as on other platforms.
One rather large omission, which is available on the Lumia 830, is Glance screen support. Every Lumia should have Glance, as it is one of the best features. Because this one does not, it is a big knock against it, especially when moving from an older Lumia with Glance support.
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kspirit - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
Brett, I applaud you for reviewing all the new Lumias here on AT. Thank youAlso I maintain this is a more interesting phone than the 830, given the price points for both.
Flame me.
Brett Howse - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
Thank you for the kind words, and I won't flame you.iAPX - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
I think that the Lumia line-up is a little weird, but there are many options and I would consider them when it will be time to replace my smartphone (basic usage, but a lot of music to store, for example on a micro-SD card, and tethering for my tablet).I think Nokia have done a great job to differenciate their products from the Android crowd, at least physically, and Microsoft is following with affordable Lumia smartphones.
iAPX - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
Addition: as a photographer, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is of no interest except for 135mm+ equivalent (35mm format) lenses. Not on wide-angle, not for capture the true life where people are moving, because you will have too long exposure time with clear and sharp environment and blurry people!My 2 cents!
Laxaa - Wednesday, February 4, 2015 - link
It is useful for low-light shots and video, though. But I do agree with the rest of your sentiment.bretpowell - Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - link
The Lumia series has not been very popular to consumer, even if you look on a consumer base review (like http://www.phonestop7.tk/ for example...) they're nowhere to be found. But with the latest Windows 8 incorporated...hope things would changeSushisamurai - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
does "Battery Saver mode" really equate to "stop background sync" on the other platforms? i'd still assume windows would have a separate option in settings.Zizy - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
Well, it stops non-essential tasks and background stuff. It isn't limited to sync.But it doesn't change performance by slowing down CPU or something like that.
I don't think you gain a lot by using battery saver during these rundown tests. It shows high gains mostly in light use.
mantikos - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
It also stops checking for e-mail and wifi networks to conserve battery. You can of course manually do both.Alexvrb - Thursday, February 5, 2015 - link
Battery Saver is great for what it was designed for. Obviously it isn't going to help much if you're actively using your phone, but it really stretches the "in-pocket" time if you forgot or were otherwise unable to charge it.