Performance Review for Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710

The Nokia Lumia 800 is the best Microsoft Windows 7.5 smartphone I have used, and is competitively priced for what it offers. In my opinion, the Windows Phone OS is quickly becoming a competitor to Android and iOS, although still not quite on the same level. The Lumia 710 is not a "raw performance" monster. It actually scores modestly in Javascripts benchmarks and on Microsoft's own IE9 "Fish Tank" web graphics performance test. The numbers speak for themselves when you compare it to other phones that are known for their "muscles". However, the synthetic benchmarks don't tell the whole story: the Lumia 710 and its Windows Phone 7.5 operating system bring one of the smoothest user experience available in handsets. The user interface scrolling is always impeccable, and background tasks are managed in a way that doesn't slow things down with my particular usage pattern. For virtually every productivity tasks, the response-time is very good. Read more: http://mamaktalk.blogspot.com Read more: http://mamaktalk.blogspot.com OS and performance I like the simplicity of Microsoft's OS; flicking your finger from side to side allows you to jump between Live Tiles and a list of applications, and its touch-screen is easily as responsive as the iPhone's. The app switcher is a cool feature that is accessed by pressing and holding the back key. Newer apps can be added to the folder and unused apps are automatically killed so as not to overload the processor. However, these are easily restored by touching the relevant icon. Read more: http://mamaktalk.blogspot.com The Lumia 800 comes with Windows 7.5 Mango preinstalled, and employs a faster 1.4GHz single-core processor that works well with the Windows 7.5 OS. It features 512MB of RAM perfectly adequate to execute any tasks with ease. Apps Unfortunately, the app store cannot hold a candle to Android or Apple, and is extremely limited, although I'm sure this will change over time. All the obvious choices are there, such as Twitter and Facebook, even games like Angry Birds. Having said that, a preloaded app, Nokia Drive, is the first free sat nav service to come bundled on any Windows Phone device, and while not comprehensive, it does the job. Preloaded apps include Nokia Music, Xbox Live, Office and ESPN The curved body is aesthetically pleasing, making it stand out from the plethora of snappy-looking handsets currently on the market. Music As a music lover, I really enjoyed Mix Radio, new to the Lumia range. It allows for streaming music from the Internet, giving access to myriad genres including classical, jazz, rock 'n roll and everything in between. In addition, you don't have to subscribe and the service is offered for free. Connectivity The phone is 3G-enabled, and features HSDPA download speeds of up to 14.4Mbps, as well as WiFi capabilities, ensuring I had no connectivity issues at all. Bluetooth 2.1 and USB 2.0 connectivity ensured fast file transfers. However, there is no SD card slot, a blow as this means non-expandable memory. Read more: http://mamaktalk.blogspot.com Both the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 are 14.4 Mbps HSDPA devices but unfortunately neither are quad-band 3G, so you'll get either an 850 MHz or 900 MHz-compatible device depending on which telco you buy it from. The 800 utilises a sleek polycarbonate unibody design, which I'm told helps with reception but didn't have the chance to test at the launch. The 800 will be available from all telcos in March, but the 710 will be limited to Optus and Virgin Read more: http://mamaktalk.blogspot.com Screen and display Nokia has employed a clear black AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. Even in daylight, it is easily visible. It features good contrast levels and excellent colour reproduction. It also needs only the softest touch to work, and navigation is effortless. The 8MP camera features Carl Zeiss optics and is good, although not the best I've used. The pictures are sharp and vivid and can be easily posted to Facebook. It has an LED flash, good for close ups, less so for wider-angle shots. It can also capture HD videos at 720p. The camera button on the side is an excellent feature, as you no longer have to fumble around on the touch-screen to take a picture. It's a camera for ordinary people, taking ordinary pictures, nothing fancy. Read more: http://mamaktalk.blogspot.com As you would expect the Lumia 800's AMOLED screen looks a little more vivid but the Lumia 710's LCD screen looks a little more crisp and offers whiter whites to help with reading contrast. Traditionally I've preferred LCD over AMOLED, but AMOLED has come a long way and (the best example perhaps being the HD Super AMOLED Galaxy Nexus). The Lumia's media player is simple and easy to use, supporting all media formats, with a nice, simple interface. Overall, the phone performed well. The screen is a little smaller than I would have liked, I found it a little pokey and the 1450 mAh battery life isn't fantastic, but this is not unexpected as it's completely dependent on the individual's usage patterns. In summary Lumia 800: Pros: Beautiful design, easy to use Cons: No expandable memory, uses only micro-SIM Rating: 8/10 OS: Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) Processor: 1.4GHz single-core Dimensions: 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1mm; 142g Storage: 16GB internal (not expandable) Memory: 512MB RAM Display: 3.7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) AMOLED capacitive touch Speed: HSDPA 14.4Mbps/HSUPA 5.6Mbps Camera: 8MP (3264x2448); Video: 720p @ 30fps MPEG-4 Connectivity: WLAN; Bluetooth 2.1; USB 2.0 Output: 3.5mm audio jack; micro-USB connector and charger Navigation: A-GPS; GPS; 3D Accelerometer E-mail: IMAP4; POP3; SMTP Documents: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, PDF In Summary Lumia 710: 3.7" display (800×480 pixels) Single-Core, 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255, 512MB RAM 5 Megapixel camera 2.46×4.69×0.49", 4.4oz Bands: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 HSDPA 14.4Mbps 1300 mAh battery