Nokia Lumia 925 Review: The best Windows Phone available?

Nokia has numerous Windows Phone 8 handsets bachelor on the market, merely that hasn't stopped the Finnish manufacturer from launching yet another flagship smartphone. The Lumia 920 launched late last year, along with Microsoft's Windows Telephone viii to the public, and since then we've seen multiple devices come to life, including the affordable Lumia 520. Nokia is certainly hit each price point.

We've got our hands on the new Nokia Lumia 925 and take been able to play with the new smartphone to run across how information technology fares with depression-lite photography, operation and general mobile phone employ. Billed every bit the best Windows Phone experience yet, how does the Nokia Lumia 925 stack up and is the mobile phone as skilful as Nokia promote it to exist? If you lot're in a hurry and tin can't read our review: yep, it's reallythat expert.

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Light, thin and runs the latest version of Windows Phone 8 (GDR 2). Sporting all the bells and whistles, including optional wireless charging, NFC and Nokia'due south plethora of apps and services. Aluminium / polycarbonate philharmonic build provides a premium look and feel.Available in multiple markets.	Gap between metal and polycarbonate bankroll can collect dust. Non a huge improvement on the Lumia 920.
There's not much to proceed if you're looking at criticising the Lumia 925. Nokia has washed a gilt job at getting the Lumia flagship just right with the rest on functionality and pattern slap blindside in the middle. If you skipped the Lumia 920, this phone is for you.

The Design

Nokia has received numerous rewards for the design of its Windows Phones, with the Lumia 920 picking up a fair few itself. While the visitor officially states the Lumia 925 isn't an upgrade to the Lumia 920, it sure feels like it when you pick the new flagship Windows Phone upward for the first time. When unboxing the product, you know yous're in for a premium ride.

The new Lumia also takes consumers away from the usual (and well-loved) polycarbonate shell Nokia has utilised for the Lumia 800, Lumia 900 and Lumia 920. The visitor opted for a polycarbonate back cover, matched with an aluminium frame around the sides. It's worth noting immediately that the metal isn't in that location "just because." Nokia didn't just expect at competitor hardware and retrieve they could follow suit. The aluminium actually works with the antenna on-board. And past 'works', nosotros hateful you're not required to hold the Lumia 925 upside downwards to obtain a strong reception.

Nosotros're looking at a new location for the MicroUSB port, which is now situated at the meridian of the device, in-between the MicroSIM tray and headphone jack. This alter now frees up the lesser of the device, just we're sure owners be more interested in taking advantage of the optional wireless charging (goodbye cables).

The left-manus side of the Lumia 925 is also bare and sleek looking. The opposite side sports the usual volume controls, ability push and photographic camera command. These buttons have been revamped to experience much sturdier than what is on previous Lumia products and they feel premium to match a high-end look. Speaking of sides, in that location are two black stripes on either side of the Lumia 925 that separate the antenna.

The drinking glass display, which is 4.5-inches by the manner, appears to float inside the device. There'south inappreciably a fold or edge. It's completely flush and looks as though it molds into the metal sides. Considering the Lumia 925 further improves on the PureView camera technology that has been nowadays in the Lumia family of Windows Phones, there'due south a slight hump on the rear of the product. Remember that this flagship is thinner than the Lumia 920, but sports improved optics. There's a sixth lens and OIS (optical image stabilisation), only we'll get to all that later.

There's simply 1 question with the design of the Lumia 925: the Lumia 920 was congenital to survive harsh winters and cold wars (but non an AK-47), but how about this new flagship?

The Brandish

The Lumia 920 features an IPS LCD, but Nokia has chosen to go with Samsung and its AMOLED screen technology. This is met with our approval, tenfold. Samsung's display actually brings the Windows Telephone to light with Nokia's ClearBlack technology. Blacks are indeed blackness and the whole thing just looks so vibrant and beautiful. It's easily the all-time display we've seen for a Windows Phone yet.

The familiar Super Sensitive Touch returns, meaning you tin can effectively apply the phone without having to take your gloves off, or if you're but in the lazy mood to use your keys instead of a thumb / finger. We could proceed and on, and on about the brandish, information technology's been nailed that well (we assume literally with the Gorilla Glass protection). The display looks as though it's part of the vanquish itself with how at that place'due south a subtle (and by subtle, I hateful subtle) curve in the display where information technology meets the aluminium sides.

Speaking of which (aluminium), when looking at the screen, you tin can see the metal coating and information technology screams premium at you. Nokia's PureMotion Hard disk+ tech is on-lath and owners are in for an eye watering experience. This enhances animations on screen, perfect for gaming, video playback and general app and system use.

At that place'southward even a color profile area in the settings to configure saturation and temperature of on-screen colours – perfect for those who don't rate Samsung'southward screen technology when it comes to stuff that'due south not in black and white. To close the screen section of this review, it'southward too worth noting that the display is a breeze to use in the daylight. And by daylight, I mean dominicus blazing, ultimate glare in your face daylight. Kudos, Nokia.

The Hardware

There's not an awful lot to say regarding hardware, specially if y'all're familiar with the specifications of Nokia's Lumia 920 and Lumia 928. We've got the same dual-core Snapdragon CPU (ane.5GHz), which is accompanied by 1GB RAM, simply as noted above Nokia has decided to become for a 4.5-inch HD (1280x768) AMOLED display.

A slight let downwardly is the lack of storage in the Lumia 925. For a premium Windows Phone experience, we'd await more than 16GB, especially if the companies bankroll the platform intend to strength cloud services and streaming down consumer throats. Nevertheless, there'southward all the same a lack of microSD, but we're nigh thankful for information technology non beingness included. Nosotros like the pattern as is and some other port could accept added complications. Withal, non every consumer will see it that way.

It'south not all bad equally a 32GB option will be available, but a 32 / 64GB combo would have been rather stupendous. Should y'all be looking at the larger configuration, do accept annotation that some mobile operators (example: Vodafone in the UK) are snapping upwardly the 32GB version as an exclusive bargain, so exist prepared to get migrating if you badly desire the Lumia handset and the more spacious cargo concord.

A noticeable absence is Wireless Charging. Congenital-in, that is. Nokia has opted to shave some weight off the design past making wireless charging optional with a back cover. We've seen the cover in action and it's not huge so we don't see it every bit a negative (in fact, it offers protection to the aluminium sides and polycarbonate rear), only the Lumia 920 is handy to take the functionality within the shell then there's no need to hunt for that compatible cover if you're not a fan of wrapping your mobile phones in bubble wrap.

It'southward worth noting that the removable embrace may well be an optional purchase for consumers and may not come packaged with the device itself (ours didn't come with i, boo). Any Qi compatible charging station or dock will exercise once you've eventually managed to attach the Lumia 925 to its protective holder. That said, the optional cover should come with the device, specially at this price point.

It'south not all doom and gloom every bit the Lumia 925 does come packing NFC and all the bells and whistles for navigation, connectivity and productivity. LTE is also supported should you exist with a mobile operator that offers SIM cards with improved speeds. Getting one through the day and accomplishing tasks thrown at information technology is a sure-fire with the 2000mAh not-removable battery, which fortunately does non require a shovel and heap of coal to remain powered.

We've spoken about how remarkable the blueprint is, just it's also an incredible achievement for Nokia to cutting so much weight from the Lumia 920, while retaining much of the hardware. When first holding the Windows Phone, it's almost surprising to know only how light information technology is. At merely 139g, it's non as lightweight as the Samsung ATIV S (135g) or HTC 8X (130g), but Nokia has done a superb job in cutting it down for those poor souls who complained about the Lumia 920.

Seriously, practise you?

The Software

The Lumia 925 – being a Windows Telephone – runs Windows Phone 8. What's interesting nigh this handset is that it comes with the latest update, which isn't currently available to other devices. GDR2 (General Distribution Release 2) has been covered by Windows Phone Central in the by, along with an incredible review of the Windows Phone 8 operating system. It's well worth checking out both the review and our by coverage of what y'all can expect in this upcoming upgrade.

Nokia hasn't just sat dorsum and allowed Microsoft to get down and dirty with software improvements every bit the Lumia 925 also sports the Amber firmware update. Announced in London dorsum in May, the update from the manufacturer introduces the Lumia Colour Profile, the new Smart Camera app, likewise as the Glance Screen. Again, nosotros've gone over this new feature in the past, equally we as new products and services Nokia volition be introducing.

What'due south interesting nearly Glance Screen and the Lumia 925 is how Nokia has utilised AMOLED, which will relieve bombardment and won't use much accuse when the clock is on display. When you lot first observe the clock and double-tap to unlock, you do question simply how long information technology'll be until you caput into the settings and turn information technology off. Subsequently some time and use your listen has been completely swayed the other way. It'due south a useful characteristic and 1 we're sure many volition come up to love once the manufacturer rolls out the Amber update.

Finally we take a information management and tracker bachelor. Information Sense was unveiled by Microsoft some time ago simply was locked to Verizon in the Us. This feature is bundled in GDR2 and we've enjoyed utilising the app, entering in contract information limits and keeping within the allowance. This is a highly anticipated release many will jump on. We're not entirely sure why it'south taken this long to become such an important feature out to the public, but improve late than never. Be sure to read more into Information Sense with our previous coverage.

Nokia has updated its HERE services, notably Hither Maps to take reward of LiveSight. This new characteristic is substantially City Lens, but improved and integrated into the mapping feel. It'southward a part of the Windows Phone I just tin can't cease using while out and about, unless battery saver kicks in. Nokia has fabricated it and then POIs (points of interests) announced on a 2d map layout with compass support so you lot can actually see which way is the correct path for that particular listing. Holding the device upwards will then fire upwards the augmented reality.

This tin all be kicked off by borer the LiveSight icon when using Hither Maps and the usual POI details can be displayed when selecting each listing. Really cool. If you're non familiar with the apps available for Nokia Windows Phones, I strongly urge you to check out the Nokia Collection here on our website. It's packed full of updates, releases and more juicy details on each offering.

Back to Windows Phone eight. Y'all know the drill already. Just if not, Microsoft continues to innovate on and ameliorate its mobile experience for consumers. The Windows Phone Shop has over 150,000 apps available and while many official apps aren't however bachelor, 3rd-party developers are filling the gaps with high quality solutions. GDR2 is all the same another jump in the correct management and Microsoft should not be hit hard when it comes to the ecosystem, especially with Windows viii and Xbox One.

The Lumia 925 powers through daily tasks with Windows Phone 8 and the Snapdragon dual-core CPU. We don't demand more than cores. Actually, we don't. The argument may stand for gaming, but even so we could expect at graphical power over CPU, but that's a whole different argument. Fact is: the Lumia 925 is priced as a premium handset and it sure shows when you turn the device on and run into that familiar, friendly blueish screen (no, non the Bluish Screen of Expiry).

Playing games and Xbox for Windows Phone titles are likewise a breeze with no issues when it comes to stuttering or "lag." You lot'll accept no issues with the latest or future releases, unless they're rather large in size. Developers are beginning to step upward the quality on Windows Phone and the store listings reflect this with several hundreds of MBs required per install. It all adds upward when you only have 16GB to spare and you have to take into account the OS, apps and other media.

The Shooters

On the rear of the device, an 8.7MP PureView shooter looks to be attempting to jump out of the example, and while it's similar to the Lumia 920, Nokia has improved the eyes with a 6th lens added. You've besides got the usual Carl Zeiss (or at present just Zeiss) lens, as well as Gorilla Glass to protect it from general use. For Skype calls and general fooling around, there'southward also a i.2MP wide-angle camera on the front end of the device. So how does the rear shooter perform? One give-and-take: outstanding.

Windows Phones and smartphones in full general suffer from bad to terrible depression-lite performance. The Lumia 920 corrected this with OIS (optical image stabilisation), essentially adding springs to the photographic camera. This has been improved further on in the Lumia 925, allowing Nokia to fit the same camera tech in a thinner and lighter body. The issue with the Lumia 920 was daylight performance. I feared when I took the Lumia 925 for a spin outside that information technology may suffer the aforementioned fate as its predecessor, merely this was not the example.

Comparison between the Lumia 925 and Lumia 920:

The Lumia 925 captures daylight shots with an excellent level of quality, especially when you lot're out and involved in macro and landscape photography.

All the above shots were used with the Lumia 925's auto settings.

The dual LED flash helps with both low-calorie-free photography and focus assist. But we're non stopping with just still images as recording video is simply equally impressive. I was surprised to come across how sharp and clear footage was. Showing the results to other people had them guessing at which compact system shooter I was using, only to be stunned past the device being a smartphone. A Windows Telephone.

Nokia invited the media who attended the Lumia 925 issue to see the local circus act in London. This was an exclusive viewing of the spectacular show, which prohibits phones and cameras being used for recording while performances are live. This was an obvious choice to really test out the capabilities of the Lumia 925 and come across what it'southward all about. Nosotros'd similar to pass on a massive thank you to the Limbo (www.limbotheshow.com) team and recommend you check out the bear witness if you're in London. It'south a blast.

While the results may appear slightly grainy, it was difficult to get the correct shot with the terrible corporeality of lighting on offer, simply a few came out quite well. Again, we played with the phone's default settings, besides as some night shots, but the above is taken with the auto. We besides managed to take hold of a quick video recording every bit a member of the circus finished his daring act.

Much like the photos above, the results are pretty good. It's clear to see what'southward going on in the background, sound is skilful (the music was quite loud) and overall it's an impressive recording. We're looking at many improvements over the Lumia 920, but information technology's however not perfect. That's now nit-picking equally this is a smartphone at the end of the day, and not a DSLR.

If you've been wondering whether or not the Lumia 925 will exist an improvement over the Lumia 920 in terms of photography, I tin can safely say it is with a notable departure in quality. I'1000 sure there will exist improvements practical every bit time passes by on the software side of things, but what Nokia has refined here is a closer step towards perfection. It'll be interesting to come across how the EOS tops this.

The added Smart Photographic camera app helps you edit photos after you've taken the shots, and you tin can now set to use the lens as the default setting. This is especially useful if yous prefer using Nokia'south solution over the default Windows Phone camera app.

Lumia 925 vs. Lumia 920

I've compared the Lumia 925 to the Lumia 920 in this article, which I believe is an important route to caput downwardly, particularly if consumers are going to accept to cull between the two, and should y'all have access to Verizon it then becomes iii. Which flagship Windows Phone should you buy? It's entirely down to personal preference. If you want to have all the features built-in, more than storage bachelor and don't mind the added weight, definitely accept upward the Lumia 920.

Only if you're into the latest and best features and engineering science, likewise equally a premium look and feel, the Lumia 925 is probably the all-time fit. There's really no right and wrong choice as both Windows Phones sport similar specifications – information technology's simply the odd feature or component that makes the difference. That, and if y'all prefer aluminium to the full shell the Lumia 920 sports.

On the Lumia 920, you have built-in wireless charging, but on the Lumia 925, you take an improved camera and brandish. This is just an example as to what yous tin can expect at when you're analysing the small differences.

The Telephone

It'due south all well and dandy praising (and criticising) a mobile telephone, but how does it fare in the real world? The Lumia 925 is a superb mobile telephone, but we've come up to wait such quality from Nokia – the brand has been in the concern since Snake was the coolest mobile game – those pesky birds!

Phone call quality was excellent through testing with no issues at all. Actually, it was interesting how the Lumia 925 is the first Windows Telephone that I haven't had to turn the in-phone call volume upwards beyond the maximum value and into space to hear the person I'm talking to when in an surround with loftier levels of groundwork noise. The design and feel of the device is top notch with no issues with reception or drop outs. I enjoyed getting the phone out and playing with the screen rather than having it stashed abroad. I wanted to testify information technology off.

Equally with whatever Windows Phone with a 2000mAh ability plant, we managed to get through the day without charging. Nosotros attempted to emulate full general employ, which included emails, apps, some gaming, messaging, social interaction and more. The added option of wireless charging is a great mode to avoid fiddling with the pesky USB cablevision and makes life that much easier.

We have to come up back to the 16GB of storage, though. It's simply not enough in my stance and non what consumers should exist getting in a premium smartphone - peculiarly at the price Nokia will exist request for. Since the Lumia 920 was 32GB every bit standard, I well-nigh feel as though Nokia may take cut back also much with this device and we've gone back a footstep. Information technology'south quite the opposite of the famous saying: two steps frontward, 1 step dorsum. Every bit a flagship Windows Telephone, we should exist hitting those first ii steps and staying put.

It's hard to get around the storage restrictions, particularly considering through use the wink chips are utilised a fair amount. From emails to photos, apps to games, everyone uses data and stores information technology locally. We've got to look at increasing the corporeality of storage supplied every bit standard, peculiarly if we're to going with improving the cloud and streaming services offered by both Nokia and Microsoft.

And then is the Lumia 925 the best Windows Telephone? Definitely. Is it worth purchasing? Absolutely. Are there areas Nokia can improve on? Unfortunately so.

It's eye-breaking to say it, simply while it'due south a superb product, it falls brusque of being the dream phone. I would have liked to meet the wireless charging put back into the device without having to rely on an optional accessory, especially if it'south not even included in the retail box.

At that place are other flaws like the slight gap between the polycarbonate back and aluminium sides where dust can get defenseless, but we're continuing to see Nokia motility in the right direction. The Lumia 925 will win the hearts of owners on its premium await and experience alone and Nokia has washed an excellent job in designing such an elegant piece of kit, merely it's certainly not perfect.

Saying that, when have we e'er been able to telephone call a smartphone "perfect"?

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-925-review

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