Back at IFA 2014, the Redmond-based company unveiled a selfie-focused smartphone, the Lumia 730. The handset launched with a very decent price tag but is it good enough, considering the tough competition it has to face from Android devices?
There are many Android devices with price points around the Lumia 730, but the Moto G is one of the most noteworthy competitors. Motorola has seen its fair share of success in the developing markets with the Moto G, especially after the company announced the handset will get one major Android update — it’s receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop already in some regions.
Here’s a quick comparison of what both devices have to offer in terms of specifications and usage.
The Moto G boasts a 5-inch display with a 720p resolution and a 294 PPI (pixels per inch) with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. On the other hand, the Lumia 730 comes with a slightly smaller 4.7-inch display with a similar resolution and a 316 PPI. To be honest, it’s a little hard to notice the difference.
Both the Moto G and the Lumia 730 ship with a similar processor — the Snapdragon 400 clocked at 1.2GHz with Adreno 305 handling the graphics on both devices paired with 1GB of RAM. Despite being 5-inch devices, Moto G is slightly bigger, measuring 141.5 x 70.7 x 11 mm while the Lumia 730 is 134.7 x 68.5 x 8.7 mm. The selfie-focused smartphone is also a tad lighter than its competitor, weighing only 130 grams.
Nokia (now a part of Microsoft) has seduced consumers with impressive photographic capabilities in the past, and Lumia 730 is no different. The selfie-focused smartphone boasts a wide-angle 5MP front-facing camera that is better than what the Moto G has to offer — it boasts a 2MP sensor. On the rear, the Moto G has an 8MP camera with a f/2.0 aperture while the Lumia 730 rocks a 6.7MP unit with a 1/3.4” sensor size and a f/1.9 aperture.
The significant difference between the two is the operating system. One runs Windows Phone 8.1 while the Moto G ships with Android 4.4 KitKat (upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop). This is one of the biggest deciding factors in both devices. Windows Phone is struggling, and consumers may be a little hesitant to adopt it due to the app gap it has when compared to Android.
Both devices are available in most developing markets and feature a slightly similar price tag in most regions — Lumia 730 is a little expensive, but the difference is not too much.
To be honest, both devices are great, but Windows Phone has its setbacks in a few notable regions. Motorola, who entered emerging markets with its budget-friendly handset, is getting a good response, especially because it offers software experience close to stock Android. Which one do you like, putting the fanboyism aside?
Further reading: Lumia, Lumia 730, Microsoft, Motorola, Windows Phone
