We’re in the throws of reviewing the ever-impressive Nokia Lumia 720 and thought we’d just take a break from our review. Why? To deliver a low-light shootout comparison shot. We knew the Lumia 720 was impressive on the camera stakes, with its f/1.9 aperture and 6.7-megapixel bespoke sensor, but exactly how impressive is it?

The only way to really test it out is pit it against the best. Unfortunately, there was no HTC One to hand, though the guys at My Nokia Blog have that comparison covered. What we did have was a Nokia Lumia 920, Sony Xperia Z and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, not to mention one dark and eerie room to push the phones to their low-light limits.

Now, we’re still going to be bringing the review your way, so we don’t want to give too much away, but this we can say for sure: the Nokia Lumia 720 wipes the floor with both the Sony Xperia Z and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 when it comes to low-light photography. Here’s why:

Worst of the bunch is the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, with its off white balance and massive amounts of grain. Despite getting better colour accuracy, detail on the Sony Xperia Z is sorely lacking and focus is pretty off-point. Then you have the Lumia 720. In-spite of a lack of optical image stabilisation, it’s still delivered an in-focus shot complete with accurate white balance and impressive exposure. It isn’t perfect, don’t get us wrong, but it’s significantly better than the two competitor brand flagships, both costing a whole lot more.

Finally, unsurpassed, unsurprisingly, the Nokia Lumia 920 sits at the top of the low-light leader board. Focus is bang-on as is white balance and detail; it’s all there.

Having seen the room through our own eyes – the Lumia 920 brightens up the scene a touch too much. It definitely looks the best, but the 720, with its slightly lower exposure even beats the crowned king on the ambience stakes.

Lumia 720

Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Sony Xperia Z, Nokia Lumia 720 followed by the Nokia Lumia 920

What do you think? You can download the full res pics above and comment your hearts out in the comments section below. If there’s anything in particular you want us to test out in our Lumia 720 review, be sure to let us know.