Nokia, one of the Top 5 Phone manufacturers in India has just released its latest Lumia, the 625. The phone falls in the mid-range category, but is armed with a 4.7 inch screen. This Windows phone showcases the Finnish manufacturer’s tradition of designing handsets that are affordable and have great specs. The Lumia 625 also has high-speed 4G Internet access, making it one of the few entry-level phones to have this feature.
Nokia Lumia 625’s features and specifications.
Processing Power
The Lumia 625 is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and has 512MB of RAM. It scored a decent 1,133ms on the Sunspider JavaScript benchmark. This means that web browsing will be mostly glitch-free! Though this handset ships with only 8GB of memory, you can add a microSD card to increase it to 64GB.
Battery Life
Nokia Lumia 625 has a 2,000mAh battery with more than fifteen hours of battery life. Video playback might bring that down to about nine hours. Wireless charging is not an option on this device.
Design
The Lumia 625, like other models of the Lumia series, has been designed with a lot of care. It has a smooth curved back, and the screen’s glass front has a slight curvature to its edges. This is definitely a nice touch, and gives the phone an organic feel. This is something that most people wouldn’t expect on a budget phone.
The Lumia 625 is 9mm thick, and weighs 159gms. The handset is built from sturdy rubberized polycarbonate, which gives it a premiere look. The phone has a two-layered part-translucent finish, and comes with interchangeable multi-colored back covers to complement your mood or outfit. The Lumia 625 is available in yellow, orange, red, green, black and white.
Screen
The Lumia 625 has a 4.7″ IPS LCD, which is the largest amongst the Lumia series. It is sure to give tough competition to the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, in terms of display size. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 2, and has a WVGA resolution of 480×800 with a pixel density of 201 PPI. Unfortunately, this does result in some pixelation, and you might need to zoom in to read web pages.
However, the Nokia Lumia 625 comes with many advanced features like the color enhancement, sunlight readability enhancement, and high brightness mode. The panel also has super sensitive touch, which allows users to tap with their fingernails and with gloves on. The LCD screen has good viewing angles, and the colors are quite dynamic. Despite a big viewing panel, the phone is still compact enough to be used with only one hand.
Connectivity
The Lumia 625 is 4G/LTE-ready and is also equipped with Wi-Fi b/g/n, LE, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS as well as GLONASS for positioning.
On the down side, this phone doesn’t come with NFC. Though this probably won’t bother most people, this missing feature won’t let the Nokia Lumia 625 connect with wireless speakers and headphones. You also won’t be able to tap your phone in order to share information with others.
Software
The Lumia 625 is powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 OS, and is loaded with Amber, the latest OS update. Your phone’s home screen will be lit with colorful tiles that direct you to your apps. Customers can also access the Windows Marketplace app store, and be a part of Windows Phone 8′s social network integration.
Camera
The Lumia 625 has a 5MP camera, which is accompanied by a LED flash and a HD microphone. The front-facing camera has VGA resolution, and shoots 1080p HD video at 30fps. The camera has different modes like normal, panorama, cinemagraph, and one which allows you to take 7 photographs in quick succession. The phone comes with a dedicated camera button.
Apps
Lumia 625 comes with pre-installed Nokia apps like HERE Transit, HERE Maps, and HERE Drive Beta which offers free offline GPS navigation. You can also listen to music, thanks to a free subscription to Nokia Music. The Smart Camera app, seen on higher models of the Lumia, allows you to take a series of shots, each one having a different exposure. You can then choose the photo you like best to freely edit and animate it.
Value For Money
The aim of the designers has been to craft a phone that makes the benefits of 4G affordable to the masses. With a large screen, 7GB of free SkyDrive cloud storage, and a 4G chip, Nokia has certainly been able to do that.
Verdict
The Nokia Lumia 625 falls in the budget category, but has been made without too many compromises. It works well, and looks and feels good, which will probably make it a real option in the mid-range market. Nokia has made this device with a specific aim in mind, which is to sell a 4G smartphone with half the cost of an Android device. Customers who buy a Lumia 625 will be ready to jump onto the flourishing 4G network without burning a hole in their pocket!
