Nokia Lumia 625

NOKIA LUMIA 625 REVIEW

Nokia today launched its biggest screened smartphone yet, the Nokia Lumia 625, but this is oddly no flagship device. Instead, the Lumia 625 sits between the budget, compact Lumia 620 and the mid-range Lumia 720. The Nokia Lumia 625 is a large-screen Windows Phone 8 mobile that doesn't cost the earth. It also doesn't leave out all high-end featues. It's Nokia's cheapest 4G-enabled phone, set to sell for around £200 SIM-free when it arrives in September. Nokia Lumia 625 is coming to market with a 4.7 inch 480 x 800 resolution screen (WVGA) with a 201ppi pixel density. The glass is enhanced for better viewing under the sun. A dual-core 1.2GHz processor drives the handset. 512MB of RAM is onboard and there is 8GB of native storage which can be expanded by as much as 64GB using the microSD slot. The rear-facing 5MP snapper can capture video in 1080p @ 30fps while there is a VGA front-facing camera. A 2000mAh battery keeps the lights on. There are, however, some concessions to cost-cutting, and the most noticeable of these is the IPS display, whose 480 x 800 resolution delivers a pixel density of only 201ppi, and a noticeably grainy quality of  image. The 5-megapixel camera’s no great shakes either, and there’s a rather pedestrian dual-core, 1.2GHz processor under the hood and 512MB of RAM. In SunSpider, the Lumia 625 achieved an average time of 1,129ms, which puts it ahead of its budget stablemates, but behind the super-quick Lumia 925. Also, there’s no wireless-charging facility nor any sign of NFC. Still, with Windows Phone 8 at the helm, the Lumia 625 feels responsive and fluid under the touch, and we do like the fact that Nokia has seen fit to include a Gorilla Glass 2 topping to the screen and nicely curved edges, plus super-sensitive touch, allowing the Lumia 625 to be operated with gloves on. The presence of 4G means there’s a degree of future proofing, too, allowing users to move to faster network speeds as and when they become available. And, this being a Nokia device, there’s a host of extras pre-loaded, including the Smart Camera from the Lumia 925 with all its burst-mode cleverness, Nokia Music for free music streaming, and the Here Drive, Here Maps and Here Transit apps for getting from A to B more efficiently. We think Nokia is onto yet another budget winner with the Lumia 625. There’s no particular wow factor to it, but its combination of a large screen, pleasant design, expandable memory and low cost looks highly appealing. If the battery life is as good as the rest of the package, it could well supplant the Lumia 520 as our favourite low-cost smartphone.

SPECIFICATION & FEATURES

DISPLAY & SCREEN

Type:	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
Display Protection:	Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Technology:	IPS LCD
Colors:	TrueColor (24-bit/16M) colors
Aspect ratio:	15:9
Touchscreen:	Super sensitive Multi-touch
Size:	4.7 inches
Resolution:	WVGA (480 x 800) pixels
Pixel density:	201 ppi
Display Features:	Brightness control, Curved display, High brightness mode, Color boosting, Refresh rate 60 Hz, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2, Lumia Color profile, Wide viewing angle, Sunlight readability enhancements

BODY & DESIGN

Device type:	Smart phone
OS type:	Windows Phone 8
Body material:	Polycarbonate
Dimensions:	(5.24 x 2.84 x 0.36 inches) / (133.2 x 72.2 x 9.2 mm )
Weight:	(159 g) / (5.61 oz)
Keys and Input Methods:	User Input: Touch Side Keys: Right: Volume control, Camera shutter, Lock/Unlock key
Form factor:	Candybar, Monoblock touch

GENERAL TECHNOLOGY

2G Network:	GSM 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz
3G Network:	HSDPA 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 2100 MHz
4G Network:	LTE 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2600 MHz
Data:	LTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
Positioning:	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Navigation:	Yes, Turn-by-turn navigation, Voice navigation, Points of interest (POI)
Navigation features:	Pin places to Start screen, Public transportation routing guidance, Reveal the surrounding places, Reviews, info and photos for places, Routing options, Save favourite destinations, Call, share and get directions to places, Free maps, Find upcoming departure times, Live traffic information, Automatic day/night view switching, Venue maps - shopping and transport centers, Free voice guided turn-by-turn drive navigation, Offline maps, Online and offline favourites, Speed limit warnings, Download the latest maps with Wi-Fi, Free turn-by-turn walk navigation, Save and sync favs with HERE.com
Global Roaming:	Yes
SIM card type:	Micro-SIM
Announced:	23 Jul 2013
Released:	Coming soon, Release date: Q3 September 2013

HARDWARE & MEMORY

Processor:	Dual core, 1200 MHz
Graphics processor:	Adreno 305
User data storage:	In device, Memory card, SkyDrive cloud storage
System memory:	512 MB RAM
Built-in storage:	8 GB storage
Free cloud storage:	7GB storage
Card slot:	MicroSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB

MULTIMEDIA & SOUND

Alert types:	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
DRM support:	PlayReady
Audio quality:	HD Voice
Audio features:	Album graphics display in Music player, Audio Streaming, Dolby Headphone, Music Player, Cloud music offline playback, Media Player, Graphical equalizer, Podcasts, Cloud music playback
Audio formats supported:	ASF, MP4, AAC, AMR, MP3, M4A, WMA, 3GP, 3G2
Audio codecs:	MP3, AMR-NB, WMA 10 Pro, GSM FR, WMA 9, AAC LC, AAC+/HEAAC, eAAC+/HEAACv2
Voice and audio recording	--Recording: Voice recording in MMS, Voice recording in OneNote --Audio recording file formats: AMR --Audio recording codecs: AMR-NB, GSM FR --Audio recording features: High dynamics recording
Nokia Music::	Free streaming music wherever you go. Choose from over 22 million songs to stream to your Lumia smartphone. Create your own artist inspired mix, stream it offline and discover live music with Nokia Music Gig Finder.
Loudspeaker:	Yes
Headphone:	Yes (Dolby Headphone sound enhancement)
3.5mm jack:	Yes
Music player: Filter by: Features:	Yes Album, Artist, Playlists Album art cover, Background playback, Dolby Headphone
Radio:	Yes

CAMERA

Camera:	Photo & Video
Primary  Camera quality:	5 megapixels, (2592х1936 pixels), 1/4"
Flash:	LED flash, Automatic, On, Off
Aperture size:	F2.4
Focal length:	28mm
Features:	--features: Auto focus, Touch to focus, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Panorama, Scenes, Auto focus with two-stage capture key, Camera digital zoom 4 x, Camera minimum focus range 10 cm, Camera image formats XMP, JPEG/Exif, Flash operating range 1.0 m --Other features: Touch focus, Landscape orientation, Auto and manual exposure, Auto and manual white balance, Active toolbar, Full screen viewfinder, Geotagging, Automatic photo upload to web services, Full resolution photo and video upload, Creative Studio --Digital camera add-ons: Nokia Smart Camera, Cinemagraph lens, Panorama lens, Bing vision, Nokia Glam Me
Image capturing:	--Capture modes: Video, Still --Scene modes: Night Portrait, Sports, Night, Close-up, Backlight --White balance modes: Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Daylight, Automatic --Light sensitivity: Automatic, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800 --Photos viewed by: Camera Roll, Month, Timeline, Photo editor, Favorites, Album, Photos from social networks
Primary video camera:	--Camera video resolution: 1080p (Full HD, 1920 x 1080) --Camera video frame rate: 30 fps --Camera video zoom: 4 x --Video playback frame rate: 30 fps --Video playback codecs: VC-1, Windows video, H.264/AVC, H.263, MPEG-4 --Video playback file formats: MP4, WMV, AVI, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, MOV --Video recording formats: MP4/H.264 --Video white balance modes: Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Automatic, Daylight
Primary video camera features:	--Video streaming: YouTube browsing and video streaming, Progressive video download, Streaming from video services and internet --Video recording features: Video light, Video zoom, Continuous autofocus
Secondary camera:	Yes, (0.3 megapixels VGA), 640x480 pixels
Secondary camera aperture:	F2.8
Secondary camera features:	Video recording, Still image capture, Video call
Secondary video camera:	--Secondary video camera resolution: 480p (VGA, 640 x 480) --Secondary camera video recording format: MP4/H.264

CONNECTIVITY

WLAN:	Wi-Fi 802.11 (b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot)
Wi-Fi security modes:	WPA2 (AES/TKIP), WPA, WPA-Personal, WEP, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise, PEAP-MSCHAPv2, EAP-SIM, EAP-AKA
Bluetooth:	Yes (v4.0 with A2DP, LE)
Bluetooth profiles:	Object Push profile (OPP) 1.1, Hands-free profile (HFP) 1.5, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) 1.2, Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) 1.4, Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP) 1.1
USB:	Yes (v2.0, USB)
Connector:	Micro-USB
Features:	Mass storage device, USB charging
NFC:	Yes
GPRS:	Yes, Class B
EDGE:	Yes, Class B
Speed:	HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
Other:	DLNA, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

INTERNET

Built-in Online services support:	YouTube (upload), Flickr, Picasa, Twitter
Browser:	Internet Explorer 10, HTML
Social apps:	Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Photo sharing:	Share over Bluetooth, Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, Send as email attachment, Share on TV with Play to DLNA app, SkyDrive, PhotoBeamer
Video sharing:	YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, Video sharing to social network and internet, Facebook, SkyDrive, Joyn video call sharing, Share on TV with Play to DLNA app
Play To:	Share your locally stored  photos, videos and music to any DLNA capable device connected to the same Wi-Fi network. You can easily connect to a Wi-Fi network and discover other active DLNA capable devices on the network. Enjoy your content on a DLNA capable Xbox, TV, Blu-ray player, or PC.

APPS

Personal information management features:	Calculator, Clock, Calendar, Phonebook, Alarm clock, Reminders, To-do list, Social networks in Phonebook, OneNote, Wallet, Family Room, Kid's Corner
Business apps:	Adobe acrobat reader free download, Lync (Corporate IM) free download, SkyDrive storage for documents and notes, Company Hub for enterprise applications, Office apps: Excel, Word, Powerpoint, OneNote
Music apps:	Nokia Music, Mix Radio
Games:	Temple Run: An endless running video game - steal an idol from a temple and be chased by "demonic monkeys".
Other Applications	Game features: DirectX 11, Touch UI, XBox-Live Hub
Software platform & User Interface	--SW Platform: Windows Phone --Software release: Windows Phone 8
Security:	--Enterprise security features: Remote security policy enforcement --General Security features: Remote device locking via Internet, Track and Protect via internet, Firmware update, Remote wipe of user data via Internet, Device lock, Device passcode, PIN code, Firmware and OS integrity check, Secure device start-up, Online back-up and restore, Application sandboxing and integrity check --Advance security features: Lost device tracking, Browser integrated anti-phishing --Data encryption: User data encryption for device

FEATURES

OS:	Microsoft Windows Phone 8, upgradeable to WP8 Amber
Chipset:	Qualcomm MSM8930 Snapdragon S4
CPU:	Dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait
GPU:	Adreno 305
Sensors:	Accelerometer, compass, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor
Messaging:	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM, Predictive text input
Browser:	HTML, HTML5
Organizer:	Calendar, Alarm, To-Do, Document viewer, Calculator
Support Document types:	Excel, PDF, Word, OneNote, Powerpoint
Sync type:	Exchange ActiveSync, Mac companion app, Windows 8 companion app
Sync content:	Calendar, Video, Pictures, Music, Contacts
Phone Book:	Yes (Unlimited entries)
Charging:	Charger
Call Records:	Yes
SMS:	Yes
MMS:	Yes
E-Mail:	Yes, (IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange)
Instant Messaging:	Yes, (Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, WhatsApp, Yahoo! Messenger, Skype IM, Facebook)
Predictive text input:	Yes, T9 input
Voice message:	Yes
Voice dialing:	Yes
Voice commands:	Yes
Voice recording:	Yes
Radio:	FM, Stereo, RDS
GPS:	Yes, (with A-GPS, Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning, A-GLONASS)
Accessibility features:	Hearing: Vibrating alerts, TTY support, Video call, BT neckloop compatible Vision: Voice recognition, Vibrating alerts, Zoom, Voice commands Physical skills: Speakerphone, Voice recognition, Voice commands
Java:	No
Colors:	Orange, Bright green, Yellow, Black and white
Notifications:	Haptic feedback, Music ringtones, Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Others:	--SNS integration --Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic -- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player -- MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player -- 7GB free SkyDrive storage -- Document viewer -- Video/photo editor -- Voice memo/dial --Predictive text input

BATTERY

Battery Type:	Non-removable Li-Ion battery 3.7 V
Capacity:	2000 mAh battery (BP-4GWA)
Stand-by time:	Up to 552 hours (3G), 23.0 days
Talk time:	Up to 23.90 hours (2G) / Up to 15.20 hours (3G)
Video call time:	6.80 hours
Music play:	Up to 90 hours
Video playback time:	Up to 6.8 hours
cellular network browsing time:	7.2 hours
Maximum Wi-Fi network browsing time:	8.7 hours

NOKIA LUMIA 625 PRICE

Price in USA $399

Price in UK £220