Our review of the ultra low-end Lumia 530 found it rather wanting. Sometimes cheap is too cheap, and that phone cut a few too many corners. We felt the Lumia 630 and 635 were a lot more compelling, and in some ways the 630/635 represent the true successor to the old Lumia 520.

We're now taking a look at the next two phones further up the scale; the Lumia 730 and 735 (3G and 4G, respectively), and the Lumia 830. Unlike the 530 and 630/635 (with the same 3G/4G split as the 730/735), the 730/735 and 830 are both positioned as being more or less mid-range devices, but we can see the familial connections to their various siblings.

Across this range there are two broad styles. The 530 up to the 735 have a black screen on the front and a removable body that wraps around to the edges of the screen, giving an appearance that's clearly derivative of the very first Lumia models. The 830 and Icon/930 have squarer edges with a cushion-shaped back. The 930's cover is fixed, but the 830's is actually removable to allow the battery, SIM, and microSD cards to be replaced.

Lumia 530 Lumia 630/635 Lumia 730/735 Lumia 830 Lumia Icon/930 Screen 854×480 4" (244 ppi) LCD 854×480 4.5" (217 ppi) ClearBlack IPS LCD Gorilla Glass 3 1280×720 4.7" (310 ppi) ClearBlack OLED Gorilla Glass 3 1280×720 5" (292 ppi) ClearBlack IPS LCD Gorilla Glass 3 1920×1080 5" (440 ppi) ClearBlack OLED Gorilla Glass 3 OS Windows Phone 8.1 CPU 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 RAM 512MB 512MB 1GB 1GB 2GB GPU Adreno 302 Adreno 305 Adreno 305 Adreno 305 Adreno 330 Storage 4GB 8GB 8GB 16GB 32GB Expansion MicroSD, up to 128GB MicroSD, up to 128GB MicroSD, up to 128GB MicroSD, up to 128GB n/a Wi-Fi 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n 2.4GHz/5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Cellular 3G 3G (630, single or dual SIM)

4G (635) 3G (730, dual SIM)

4G (735) 4G 4G Other radio connectivity Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS, GLONASS Sensors Accelerometer Accelerometer, SensorCore Accelerometer, SensorCore, magnetometer, ambient light, proximity Accelerometer, SensorCore, magnetometer, ambient light, proximity, gyroscope Accelerometer, SensorCore, magnetometer, ambient light, proximity, gyroscope Ports Micro USB, headphones Rear Camera 5MP f/2.4 28mm 5MP f/2.4 28mm 6.7MP f/1.9 26mm LED flash 10MP f/2.2 26mm OIS LED flash 20MP f/2.4 26mm OIS dual LED flash Front Camera n/a n/a 5MP f/2.4 24mm 0.9MP f/2.4 1.3MP f/2.4 Size 119.7mm×62.3mm×11.7mm 129.5mm×66.7mm×9.2mm 134.7mm×68.5mm×8.9mm 139.4mm×70.7mm×8.5mm 136.9mm×70.9mm×9.9mm Weight 129g 134g 134.3g 150g 166g Battery 1430mAh 1830mAh 2220mAh 2200mAh 2420mAh No contract price $69 (T-Mobile) $129 (T-Mobile Lumia 635)

$179 (unlocked Lumia 635) Estimated at $280-300 $449 (AT&T) $499 (Verizon)

The 830 and above include the dedicated camera button beloved of Windows Phone fans; the 735 and below sadly omit it. Similarly, the 830 also uses hardware back/Windows/search buttons, instead of using the on-screen versions. The on-screen buttons is fine; the loss of the camera button is not. We love the instant, one-button access to the camera on Windows Phone, but without the camera button that's missing. With the 735 explicitly positioned as being a camera for snapping quick selfies, one would think that this kind of instant access would be important. (It is to me; it apparently isn't to the 735's designers. I don't know why.)

We like the styling of both, in different ways. The 730/735 is more playful with its high gloss cover that wraps all the way around. The 830, on the other hand, has a more expensive look to it, capturing the seriousness of the Icon/930 but without the heft of that phone.

The 730/735 have an always controversial OLED screen. OLED fans will enjoy the deep blacks, the glorious saturation, and the way it makes the Windows Phone interface pop is just a joy to behold. OLED detractors, however, will complain that the saturation makes everything look weird.

The 830 has a more conventional LCD. It doesn't have the same punch as the OLED screen, its blacks are a little greyer, and side-by-side the 735's screen makes the 830 look positively boring. Overall colors still look good, and sunlight readability is also reasonable, though to our eyes, inferior to the 735's. The 830 also supports the Glance feature that shows the clock and other notifications even when the screen is otherwise "off." This is oh so handy.

As the table shows, the insides of the phones are damn near identical and almost the same as the Lumia 630. There are no surprises on the performance front, and having 1GB RAM means the incompatibilities, especially for games, that are found on the 512MB models don't occur.

The 8GB internal storage of the 735 may seem a little skimpy, but since Windows Phone makes using SD cards a breeze, it shouldn't pose any issues for both app and data storage. The 830's 16GB may let you skip the card, however. Both models have a MicroSD slot, allowing up to 128GB of extra space.