Nokia Lumia 710

Nokia Lumia 710 Review: Affordable, Solid Windows Phone

The Nokia Lumia 710 might not be the most powerful phone, but its reliable performance, array of business and entertainment features and crisp display makes it a top choice for first time smartphone owners and those on a tight budget. When I learned that Nokia would be teaming up with Microsoft for the next generation of Windows Phones, I was very excited. Nokia phones have a long-standing reputation for high quality, durability, and solid specs, but they’ve been held back by a stale operating system, Symbian. Enter the Nokia Lumia 710 for T-Mobile ($50 with a new two-year contract; price as of January 5, 2012), the Finnish handset maker’s first Windows Phone in the United States.

Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone

Nokia's Lumia 710 doesn't offer anything remarkable, but a slick user experience at a very competitive price makes it great value for money. At under $400, the Lumia 710 is a much better option than most lower-end Android phones. Nokia's Lumia 800 may have attracted most of the attention, but the company's entry-level Lumia 710 is probably more important for its long term Windows Phone strategy. At just $379, the Lumia 710 is relatively inexpensive and offers better performance than most Android phones at the same price, even if it does have a few annoying flaws.

Nokia Lumia 710 review review

Nokia Lumia 710 review

The Nokia Lumia 710 gives you almost everything that Lumia 800 users are paying for apart from the sexy polycarbonate build. If you're willing to forget about this, you're in for a treat – it's very easy to get attached to the Windows Phone People hub and the Lumia 710's 3.7in screen and 5MP camera – while far from perfect – offer great value at the sub-£250 price. And we even found a few knocking around for a bargainous £170 too.

Nokia Lumia 710 Review: Affordable, Solid Windows Phone

The Nokia Lumia 710 might not be the most powerful phone, but its reliable performance, array of business and entertainment features and crisp display makes it a top choice for first time smartphone owners and those on a tight budget.