Nokia Lumia 720 review

The Lumia 720’s camera is a 6.7-megapixel model with an f/1.9 lens compared to the Lumia 620’s 5-megapixel sensor and f/2.4 combination. In daylight conditions we struggled to find much difference between the Lumia 620 and 720’s shots; both showed plenty of detail and accurate exposure and colours. Both phones’ shots were also a match for those of the Samsung Galaxy S3, which has one of our favourite cameras.

Fantastic outdoor shots from the Lumia 720’s 6.7-megapixel camera – click to enlarge

We saw more difference in our indoor shots. In low light, with the main lights off and just a couple of sidelights for illumination, the Lumia 720’s larger aperture helped it produce brighter pictures with more detail in dark areas – these dark areas were still fairly noisy, however. It was under these conditions that the Galaxy S3 pulled ahead, showing less noise and more detail than either of the Nokia phones in poor light.

The Lumia 720’s larger camera aperture meant it could pick up more detail in darker areas than the Lumia 620 (below) – click to enlarge

The Lumia 720 is a tricky phone to rate. It’s significantly cheaper than the Lumia 820, and you’re unlikely to notice its performance deficit in everyday use, so it feels better value. It has some stiff competition from the excellent Lumia 620, though. The 720 has a slightly better screen and camera, but there’s not a great deal in it. It has much better battery life, so if you want definite all-day use without charging it’s a better choice, but we still think the Nokia Lumia 620 is the best-value phone in Nokia’s range.