The Lumia 720 Test Drive: The Review.

DISCLAIMER: Nokia DID NOT pay me to do the Test Drive, let alone make this review. I actually had to pay to do this test drive. 

Here we are. As of this day, I have already reset the Lumia 720 in preparation for returning it. Because of that, I'm here to give you my review of the Lumia 720 and see whether it is a solid option for first-time smartphone buyers and those who currently have smartphones and are looking for something new.

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

When I first held this phone when I got it at SM, it felt really nice. Although it's made of polycarbonate rather than metal, it feels like a premium device because of the way it feels in the hand. Nokia has always been one of the best when it comes to design and build quality and it certainly shows. At 9mm, the phone is really thin for a mid-range smartphone. The best part with the Lumia line is that it has colors! The 720 is available in yellow, red, cyan, black, and silver/white. I think it's best that we bring back colors into phones again they're starting to look the same in terms of the general aesthetic (that a smartphone is designed like a slab with a touchscreen).

HARDWARE

The hardware isn't by any means fantastic on this device, but it isn't meant to be since it's a mid-range smartphone. The Snapdragon S4 CPU by Qualcomm powers this device and it's already plenty fast considering that Windows Phone 8's performance is solid and doesn't need a very powerful processor. The Lumia 720 has a WVGA screen with a resolution of 480x800, which is not a surprise for a mid-range device but there are devices with good screens which are midrange (like the HTC First with a 720p display) and it could have been a differentiating factor. Good thing that the camera makes up for that because the Lumia 720 has a great 6.7 megapixel camera. The colors may be a little washed out but the quality is really good for the price that you'll pay this phone. It's even good in low light! If you're on a budget but you want a great camera, you should give this phone some serious consideration. The speaker is loud but is sadly located at the back of the phone so when I put the phone on the bed normally, the sound basically disappeared.

Click here to check full-quality photos I took from the Lumia 720.

SOFTWARE

I found Windows Phone 8 very intriguing. I like the Live Tiles since they provide more information without the clutter that Android brings with the widgets. The People hub is really practical since all the updates from your Facebook and Twitter accounts appear here. Smart Shoot and Cinemagraph are two good camera apps that leverage that great camera I mentioned earlier. The former being a photo editing tool and the latter a GIF creator. 

Beyond the included apps which run great, there's not much to go on. The apps are lacking, especially when you're a current smartphone owner looking for an alternative. Some apps like Dropbox, YouTube, and Angry Birds are here, but Instagram is not. I really use Instagram a lot and it's sad that Windows Phone does not have it yet. I seriously hope Microsoft improves their promotion to developers because Blackberry already provides a way to gain access to more apps by letting users sideload Android apps to Blackberry 10 devices. If you're not an app junkie, this phone is right for you since it has the apps you need.

THE VERDICT

Despite the fact that I own an iPhone 5, I can happily say that I loved spending 5 days with the Lumia 720 and I would truly recommend this to first-time smartphone buyers. The camera's great, the screen's okay, and the phone is fast enough. It would be a little difficult to recommend this to those who have owned high-end smartphones like the Galaxy S III or the iPhone 5 since both of those phones have huge ecosystems along with them. Unlike the Lumia 920 where there were a lot of compromises, the Lumia 720 has fewer of those compromises such as the design where there is little to no bulk in the phone but still feels solid enough to hold. It may have a lower megapixel camera than the 920, but it is good enough given the price you pay (which is P14,590 by the way so now you'd be surprised). I guess I couldn't let go of the apps I have collected over the 2 years with iOS devices. If I haven't used an iOS device though, this would be a phone I would consider buying.

Thank you, Nokia Philippines, for letting people do a test drive with the Lumia 720 to build awareness of the Lumia range and hopefully produce sales in the long run. Guess I'm not one of those who'll buy.

Later guys, gotta get some sleep..