10 Keys To Microsoft's New Lumia 830, 730 Dual SIM and 735

Microsoft's Lumia Launches

Microsoft unveiled three Lumia smartphones last week at the IFA tech event in Berlin.

After acquiring Nokia for $7.2 billion this past April, Microsoft's three new Lumia smartphones include the Lumia 830, the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and the Lumia 735.

Microsoft also released Windows Phone "Denim," a new version of its mobile operating system. Microsoft executives said at the event that the Lumia 830 will be able to compete with Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy line.

Here are 10 keys to the Lumia launches.

Pure View Camera

The camera on the Lumia 830 got a lot of attention at the launch event.

Rather than cranking up the megapixels as Nokia did with the Lumia 1020, Microsoft improved the quality of the lens and the technology and software behind it.

Microsoft's new smartphone packs a 10-megapixel Pure View camera with optical image stabilization technology. This is the thinnest Lumia phone to feature the technology in its camera, and it has a high-quality Zeiss lens. The camera records 1,080p video at 30 frames per second. The new Lumia Camera app also includes the ability to record video in 4K resolution.

Wireless Charging

Microsoft offers an interesting alternative to those frustrated with ripping through USB cables.

The Lumia 830 and 735 Dual SIM offer wireless charging through Qi wireless charging technology.

Microsoft also introduced a wireless charging plate as an accessory to its compatible devices. The bottom of the device will glow when it has been placed on the charging plate and connects to the phone via Bluetooth. It will glow to let users know it's time to charge. It also can blink for certain push notifications such as email alerts.

Windows Phone Update

Microsoft also rolled out an update to Windows Phone 8.1 for Lumia devices, dubbed Denim.

The OS update won't be released until this fall, but it will be available to download for all Lumia users.

Microsoft said the Denim update will improve the camera software, making starting the Lumia Camera app faster but also taking burst shots quicker in addition to other photo-related enhancements.

Denim also offers improvements to Cortana, so users can take advantage of vocal commands to use the feature. The Glance screen also received a slight makeover as weather, fitness and health notifications will appear.

Display

The Lumia 830 features a 720p 5-inch display with sharp colors, protected with Gorilla Glass.

Both the Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM have 720p OLED displays, but they measure 4.7 inches.

The screen on the two entry-level models are actually slightly better than the 830, but the screen size is larger on the 830 and the drop-off in resolution is minimal.

The display in all three devices is a downgrade from the Lumia 930's 1,080p HD screen, but the price tag for this phone won't be as high.

New Casing

Like the new Samsung phones unveiled Wednesday, the new Lumias have metal frames around the edges of the devices, making for a more durable casing with a more solid feel. The front and back panels of the Lumia devices are still plastic, and the back cover of the new Lumia phones are removable. The plastic casing comes in black, green, white or orange.

The devices are 0.33 of an inch thick and weigh 5.29 ounces, making them the lightest and thinnest Lumia phones to ever be released.

Specs

The Lumia 830 comes stocked with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 1 GB of RAM. It also comes with 16 GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot for up to 128 GB of additional storage.

The Lumia 735 and 730 Dual SIM come with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and also have 1 GB of RAM, but just 8 GB of storage rather than the 16 GB coming on the Lumia 830. Both entry-level phones do come with a microSD card slot as well, for up to 64 GB of storage.

'Affordable Flagship' Smartphone

Microsoft executives said at the event that the Lumia 830 is its "affordable flagship" device, adding that it's "on par" with the abilities and functionality of Samsung's Galaxy line as well as Apple's iPhone, but comes at a lower price point.

The Lumia 830 was unveiled in Berlin, with pricing provided in euros. The Lumia 830 translates to about $430 in U.S. dollars. The Lumia 735's cost came out to around $290, and the Lumia 730 came out to about $260.

If the devices are released in the U.S., the prices could change. More on that in the next slide.

Missing Details

There were a few things missing from the event that were rather noticeable.

Microsoft said there will be a global release of its new smartphones, but did not say if or when that includes the U.S. Lumia devices in the past have been released in the U.S. but have had different names.

Microsoft also did not detail which carriers would offer the smartphones.

Without knowing for sure whether or not the phones would be released in the U.S., Microsoft partners told CRN that they "would not be surprised" if the phones didn't hit the U.S. market, as Microsoft could be targeting emerging international markets.

Lumia 730 Dual SIM And Lumia 735

The biggest difference between the Lumia 830 and the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 are the cameras. The two entry-level models are more focused on Skype and taking selfies and come with a 5-megapixel secondary camera and wide-angle lenses. The primary camera is 6.7 megapixels, down from 10 megapixels on the 830.

Microsoft also is releasing a Lumia Selfie app and a three-month subscription to Skype Unlimited World.

The App Ecosystem

During the launch event, Microsoft acknowledged that the Windows Phone ecosystem is currently third behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS. However, executives said quality products will lead to a bigger market, which will lead to more developers jumping on board.

Microsoft partners said the company needs a larger app ecosystem in order to compete, with one saying, "It’s the apps that drive the hardware."

If Microsoft targets international emerging markets, the market share for Windows Phone could grow and, leading to more developers willing to build on the ecosystem, partners said.