Windows Phone Review: T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 710

Nokia has had a good amount of success with the European launch of the Nokia Lumia 800 and has hopes that success continues as the visitor begins its push into the Due north American market. The first Nokia Windows Telephone for the U.S. Market is the Nokia Lumia 710, that is now available over at T-Mobile.

The Lumia 710 is a compact, entry level Windows Telephone that sports a 3.7" screen that is protected by Corning's Gorilla Drinking glass. The latest Windows Phone feels solidly built and comfortable in the mitt.

As with other second generation Windows Phones, the Lumia 710 is designed more for a specific audience and may not appeal to everyone.  Some will find the 8gb of storage limiting and the missing forepart-facing camera disappointing. It may not conform your fancy but the Nokia Lumia 710 is a very practiced Windows Phone and a nice entry level model. Information technology represents Nokia very well every bit their first U.S. Windows Phone.

Design

The Nokia Lumia 710 definitely qualifies as a compact, pocketable Windows Phone. Measuring in at 4.69 10 2.46 x .49 inches the Lumia 710 is fractions of an inch smaller than the T-Mobile HTC Radar (4.7x2.4x.43 inches). The Lumia is too lighter than the HTC Radar, tipping the scales at 4.4 ounces compared to the Radar'southward four.8 ounces.  The Lumia 710 is besides similar in size to the Samsung Focus Flash (4.57x2.31x.27 inches, iv.ane ounces) but with the curved corners and sides, the 710 feels a footling better in the paw.

Working effectually the Lumia 710, the left side is bare while the right side holds the book rocker and camera button. Upwards top y'all'll find the ability button, 3.5mm headphone jack, and micro USB port. The book and photographic camera buttons are incorporated into the battery cover. Equally is, the buttons function nicely only I couldn't assist simply think if they both were slightly larger (longer and wider) they would function a lot better.  I establish myself hunting for them a little too frequently.

To the dorsum of the phone is your 5mp camera and LED light. The front buttons on the Lumia 710 are below a single, physical push. The single push is more than of a rocker styled button equally opposed to the concrete button on the Samsung Focus Flash. And, unlike the Focus Flash, the Lumia 710's button will non wake upwards the telephone.

It took some time to become used to the pattern of the forepart button. It's not really three separate concrete buttons merely more and so a single button that pivots and controls all 3. The Nokia'southward button has a completely different experience to information technology than the Kickoff button on the Samsung Focus Flash and while I've gotten used to it, I just can't sell myself on information technology. The button does forbid accidentally presses but it but felt also cumbersome and strong. I retrieve three separate buttons would have worked better.

Cosmetically, the Lumia 710 looks prissy and conservative. There are 2 versions of the Lumia 710 available on T-Mobile. Yous take an all blackness model and a white faced model that has a black bankroll. Equally y'all can tell our review unit is the all black version.  Yous can add a splash of colour to the Lumia 710 with interchangeable back covers.  At the time of review, information technology wasn't articulate when these colored covers would be available.

Speaking of which, the back bombardment cover on both models has a matte black, rubbery finish.  It pries off from left to right to reveal the 1300mah battery and micro-SIM card slot.  The encompass snaps dorsum into place securely but you do need to make certain all the piddling snap tabs click into place to accept the encompass seat correctly.

I was a little disappointed on how much finger grease shows up on both the back and screen of the Lumia 710.  I probably wiped the phone clean in between every photograph and still couldn't get all the dust and fingerprints off the phone.  I don't think this is a deal breaker but you will find yourself wiping the Lumia 710 on your shirt, pants, cervix tie and other places with regularity.

Overall, if you like compact Windows Phones the Lumia 710 will take a practiced corporeality of entreatment (even with the odd little button on the front). The fit and feel of the Lumia is comfortable and overall build quality is equally every bit dainty. With the rounded corners and curved sides the 710 fits in your hand nicely and is very pocketable.

Screen

The Lumia sports a 3.7" 480x800 screen that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. Colors come up across well-baked and screen brightness is nice, even with the auto-brightness setting turned on.  Corning's Gorilla Drinking glass is finding its way onto more and more than Windows Telephone and is a great characteristic. Information technology gives users a little peace of listen that their screen won't scratch equally easily equally other phones. Plus y'all don't have to deal with those pesky screen protectors.

Some may non like the smaller screen but with respect to image quality, the 710'south 3.7" screen can hold it'south own.  You may need bi-focals to read things but you won't exist lament on the quality of the screen'due south display.  Outdoor performance was on par with other Windows Phones and the screen was responsive to the touch on.

It's really hard to detect annihilation critical to offer on the 710's screen.

Nether the Hood

Nether the Lumia 710'south hood y'all'll observe 512mb of RAM, 8GB of storage, a 1300mah battery, and a ane.4ghz processor. The Lumia 710 likewise has a compass, accelerometer only no gyroscope.

While the Lumia 710 starts out with 8GB of storage, later on you load Windows Phone 7.five and all the pre-loaded apps out of the box the 710 just has 5.93GB remaining. I am hesitant to telephone call this a downside to the Lumia 710 because the storage needs of 1 person may be different than some other.

The 1.4ghz processor moves things along nicely and the 1300mah battery performs equally as overnice. Under moderate apply (calls, email, web browsing, gaming) the 710 made it through the day and into the early evening without needing a charge.  Granted, everyone uses their Windows Phones a piffling differently but battery life shouldn't be an consequence for most.

Equally an entry level Windows Phone, the Lumia 710 looks proficient and performs nicely under the hood.  While some may discover the storage infinite limiting and others may miss the gyroscope, the Nokia Lumia 710 performed really well within its own correct.

Software

It's not often we discuss software with Windows Phones because most of what comes with the phone is fairly standard. Bloatware has been essentially reduced to Carrier oriented apps such as the AT&T MyWireless apps or the manufacturer apps such as the HTC Hub.

Nokia seems to accept this a modest step farther by adding some rather useful in-house and third-party apps.  We have learned from the 2022 International Consumer Electronics Testify (CES) that Nokia volition be offering exclusive software titles to their Nokia line.  It'south non sure how much of this will exist pre-loaded or simply available through the Windows Phone Marketplace.  Currently, the pre-loaded apps include:

• Nokia Drive: Nokia's navigation app that has user selected downloadable maps.
• We Intendance: A thoughtful message from Nokia letting users know the company respects their privacy. Any information collected most the telephone is used to ameliorate Nokia products and isn't shared with third parties without your consent.
• ESPN App: ESPN is an exclusive app to Nokia devices that delivers scores, news, and videos from all your favorite sports. It besides includes social feeds from ESPN.  I really liked the ESPN app because information technology gives y'all a quick glance at all your sports information without having to dig for it.
• App Highlights: This is an interesting app that resembles the main pages of the Windows Phone Marketplace app.  App Highlights sends you important notifications on your apps (updates), recommends apps past a broad range of categories and tips on new apps.
• Contacts Transfer: A utility app that allows your Lumia 710 to receive contacts from your old mobile phone via Bluetooth.

Y'all also accept TeleNav GPS Navigation, The Weather Channel, Slacker Radio, and Netflix pre-loaded.

Settings are fairly standard for a Windows Phone. There is a setting to send feedback to Nokia also as Microsoft.  Which is a squeamish touch on and shows the level of interest Nokia has on consumer input.  You also have the inclusion of Nokia Blueish in the theme color options just the Nokia ringtone is missing.

For the nearly part, the pre-loaded software is a collection of useful apps. The nice thing virtually Windows Phone and pre-loaded software is that what you don't like or need, you can uninstall. While we still accept bloatware to deal with, things have improved profoundly since our Windows Mobile days.

Camera

The Lumia 710 is fitted with a 5mp camera and a 28mm f2.iv lens. You also have a LED light that sits next to the lens. The 710 lacks a front facing camera, which isn't necessarily a drawback. Every bit with storage needs, the importance of a front facing camera is an individual measure out.

With regards to photographic camera software, the Lumia is loaded with your basic Windows Phone photographic camera software. You tin can choose scenes, focus modes, saturation levels, contrast levels, ISO settings, and all the other features y'all would observe in the cadre camera app.  In that location'due south actually not much excitement with the software terminate of the Lumia 710's photographic camera.

With regards to image quality, there's as well non much excitement nowadays.  I was really surprised with the lack of quality the Lumia 710's photographic camera produced both indoors and out. Images were decent only came out apartment in desperate need of a saturation and contrast heave. There is likewise an oddity with viewing images within the camera app itself. (sample images merely resized for publication purposes.  No other editing was performed)

When yous focus the camera, everything looks nice and in focus. After you accept the pic and the saved image appears soft or slightly out of focus when viewed from the photographic camera app. At first I thought camera movement was blurring things but even images taken from a sturdy tripod appeared soft.

When I downloaded the pictures to the figurer or viewed them from the Pictures Hub, the prototype sharpness improved.  The images still needed a boost in contrast and saturation but appeared in better focus. I'd lean towards considering this a significant issue in that, from the camera app, y'all won't be able to guess the paradigm quality accurately.

Video quality was good. Video clips came out sharp, exposure was nice but saturation and contrast levels still had room for improvement.  I had hoped the weather condition would have cooperated only for an overcast, rainy twenty-four hour period the sample clip wasn't likewise shabby.

All in all, the Lumia 710's camera was decent merely given Nokia's reputation for photographic camera quality, the overall functioning was a little disappointing. Granted you can boost the saturation and contrast within the camera'due south settings (or with post-processing software) but the standard image should exist of better quality. At that place's likewise the issue of the image view within the camera app that will make it difficult to measure the sharpness of the image.  Hopefully these issues can be addressed with a software patch.

Phone Quality

No complaints here. Telephone call volume was overnice from both the earpiece and dorsum speaker. The microphone picked up my voice nicely and the Lumia 710'south vibrate warning wasn't too shabby either.

I did non experience whatever muffled calls, ringing in the earpiece, volume issues or whatsoever other quality issues with regards to using the Lumia 710 as a telephone. The Lumia 710 performs on par with other Windows Phones on the marketplace.

Lumia 710 vs. HTC Radar

Tough telephone call as to which is the ameliorate entry level Windows Phone, the Lumia 710 or the HTC Radar. Both tin can hold their own but the aluminum unibody of the Radar feels just a smidgen better in the mitt and might give the HTC a slight advantage.

Screen quality is close enough to telephone call a draw, the Radar has the improve photographic camera and Nokia gets the nod with regards to software.  The Nokia Drive and ESPN app are really prissy.

It'due south a tough call and I'1000 glad information technology'south one I don't have to make. The lesser line is that T-Mobile has added another quality Windows Phone to their line upwardly. The Nokia Lumia 710 is a strong choice to consider and one that many will notice appealing.

Summing it all up

The more I used the Nokia Lumia 710, the more than the phone grew on me.  Personally, I similar a larger screen on my Windows Phone but constitute the 710 to exist a compact, well congenital, comfy Windows Phone. I like how Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop described the 710 in a recent interview.

"The 710 provides the perfect combination of operator and device to entreatment to the 150 million Americans still to make the transition to smartphones."

The Lumia 710 is a very squeamish entry level or transition Windows Phone.  I can see information technology being very highly-seasoned to those just starting out with Windows Phones and are looking for a basic device.  Information technology won't exist appealing to everyone but for those who accept a gamble on the Nokia they shouldn't be disappointed.

The Lumia 710 is designed nicely and really only has two design areas that gives us pause.  The phone has a unmarried, rocker-styled, front button that controls the Dorsum, Start and Search controls.  The button is a piddling stiff and will take some time to get used to. The other issue  is that the 710 significantly attracts grease and grit. Probably more than any other Windows Telephone I've handled. Neither of these ii problems are deal breakers but did stand out in testing the Lumia 710 out.

The three.vii" screen is protected past Gorilla Glass and can hold it's own when compared to other Windows Phones. Colors are crisp, vivid and performed well outdoors. Battery life is respectable, call quality nice and the i.4Ghz processor moves things along nicely.

Camera quality has the most noticeable room for comeback. Images were on the flat side and viewing photos within the photographic camera app made them appear soft or out of focus. Video footage has the edge with regards to image quality and a software update is probable all the nonetheless image side needs to improve its quality level. I'chiliad not crushed that the Lumia 710 lacks a front facing photographic camera but can understand where this could be a disappointment to others.

Pre-loaded software includes some decent applications and what you don't desire or need, you tin uninstall to free up retentivity. I would consider Nokia Drive and the ESPN app as definite keepers. I don't mind the 8GB storage chapters just sympathise that some volition find this besides much a limitation. Y'all practice have a compass and accelerometer and about volition non realize the Lumia is lacking a gyroscope (unless yous read this review).

All in all, the Nokia Lumia 710 is a very good Windows Telephone that has a good corporeality of appeal.  You can discover the Nokia Lumia 710 at T-Mobile.com, T-Mobile's authorized retailers, Wal-Mart, Target and Cosco.  It is currently running $49.99 after the customary contractual discounts.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-review-t-mobile-nokia-lumia-710

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