Microsoft's 'selfie phone' arrives as the Lumia 730

Alongside the Lumia 730, Microsoft is also releasing the Lumia 735 with LTE support. It's essentially the same phone but the LTE support replaces the dual-SIM functionality. The main difference is that wireless charging shells will be supported on the Lumia 735, while Lumia 730 owners will have to settle for interchangeable shells without wireless charging. Both the Lumia 730 and Lumia 735 will ship in green, orange, dark grey, and white variants. Microsoft will start rolling both handsets out this month, with the Lumia 730 priced at 199 euros and the Lumia 735 priced at 219 euros before taxes and subsidies.

I got an early look at the Lumia 730 in Berlin today, and the talking point is literally the forward-facing camera. The device is light enough to hold, albeit a little chunky in appearance, and it’s the typical Nokia polycarbonate design. Although it’s only a 720p display, the viewing angles are good and the colors bright and vibrant enough to clearly view photos from the handset. Selfie images from the forward-facing camera appear to be crisp on a few attempts with a good angle to capture multiple people or the scene behind. Overall, the Lumia 730 doesn’t appear to be remarkable as a phone, it’s a mid-range handset that will only stand out in a crowd due to its color. For those who don’t wish to spend top money on a device then it fits the middle of Microsoft’s Lumia lineup well.