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The 5MP front facing camera is certainly one of the main features of the Nokia Lumia 735. It is impossible to ignore, especially with Microsoft itself claiming that it is "the first smartphone designed specifically for selfies and Skype video calls".
I can't comment on the specifics of that quote, but it is clear that Microsoft is making a big deal of the front sensor and I can see why.
I've never had any problems with the forward facing camera's on many phones, the typical 2MP forward sensor has always seemed enough for me. That said, Nokia has done a lot of work to convince me that 2MP just isn't enough.
Unfortunately I can see there being a bit of a problem for Microsoft and the Lumia 735 if they are aiming for the ultimate selfie phone, namely the lack of Snapchat in the app store. Thankfully, this is something that I can see being rectified at some point in the future. Until then, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all available.
The inclusion of Skype also has to be considered a key feature, thanks to that camera and Microsoft including three months of free Skype to mobile and landline numbers. It seems a little odd to be including a built in app as a key feature, especially as it is available on countless other handsets such as the Android Moto G or the iPhone 5C.
Despite this, I have to say that I am a big fan of the way that Skype has been integrated into Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.1 OS. I've been using Skype across all mobile platforms for a while and this is by far my favourite version, and that camera is certainly a massive bonus.
My one qualm with it was that it took a few seconds to load up when tapping the notification, something that I am not used to. That brief loading period was also noticeable on other apps, but mostly on Skype.
The final feature that I think is key to the Lumia 735 is the Windows Phone 8.1 OS.
Coming from daily use of an Android phone, the Lumia 735 could have been a step into the unknown, but it felt familiar thanks to my use of Windows 8.1 on my desktop, and the very intuitive live tile UX.
One thing that I was really looking forward to was the background to the live tiles, as Windows Phone 8.1 allows you to set a background image that appears as a collage made up of the tiles, however this is hampered by the amount of apps that come in block colours.
For those that haven't ever used the live tiling system before, it is a little like Android's widget system, providing information at a glance without having to load up the app itself. I've been a fan of this system for a while, and I certainly recommend you check it out.
Performance
Throughout my time with the Nokia Lumia 735, I have to say that I was always left a little disappointed with the lack of internal grunt. This was a little suprising given that older versions of Windows Phone were optimised to run on lower powered dual-core CPU's, and the Lumia 735 comes with a quad-core CPU.
This lack of power was particularly noticeable when loading up Skype, especially from the notifications bar (affectionately known as the Action Centre on Windows). This is probably because Windows pushes Skype to the background to save battery, and needs to manually reload it every time.
General day-to-day use with the Lumia 735 was pretty easy, although power users will definitely notice the lack of processing power. But at this price range the Lumia 735 matches up with its rivals, the Moto G 4G and HTC Desire 610, hertz for hertz.
Unfortunately for the Lumia 735, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is also available for a very similar price tag and that comes with a lot more power.
Running the benchmarking app WP Bench gave an average of 220.24 putting it behind the lower powered Lumia 530 and equally powered Lumia 635. This could be down to the higher end screen of the 735 putting a greater demand on the CPU.
Battery life
When it comes to using smartphones, one of the key things is battery life. Coping with the aforementioned screen seems to have put a bit of a dampener on the GPU, but thankfully the same can't be said for the 2220mAh battery.
I am pleased to say that the Lumia 735 performed exceptionally well. During light usage, sending the odd Skype and Facebook message with around 10 minutes of gaming during a lunch break, I was able to eke out almost 2 days usage.
That dropped down to one days use when really pushing it, snapping a few photos and heavy Skype texting in the evening. But given that I have nightly access to a charger, this was never a problem.
The TechRadar battery test showed up some equally impressive results. With the screen up to its maximum brightness and Skype and Facebook all logged in, the battery test video showed a drainage of only 15%.
It is interesting to note that there is not a lot of manual control over the brightness only a high, medium and low setting, alongside the auto brightness.
