Microsoft announced on Thursday at IFA 2014 the Nokia Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM smartphones running the latest Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, bringing imaging technology to more affordable price levels. Microsoft also announced two new accessories that provide new ways for people to interact with their phones, plus the Lumia Denim update, which brings extra features to existing Lumia smartphones.

Microsoft's Lumia smartphones are getting a new feature designed to improve the quality of photos taken in low-light settings.

The phones automatically take two photos in quick succession, one with a flash and one without. Software then merges the two shots into a single image for which the user can adjust the amount of illumination via an on-screen slider bar.

The idea of combining multiple exposures of an image to create a superior shot has already been popularised by the high dynamic range (HDR) function offered by many smartphones.

The new smartphones are also capable of taking multiple images with only a 42 millisecond gap between each shot. The firm said that up to 12 images could be taken in the time it takes to blink

They are also offering an option to extract 8.3 megapixel stills from the 4K ultra-high definition video captured by its high-end models.

The Lumia 830 is an affordable flagship that packs technologies such as optical image stabilization and PureView imaging to more people. It offers
wide-angle, front-facing cameras; an attractive price tag; and slim, compact style, the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 are built for Skype calls and selfies.

The Lumia 830 offers captures images and videos, day or night, with a 10-megapixel PureView camera with ZEISS optics, Rich Recording and the thinnest optical image stabilization system to date on a Lumia.

Taking images and editing your shots will also get a boost with the over-the-air update of Lumia Camera that introduces a quicker camera start-up time and shooting speeds, and adds new features such as Rich Capture and Moment Capture, which make it quicker to snap, edit and share your pictures.

The smartphone comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office Mobile; the latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim; and OneDrive with 15 GB of free storage, allowing content to be synced and shared. It has integrated wireless charging, PureView, integrated wireless charging and SensorCore in a light aluminum and polycarbonate design.

This Lumia 830 has a five-inch ClearBlack display with Curved Gorilla 3.0 glass, and runs a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 16GB of memory, which is expandable by 128GB via microSD.

Lumia 830 will begin rolling out globally this month, priced around 330 euros before taxes and subsidies.

The new Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 are both built for Skype and selfies.

These quad-core smartphones boast a sleek design and are also imaging masters. The 5MP front-facing camera boasts a focal length of 24mm that, put simply, means its wide-angle lens will capture more in the frame.

You can make creations with the new Lumia Selfie app, which comes pre-loaded. Selected markets will also be able to take advantage of a free three-month Skype Unlimited World subscription.

What's more, Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 come with two microphones and clever Lumia voice processing to capture audio, doing away with unwanted background noise.

Everything is powered by a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon quad-core processor and its 4.7-inch OLED display has an-almost 180-degree viewing angle that works great in bright sunlight.

There's 15GB of free OneDrive storage to supplement the 8GB of on-board memory, which can be bolstered with a 128GB microSD card.

A 6.7-megapixel camera can be found on the back and you have the choice of 4G/LTE (Lumia 735) or 3G Dual SIM (Lumia 730).

Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 will also begin rolling out globally this month. The Lumia 730 Dual SIM will be priced around 199 euros before taxes and subsidies, while the Lumia 735 with LTE/4G and wireless charging support will be priced around 219 euros before taxes and subsidies.

	Nokia Lumia 730	Nokia Lumia 735	Nokia Lumia 830
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 1.2 GHz Cortex A7 quad-core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926 1.2 GHz Cortex A7 quad-core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926 1.2 GHz Cortex A7 quad-core
RAM/NAND	1 GB / 8 GB + MicroSD	1 GB / 8 GB + MicroSD	1 GB / 16 GB + MicroSD
Display	4.7" 1280x720 OLED	4.7" 1280x720 OLED	5.0" 1280x720
Network	GSM/WCDMA/HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps	GSM/WCDMA/DC-HSPA/LTE up to 150 Mbps	GSM/WCDMA/DC-HSPA/LTE up to 150 Mbps
Dimensions	134.7 x 68.5 x 8.7 (mm)	134.7 x 68.5 x 8.9 (mm)	139.4 x 70.7 x 8.5 (mm)
Weight	133 g	134.3 g	150 g
Camera	6.7 MP rear camera, Zeiss Optics, f/1.9, LED Flash, 5 MP f/2.4 FFC	6.7 MP rear camera, Zeiss Optics, f/1.9, LED Flash, 5 MP f/2.4 FFC	10 MP rear camera, Zeiss Optics, OIS, LED Flash, FFC, 5.1 Dolby Digital HAAC audio
Battery	2220 mAh removable	2220 mAh removable	2200 mAh removable
Current Shipping OS	Windows Phone 8.1 with Denim Firmware	Windows Phone 8.1 with Denim Firmware	Windows Phone 8.1 with Denim Firmware
Connectivity	802.11 a/b/g/n + BT 4.0 LE, NFC, USB2.0, MPT, DLNA, FM Radio	802.11 a/b/g/n + BT 4.0 LE, NFC, USB2.0, MPT, DLNA, FM Radio	802.11 a/b/g/n + BT 4.0 LE, USB2.0, MPT, DLNA, FM Radio
SIM	Dual SIM	Single SIM	Single SIM

 

Microsoft Devices Group also on Thursday announced two new additions to the Lumia accessories line:

• The second-generation smart Wireless Charging Plate DT-903 offers a convenient way to charge even better by intelligently alerting people when to charge and highlighting notifications with a subtle glow.

• The Microsoft Screen-Sharing for Lumia Phones HD-10 lets people beam any content from their smartphone to an HDMI-enabled screen, easily and without content restrictions.

Lumia Denim combines the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update with exclusive features for Lumia smartphones. It introduces innovations in Lumia Camera that make the camera work faster. Coming as part of the Lumia Denim update to Lumia 930, Lumia Icon and Lumia 1520, Lumia Camera offers the following:

• Fast camera startup and capture speeds.
• Using Moment Capture, a long press of the camera button within the app automatically starts 4K-quality video recording at 24 frames per second. Each frame is of high image quality at 8.3 megapixels, allowing every single video frame to be selected and saved as a still image.
• Get the best shot every time with Rich Capture, which simplifies picture-taking with auto HDR and Dynamic Flash. With Rich Capture, people can avoid the hassle of adjusting camera settings; they can shoot first and edit and select the perfect shot later.
• Capture high-quality smartphone images in low light with the latest-generation imaging algorithms.

Lumia Camera will initially roll out as an update with Lumia Denim for Lumia 930, Lumia Icon and Lumia 1520 and as an over-the-air update for Lumia 830 in Q4 2014. Lumia Denim will roll out as an over-the-air update to all the other Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones, following partner testing and approvals.

As part of the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, Lumia owners will be offered Live Folders organization, Apps Corner customization, SMS merge and forwarding, and the ability to customize the snooze time within the Alarm app.

The new "Hey Cortana" feature available will also come to the Lumia 1520, Lumia 930 and Lumia Icon, allowing you hands-free access to Cortana, waking up your digital assistant with just the sound of your voice calling out "Hey Cortana".

Glance screen also gets a boost, now allowing you to personalize like never before; compatible Lumias will be able to show things like Bing Weather or Bing Health & Fitness data.