Is the Lumia 730 the ultimate 'selfie' phone?

MICROSOFT has decided that the thing consumers want most from a smartphone is the ability to snap pro-level pictures of themselves and their friends and share them quickly.
And if camera quality is high up on your list when shopping for a new handset, the new Lumia 730, officially launched on Thursday, is more than worthy of consideration.
Microsoft may have come under criticism in the past for the quality of its app store, but when it comes to the imaging technology it acquired when buying Nokia, its camera and their supporting apps should be seen as the benchmarks by which all other manufacturers judge their own handsets - and that goes for Apple and Samsung too.
The Lumia 730 has a 5-megapixel HD front-facing camera with a wide-angle lens that will make sure that everyone's in the shot. There's even a dedicated selfie app to aid in composition and sharing.
This wide-angle lens also means that the handset is potentially excellent for Skype calling - you could get the whole family in the shot - and it's something that Microsoft hasn't overlooked. When the handset goes on sale it will come with a free three-month Skype Unlimited World subscription.
Other than its imaging capabilities - the rear camera is also a very able 6.7-megapixel shooter complete with the Nokia Camera suite of shooting options and editing features - the 730 is a good mid-range phone.
It has a nice 4.7-inch 720p HD OLED display, a battery that Microsoft claims will last a whole day and enough in the way of processing power and RAM that users won't get frustrated by lags or screen freezes.
It only comes with 8GB of storage on board but thanks to support for microSD cards this can be expanded by up to another 128GB. Then there's the option of taking Microsoft's free 15GB of cloud storage too.
As good as its cameras are, perhaps the thing that will appeal most is the price. When it goes on sale later this month, the Lumia 730 will cost just €199 off contract for the dual SIM model.
For an extra €20 consumers can snap up the Lumia 735 which offers everything that the 730 had plus 4G/LTE and built-in wireless charging too. – AFP Relaxnews