Nokia Lumia 625 Review

As Nokia is bought out by Microsoft, one of the last smartphones that the company managed to release is the Lumia 625, which is one of the last remnants of a very difficult time faced in the modern era by the once exclusive phone manufacturers. How the Lumia 625 fares in the smartphone market remains to be seen though.

However, we fear that Lumia 625 may not be the last final hurrah for Nokia, as that honor may very well belong to the recently announced Lumia 1020.

However, the most prominent feature of the Lumia 625 may very well be the increase in the screen size, with a bound from the 3.8" to a larger 4.7", the Lumia 625 has almost one inch larger screen diagonal size than its predecessor. Also, with the LTE support, the better clock speed and the video recording being full-HD, we can think Nokia was maybe on the right direction had it lasted some more time.

While unboxing the Nokia Lumia 625, you will get everything inside the retail box that you need to get started with this phone.

• Charger
• MicroUSB cable connector for data transfer
• Headset
• Additional back cover

The Nokia display strategy in the recent times has to go with an AMOLED display with their higher-end range, and an LCD ClearBlack display in the mid-range however, the Lumia 625 has to make do with a slightly more degraded version of the LCD. Still, it is an IPS unit, and has a Gorilla Glass 2 covering.

The 4.7" display has a resolution of WVGA resolution (480 x 800) and almost 200pixels per inch pixel density, which, while average for current standards, have a tendency for stretchiness on larger displays.

The Nokia Lumia 625 has the added ability to set one of eleven saturation levels and color temperature option. Normally, the saturation levels don’t come with this flexibility, and the temperature option isn’t even available on some devices. The contrast and side viewing angles, though, are around average compared to other devices, leaving much to be desired regarding legibility in sunlight.

The screen of Lumia 625 has the Super sensitive touch technology which responds to anything pointed like car keys or even fingernails, and senses touch through gloves as well.

The changeable back panel covers the back as well as sides of the device, and is also visible from the front as a frame surrounding the device, defining the device. The additional cover provides additional benefit. The chic colors add to the vibe of the phone. The matte finishing on the rear panel is invulnerable to fingerprints, while adding a quality feel. The hardware buttons on the sides are also part of the panel.

The design of the 625 is principally similar to almost all Lumia devices, comprising of a rectangle shaped frame with curved edges, and a delicately curved back. Being slightly on the heavier side from its predecessor (30g almost) the weight addition is accredited to the battery increase as well as the larger display.

The Lumia 625 has the traditional three capacitive keys below the display - Back, Home and Search. Near these very close to the point where frame and glass connect is a pinhole for the microphone. Above the screen lies the front-facing camera (VGA), the proximity and ambient light sensors, along with the earpiece. The top of the device holds the 3.5mm audio jack while the USB port is present at the bottom.

As for the sides, while the left side of the device has no buttons, the right side is packed with them – from the top we have the volume rockers, the Power/Lock button, and the camera shutter key. All these buttons are on the back cover, so swapping the covers will still let the buttons be of the same color as the back cover. The Power/Lock button allows unlocking the phone, while pressing and holding the shutter button unlocks the phone and takes the device to camera directly. With the ability to set which app to open on this feature, we believe users will be using a lot of this option.

At the back is the 5MP camera and accompanying LED flash, and speakerphone grilles near the bottom. On the right side of the camera lens are the microSD and microSIM card slots one on top of the other. The removable back panel's only benefit is customization - the 2000 mAh battery is non-user-replaceable.

The strengthened back and curved edges of the device make for a very pleasant handling experience, while the fingerprint-resistant matte plastic gives a very good grip.

The Amber update is pre-installed on the Lumia 625, which includes FM radio support.

Apps can be allowed to display statuses on the lock screen (one app for detailed status and up to five apps can display summary status). The wallpaper on the lockscreen can also be managed by some apps users can allow the phone to change the lockscreen to put the album art as wallpaper during music player play, or any image from Bing or Facebook. The tile grid is the same as the generic Lumia display, and the tiles can rearranged and resized as well.

The Windows Phone 8 has the ability to multitask – almost. The apps not in the foreground can get suspended, but the OS takes over and continues their work, for example, playing music. Also, apps that are required to be awake in background can also stay alive in the background. In essence, both types of multitasking are present, and based on the app type any one can be adopted.

Switching between apps is also simple holding the Back key displays the open apps, and user can select any other app to move to that app directly. However, killing an app requires users to go to the app, and click the Back button from there. This may sound very unconventional, especially for the browsers, since they will only close out once the user navigates to the first page of the browser. It is better for the app handling to be left to the OS rather than managing the apps by self.

The settings are divided into two, the system settings and the application settings. The system settings have all system related settings like color theme, accounts, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sounds etc. while the application settings allow configuration of all apps present on the device. It was a slight let down to see that the user has to navigate to the system settings to enable the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and others. Also, the tile size is too small for complete notifications to be displayed, and a notification area would have much improved the user experience.

The Windows Phone 8 also has a Windows Assistant, with the basic features like dictation, read aloud, and search among others however, it still is way behind the Siri and Google Assistants, especially regarding recognition and accuracy. Another app is the Data Sense, which informs the data usage, both cellular and Wi-Fi. The app informs data usage in different ranges, and can even restrict background data usage.

The Kid’s corner is another interesting take on the mobile device usage. Users can select apps and media content they think is safe for view by children, and can password protect the section. Whenever the device is to be used by kids, the user can enter the section and then hand over his device to kids. The section can only be exited once the password is re-entered for exit. On this basis, the device, especially settings section will not be disturbed while the device is in the hands of kids.

With the Qualcomm chipset comprising of a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU, 512 MB RAM and Adreno 305 GPU, the device is one of the best offerings in the mid-range. The platform also performs smoothly overall, fast navigation and smooth animations, with loading times not ideal, but not too long to create a feel of annoyance.

The phone book of the Lumia 625 is the same great experience as it has been arrangement of contacts with a tiled search option available still is very attractive, and the what’s new, photos, history and albums options fetching information regarding the contact from their social media is a regular information source.

Groups is an intelligent way of contacts organization, containing status updates from all contacts in the group appearing in one place, as well as access to albums. Rooms meanwhile, is sort of a private chat room / social network, allowing group chats, as well as the ability to share private calendars, notes, videos and photos. Even users using Windows Phone 7 or iOS devices can join, though they will be limited to only the calendar sharing.

The call log and dialer are standard Lumia issue, however, the speaker does not provide any reason to be impressed with it – in fact, it was disappointingly below average as per competitors. It is amazing to see how many recent devices are ignoring this area.

The messaging is also similar to the Lumia standard, with threads and their management. Threads include Facebook and Windows Live messages to the SMS threads as well. The online tab displays the online users, with the most recent conversation being on top.

The gallery displays images in default albums, all the images, people wise, or arranged date wise however, arranging images into albums is not possible. All images of Facebook friends can be viewed in another tab, while images marked as favorite can be viewed in a different tab also. Images can be shared via Bluetooth, messaging, email, Facebook and SkyDrive.

Nokia is bringing forward its new service, the Mix Radio, which allows free music streaming, and a vast gallery of records. The service is striving to compete with mainstream services like Pandora, and users can enter a list of their favorite artists and a playlist will be automatically created. This improves the likeability chances of playlists, instead of completely automatically generated playlists. Artists can also be browsed, and specific songs can be bought also. There are multiple charts available too, for selection. In addition, the equalizer option, with its many presets as well as Dolby Headphones enhancements, as well as searching artist gigs near users’ locations is also a big plus.

An FM is also present on board. The device has an average audio quality, which is saying that the device could have done much better.

The Windows Phone Store is also a growing market place, with apps being added regularly. However, it will not be catching up to the Apple Store or Google Play any time soon. However, most of the apps available are present for Windows Phone 8 as well. The store is segmented into applications, games and music (an update tab becomes visible in case any installed app has an update available). Games can be played live also, with the Xbox Live option, as well as the generic structure of all three sections.

The Drive navigation suite comes free out of the box with the device. The coverage is for one country only, and being available offline means no constant connectivity is required. The HERE Drive provided voice guided navigation, once a voice is downloaded in the language of choice. Different routes, with tweaks like fastest, economical, shortest can be selected, as well as selection or avoiding motorways etc. Icons are available to show the settings. A recent addition allows viewing the traffic conditions in different areas too, though this feature requires connectivity.

Nokia Maps has details about locations, reviews, and guides as well as photos of locations. It may be the ideal source when exploring a city. It also has walking, public transport, as well as driving navigation. Data is shared with Drive, so maps will not be downloaded twice. The Local Scout and City Lens features have also been added to the Maps app in Places. This lists shops, galleries, restaurants and other points of interest nearby, and has a very cool AR view via camera called LiveSight. The virtual signs, when tapped, display information regarding the place, as well as directions to it.

The default browser in Lumia 625 is the Microsoft made Internet Explorer, the standard version on Windows Phone 8.

The device has the best document viewer / editor around, and includes SkyDrive integration also. Docs are automatically synced between the device and computer via SkyDrive. The Places tab is the app allows browsing documents on the phone, SkyDrive, email or in Office 365. Editing is pretty simple, even on a phone, and is helped due to the screen size. Even SharePoint collaboration is present for Word and Excel files.

The Lumia 625 comes with a 5 mega pixel camera that can take pictures of up to 2592 x 1936 resolutions. The interface of camera is quite simple, the basic viewfinder with an arrow key on the left to move to the gallery (swipe to the left works too), and a couple of controls on the right side, the camera/video toggle and the lens button.

The Windows Phone’s camera app provides more options though, from white balance, contrast, saturation, sharpness, to scenes and effects, among other features. A separate dedicated Macro focus mode is also present, but face detection is not available. Keeping the shutter button on the side will awaken the device while also launching the camera app. The camera is not the quickest in the market, emphasized more so when competing other devices in the market, and it takes up quite some time to load and take snaps. The different snap types, like Panorama etc. are added on as lenses, and are present with their own UI. Nokia has the Smart Cam lens preloaded, which is the most powerful lens by a mile the Panorama, Cinemagraph and Glam Me lenses are also loaded by default on the device.

The Cinemagraph creates images that are to the most extent static, apart from parts of them. When the snapping is done, the lens provides options of two to three areas in the imaging that can be animated, and upon selection of the area, animation tweaking, trimming, and looping options become available. In addition, the Nokia Smart Scalado technology is also added, which is similar to burst mode, capturing multiple images and storing the best one, selecting the best face, and cycling through each facial expression, and lastly the option to remove the moving objects from the image.

The image quality is surprisingly good, with great detail for the 5 MP category, with pretty decent colors and contrast. Noise is at a minimum, and luminance is very little, which actually comes out as better for the image. The close up mode is great, allowing focus from a really close distance.

The camcorder in the Lumia 625 can capture 1080p videos with 20Mbps at 30 fps, and these videos are very smooth, with extremely good detail, color accuracy and great contrast. The white balance is modifiable, and the continuous auto-focus can be turned on or off. The LED flash can be used as video light also. The continuous auto-focus can be too sensitive sometimes though, so it is nice to see the option available to disable this. Unfortunately, touch focus is absent. However, the audio can only be captured at 98 Kbps and 44 KHz rate. The video quality is good enough to compete with predecessors like the 920 and 925.

Talking about the connectivity in the Lumia 625, the device has GPRS/GSM/EDGE, tri-band 3G with HSPA at 42 Mbps down and 5.76 Mbps uplink, and tri-band 4G LTE the LTE has 100Mbps down and 50Mbps uplink.

The local connectivity is present via Wi-Fi, hotspot, and stereo Bluetooth 4.0. However, the NFC is absent, which is a reason why the Tap+Send function is missing in Lumia 625.

A Mass Storage mode is present for internal phone storage, allowing file transfer to computers without any software requirement. Also, there is no structural requirement as to where a file needs to be stored if there is an app installed that uses the file type, the file will be fetched. The unrecognizable files though, can only be accessed with a computer due to the absence of a file management application. This is also a reason why zip of rar files cannot be emailed, since they cannot be recognized.

Also, in addition to the phone storage, a minimal 7GB SkyDrive space also gets allocated for file storage on the cloud, which increases file accessibility without overloading the device too much.

The 2000 mAh battery, with the slightly added juice to its predecessors, is non-replaceable due to being sealed within the inner body, which is surprising, especially considering that the back cover is replaceable and interchangeable.

The battery is rated at for over around 30 hours of talk time in 3G networks (51h of stand-by), but web-browsing and video playback comes up short at only above 7 hours and 6 plus hours respectively. With a screen size this big, Nokia should have come up a more juiced up device to enhance the browsing and playback experience, since devices of this size are frequently used for such purposes.

The Lumia 625 we perceive, may receive mixed reaction from the market when pitted against formidable competition from market due to some drawbacks, a few of which are listed below:

• WVGA resolution becomes quite stretchy for the 4.7" display
• App catalog is way behind that of iOS and Android
• Fixed battery
• RAM stands very low at only 512MB
• System wide file management ability is lacking
• NFC is absent
• Loudspeakers are below par on performance

The timing of the device may have very well been the proverbial going out with a bang for Nokia, but it was not to be. Having said that, it would be a huge injustice to the Lumia 625 to be judged on that level, as the device was designed to serve a simple purpose - a larger screen experience while staying within everyone’s reach. And it definitely delivers on that front.

The Lumia 625 has a pretty large screen size, with even the diagonal being 4.7” even the Lumia 1020 falls short on that count. However, the quality is a different story altogether – not even the Nokia's ClearBlack tech is integrated into the average LCD display, and the screen average includes the pixel density. However, even though the resolution is quite spread up, somehow the Windows Phone interface does not make it look too irritating. However, a higher contrast makes the text easier to read, but would make a mess of some background images and the solid color of tiles on the home screen. Talking of the screen, it has vibrant color, but the contrast and viewing angles are at best just above average. The Glance Screen feature is also missing, though the sensitivity has increased to even accept touch from gloved hands.

Since the focus of Nokia and Microsoft has been running the Windows Phone 8 on average hardware, so many new games, which requires 1 GB RAM and above will not run on this device.

However, it is a device which is well made, and the colors make it a fresh experience especially with the additional battery cover. The camera has a good image and video capture, and the voice guided navigation is free for life. Nokia has tried to focus most of its device to the mid range users, and this device, targeting users with affordability as well as a larger screen and the basics tries to do just that, however many other trade-offs may exist in the device.

The market portfolio has however, now been shifted to Microsoft, and though the screen size attracts some attention towards the phone, it does not make it stand out from the rest of the front runners, however, it may well be an average device just fulfilling its requirement, and may cater to some of the users targeting a larger screen, if not most of the smartphone users.