There are some interesting smartphones available for the middle sector of the market, and two of these are the Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM and HTC Desire 816G Dual SIM. These have both released in the last few months and are similarly priced handsets, so you may have both on your shortlist. Today we have a Nokia Lumia 730 vs. HTC Desire 816G specs shootout so you can easily compare what they offer.

One of the major differences of these devices is their operating platforms, as the Nokia is a Windows Phone handset while the HTC phone runs Android. Therefore it will be a much easier choice is you have a decided preference for one or the other. If you’re open minded to either then your selection will be more difficult. Let’s take a look at the specs and more for the Lumia 730 and Desire 816G.

Processors
The Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM has a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor and Adreno 305 graphics. The HTC Desire 816G Dual SIM has a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582 quad-core processor and Mali-400MP2 GPU.

Display
The Lumia 730 has a 4.7-inch OLED display with resolution of 1280 x 720 and 316 ppi. The Desire 816G has a 5.5-inch display with resolution of 1280 x 720 resulting in 267 ppi.

RAM and Storage
The Nokia phone has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD to 128GB. The Desire 816G also has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, but this time only expandable to 32GB.

Camera set-up
The Lumia 730 packs a 6.7-megapixel rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, LED flash, and 1080p video capture, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Desire 816G has a 13-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash, and 1080p video recording capability, and also a 5-megapixel front-facing unit.

Battery
The Lumia 730 has a removable 2200 mAh battery while the Desire 816G has a non-removable 2600 mAh battery.

Connectivity
Both phones support 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, GPRS, EDGE, GPS, and microUSB 2.0. However, the Lumia 730 also has DLNA and NFC.

Operating System
The Lumia 730 runs Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim. The Desire 816G runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat skinned with HTC’s Sense 6.0 UI.

Dimensions and Weight
The Lumia 730 measures 134.7mm x 68.5mm x 8.7mm and weighs 130g. The Desire 816G measures 156.6mm x 78.7mm x 8mm and weighs 158g.

Price
Pricing obviously varies by region as well as retailer, so it’s difficult to be too specific. Dual SIM handsets are extremely popular in many Asian countries, so as an example we’ll give you approximate pricing for India. The Nokia Lumia 730 Dual SIM launched there at Rs. 15,299 but can be found on sale from around Rs. 14,500. The Desire 816G launched at Rs. 18,890 but can now be found from around Rs. 15,500 bringing the prices much closer together.

Potential buyers should also consider their preference of design, and as we mentioned before, the different software experiences are a big factor in this decision. Looking at specs alone throws up some swings and roundabouts. For instance both phones have the same display resolution. Some may prefer the larger display of the Desire 816G but the bigger size leads to less ppi.

The Lumia 730 has a higher level of expandable storage, but the Desire 816G has a higher-megapixel rear camera. The Desire 816G also has a higher-capacity battery, but on the other hand the Lumia 730’s battery has the benefit of being removable. As well as this the Desire 816G is the slimmer handset while the Lumia 730 is the lighter of the two.

Only you can decide which of these two phones would be best for your needs, according to which of the above aspects are most important to you in a smartphone. When you’ve had time to make your decision we’d really like to know if your vote goes to the Nokia Lumia 730 or the HTC Desire 816G?