The mobile division of Nokia is finally renamed to Microsoft and after this change of name, Lumia 535 was the first Lumia device to come out without the Nokia branding. So this is an important device for the manufacturer. On the other hand, the Lumia 735 is one of the last devices to come with the Nokia name and it is quite an impressive device. The Lumia 735 is very much similar to the Lumia 730 except that the Lumia 730 comes with dual SIM feature and doesn’t support 4G networks. We put the Lumia 735 against the relatively cheaper Lumia 535 and see if the Lumia 735 is really worth the extra money.
Software:
The Lumia 735 runs the latest version of Windows Phone operating system which is version 8.1. The live tiles and notification bar that were introduced with the version 8.1 are all here. The latest update is called Denim and it adds some more features into the operating system. It has got the voice assistant called Cortana which is pretty much what Siri is for Apple. It isn’t available in many countries though. For now it is available in US, UK and China only but they will be adding more countries to the list soon. On this latest version, you can add folders on the homescreen which wasn’t possible with the earlier versions. The Lumia 535 also runs the same version of operating system with the Denim update on it.
The user interface is pretty simple and shouldn’t take long to get used to even for new users. After so many versions, they have come a long way from where they started and most of the issues have been addressed. The app support has improved but it still has a long way to go before it can compete with android or iOS. The major developers are all here (well, almost) but still the games and apps mostly arrive first on iOS and Android before making their way to Windows Phone.
Design:
The design of most Lumia devices in the same bracket has been very similar and the Lumia 735 looks similar to the Lumia 800. Not that it is a bad thing at all. The Lumia 800 was a nice looking device and so is the Lumia 735. Like many other Lumia devices, it has got a polycarbonate back that curves near the edges and meets the screen. The size is also quite good due to the 4.7 inch display size. It makes the device easy to handle and yet the display is large enough to be comfortable for use. The polycarbonate back on this device is removable unlike many high end devices and you can choose to swap the back panel of the device to get a different colour.
The Lumia 535 on the other hand comes with a Microsoft badge instead of Nokia but still it adheres to the familiar Lumia design. It has also got a polycarbonate rear shell available in multiple colours. Despite being a budget device, it is well put together just like you would expect from a Nokia or Microsoft device in this case. The rear shells can be swapped for a different colour just like the Lumia 735. The Lumia 535 has got a 5 inch display against the 4.7 inches on Lumia 735 so it is bigger and not exactly very comfortable to hold or use with one hand. You are better off using the device with two hands rather than stretching out the thumb of one hand. The placement of physical keys on both the devices is decent and the keys are easily accessible.
Display:
The Lumia 735 has got a 4.7 inch display. The display has 720p resolution which might not exactly be at par with the full HD displays out there but is still quite good and gives a pixel density north of 300 ppi. The display is crisp and you won’t have to complain about its quality at all. It is an AMOLED panel and offers excellent contrast ratio and colour saturation. The abundance of blacks in the Windows Phone interface makes it even better to look at. The viewing angles are superb and it is legible even in bright sunlight.
The Lumia 535 on the other hand has got an even bigger display, 5 inches when measured diagonally. However it isn’t as sharp as the one on Lumia 735 because of the lower resolution. This is a qHD display measuring 5 inches so the pixel density is just 220 ppi. The small texts look fuzzy and you can clearly see the rough edges of the tiles. On top of that this is an IPS LCD panel so the contrast ratios aren’t as good.The colour aren’t great either though the viewing angles are good.
Camera:
The Lumia 735 comes with a 6.7 megapixel camera. Nokia has kept using Carl Zeiss optics for a long time and this one uses the same. The camera captures decent amount of detail and they look decent on the display. Minor edits can result into a good image. It performs reasonably well in low light as well. If anything, the white balance could have been better. The front camera has 5 megapixel resolution with a 27 mm wide angle lens. The Lumia 535 comes with 5 megapixel cameras on both sides and both the cameras offer acceptable quality for the price.
Hardware:
The Lumia 735 runs Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with 1.2 GHz quad core processor. It has got 1 GB of RAM. While the hardware is a bit old, it is reasonably powerful for smooth operating. It has got 8 GB of internal storage and memory card slot. The device is powered by a 2200 mAh battery. The Lumia 535 has a disappointing hardware as it runs Snapdragon 200 chipset with 1.2 GHz quad core processor and 1 GB of RAM. It struggles to cope up with games and there are times when the interface starts to lag. Among the two devices, we will definitely recommend the Lumia 735(or the 730) over the 535.
