The bad: The Lumia 710′s all-plastic construction doesn’t scream luxury and its small physical buttons are stiff and often tough to press. The handset also lacks a front-facing camera, so video chat is out of the question.
The bottom line: The $49.99 Nokia Lumia 710 is an excellent way to get the growing capabilities of a Windows Mango smartphone for a rock-bottom price. Though it isn’t an Android superphone with a luscious AMOLED display, it’s a practical device that covers all the mobile bases.
Crafted from unassuming plastic, the Lumia 710 looks pretty mundane aesthetically at first glance. Once you pick up the 4.4-ounce handset, however, it’s clear that it’s solidly made if not luxurious. Measuring 4.69 inches tall by 2.46 inches wide by 0.49 inch thick, the compact device sports attractively rounded edges and fits into tight pockets without too much trouble. The phone’s back cover has a rubbery, soft-touch coating, too, which provides a sure grip.
On the front is the 3.7-inch (WVGA, 800×480-pixel resolution) LCD screen, which is smaller and not as sharp as the full-HD or even qHD displays boasted by higher-end Android devices. Also, though it lacks the fantastically deep blacks and eye-popping colors of other devices with AMOLED displays, namely the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II, and Samsung Focus S, or even the original Focus, it does serve up pleasing-enough image quality.
That said, Nokia adds its special ClearBlack technology to boost screen contrast. For instance, I had a great time watching the YouTube HD trailer for “The Avengers,” which boasted plenty of rich eye candy like bright fiery explosions, energy blasts, flowing capes, and Scarlett Johansson’s artfully arranged red hair. Also, the Lumia 710′s screen had noticeably darker blacks than the display on the HTC Radar 4G, which tended to leak some light around the edges.
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