Non-4G Lumia 720 hits Australia

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blog Finnish smartphone manufacturer Nokia announced today that its Lumia 720 model would come to Australia. Unfortunately, while the model is quite high-end — it comes with a 4.3″ screen, a 1GHz dual-core CPU, Windows Phone 8, a 6.7 megapixel camera on the back, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of storage space, plus the ability to take a microSD card up to 64GB — it does not support the 4G networks already launched in Australia by Telstra and Optus, being limited to 3G. Given the strength of the Lumia line-up as previously reviewed, Delimiter is likely to recommend those on a budget still give this one a look-see if they like Windows Phone as an operating system, but that everyone else stick to the growing list of 4G smartphones. You won’t regret getting 4G — and you definitely won’t regret it in a year. Nokia’s media release:

Nokia today added the Nokia Lumia 720 to its growing Lumia line-up. Nokia’s latest mid-range smartphone will be available from Vodafone, Virgin Mobile and leading retailers for a RRP of AUD$429*.

Similar in design and build quality to other Lumia smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 720 has, without doubt, the best imaging credentials of any smartphone in its price band. Combining Carl Zeiss optics with Nokia’s largest f1.9 aperture, the Nokia Lumia 720 delivers sharp, clear pictures every time, day or night.

The Lumia 720 is super-slim – only 9mm thick – and weighs just 128g and comes in a range of colours including black, white and red. Nokia Australia’s managing director, Steve Lewis, said: “As we continue to grow our smartphone offering, devices such as the Lumia 720 give breadth and depth to our Windows Phone 8 portfolio.

“With smartphone adoption continuing to grow in Australia, consumers want more choice at different price-points. Smartphones like the Lumia 720 are critical to Nokia’s strategy as they allow us to bring familiar features such as high-end design, quality hardware, unparalleled imaging capabilities and a rich navigation experience to a wider audience.”

Other key features of the Lumia 720 include: Access to the full HERE suite of applications, including HERE Maps, HERE Drive for free turn-by-turn navigation in Australia and HERE Transit; Access to Nokia’s new subscription-based music streaming service, Nokia Music +, which allows users to stream from playlists curated by a team of musos and international artists; Access to more than 130,000 applications from the Windows Phone Store including the recently launched Pandora, SBS and Take 40 apps; In-built NFC and wireless charging capability when a shell is added; Access to all the best Windows Phone 8 experiences including Xbox, PeopleHub and Microsoft Office

*The Lumia 720 will be in store at Virgin Mobile from the 4th April. Vodafone will announce availability in the coming weeks, while retailers will being receiving stock from the 10th April.

Image credit: Nokia

3 COMMENTS

  1. This is a great phone from Nokia at a reasonable price considering the features however the fact is this wasn’t designed for the Australian market. The 4G-capable Lumia 820 and 920 were made with Western markets in mind, along with the lower-end non-4G Lumia 620.

    Looking at the processor and RAM: its a weaker processor (compared to 920, 820) coupled with half the RAM which means its a slightly slower experience. The problem however isn’t for today but regarding updates which are less likely to be delivered to these lower specced processors. There are also compatibility issues with some apps).

    If you’re considering a Windows Phone but don’t want a 4G phone for whatever reason, I’d really recommend taking a look at this because of:
    – Battery, its the same size as the Lumia 920, but without the battery sucking larger HD screen and 4G radio so will provide a long charge (>30% longer than 820 and 920 based on raw stats)
    – Camera, produces great pictures because pixel size is on par with the leading 8MP smartphones (GSII, iPhone 5, Lumia 920, etc) coupled with a f1.9 aperture and outperforms the more expensive Lumia 820. Front camera is also excellent, probably better than the 920’s and on par with the best on the market.
    – The fact that other than the slower processor (which may or may not affect things) and lack of 4G, it still offers exactly what the significantly more expensive 820 and 920 offer.

    Based on RRP, we’re likely to see the 720 selling at the $359 mark (max $379, probably not lower than $349) fitting in nicely between the 620 at ~$260-$280 (RRP $329) and the 820 at $450-$550 (RRP $629 – has been on market longer so price has dropped at certain stores resulting in a range of prices). Kogan does have the 820 for $299 (not sure how) but when I’m talking about prices, I’m talking about Australian stock and Australian retailers. Kogan are likely to have the 720 for much less based on how low and aggressively Nokia has priced it in selected overseas markets.

    This device is definitely a flagship in its own rite and Nokia now has a flagship for 4G and Western markets – the 920 – and one for budget conscious consumers and markets – the 720. Watch Nokia’s marketshare in its strongest foreign market – Italy – explode after they release this and the 520

  2. Just to add: whilst their marketshare will explode in Italy, that’s just one market and won’t save the company as a whole though the future does seem positive and marketshare has seen significant gains in the UK and USA amongst others (though unfortunately Australia isn’t one of them and its flatlined at 3.4% over the past few months).

  3. Hi Joe…..very interesting fact. I am living in Australia. Between 720 and 820 which one you would pick ? As I am not a gamer, I may pick 720. Or maybe I wait for Lumia 928. Or maybe I wait for Lumia 1000. Or maybe I wait for window blue..or maybe I will never buy because I keep waiting for the best and perfect one. Just my 2 cents.

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