Nokia Lumia 525 Review
Nokia Lumia 525 Hands-On
Introduction
Believe it or not but one of the most successful smartphones today is not a high-end handset packed with all the innovative features and advanced technologies. It is Nokia Lumia 520. The relatively small in size and modest in specs device grabbed the hearts of users. It seems to give them all they need during the busy day – simple user interface, basic modern features and long battery life. All this is “dressed” in compact body with vibrant shells. After the success of the Lumia 520, Nokia is ready to release the improved version of the handset that has the hard task to overrun the sales numbers of the original model. Meet the Nokia Lumia 525, the entry-level smartphone by the Finnish company that is already announced in the mobile world.
Display and Design
The design of Nokia Lumia 525 is “borrowed” by its oldest sibling, Lumia 520. In fact, if you hold both models one next to the other it will be challenging to find the difference. The panel of the phone measures 119.9 x 64 x 9.9mm. Many users refer to the new device as a mini variant of the Nokia Lumia 1020 in terms of appearance. Lumia 525 boasts interchangeable back plates. The main colors available for the device are red, yellow, black and blue. On the left side of the handset are located the power and the camera buttons as well as the volume rocker. At the bottom of the phone is set a micro-USB jack.
The newest entry-level member of the Lumia family is equipped with a 4-inches IPS screen. It boasts 800x480p resolution. According to Nokia, the display is easy to use even if the user is wearing gloves.
Hardware
Nokia Lumia 525 is powered by a dual-core 1GHz CPU with Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus chipset. It is paired with1GB RAM. The phone provides 8GB of storage for its users. There is a microSD slot on board for adding of more memory. The provided RAM in the new model is double more than what you get with the popular Lumia 520. The battery of the Lumia 525 is with a capacity of 1430mAh.
Camera
Nokia Lumia 525 is armored with one camera, located on the back. It is a 5MP shooter with auto focus. There is no flash; neither there is a secondary camera. The shooter of Lumia 525 can capture video with 720p@30fps quality. Most of the entry-level smartphones today do not boast LED flash. It provides a very good picture quality in bright daylight.
Software and Connectivity
The software features are among the best advantages of Nokia Lumia 525.Even though it is a low-end smartphone, it is running on the latest version of Windows Phone 8 OS with the Lumia Black update on top of it. The phone provides abundance of features and capabilities, even though it has relatively modest specs. For example, it arrives with free apps pre-installed on the device such as Here Drive, Here Transit and Here Maps. Nokia reveals that the Here Transit app is working for the public transportation in Singapore.
In terms of connectivity Lumia 525 supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
Availability and Price
Nokia Lumia 525 is officially announced in Singapore. It is expected to be released on 14th of December. The price for the handset will be SGD 249 (equal to $198). Lumia 525 is getting ready to arrive in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It is still unknown when the model will be launched in Europe. As we mentioned above the phone will be available in 4 main colors – yellow, red, black and blue. It provides interchangeable back covers.
Conclusion
Nokia Lumia 525 is the newest budget smartphone by the company but it boasts a wide range of capabilities and decent package of specs. It has the ergonomic attractive design of its predecessor combined with the newest platform of Windows Phone to provide for users a neat handset with plenty of possibilities. The size of the phone makes it comfortable for usage and carrying. The interchangeable back plates make Nokia Lumia 525 more appealing to users with options to choose and change the colors they like. Something important to say for the model is its Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. It has double more RAM than Nokia Lumia 520 is instantly noticeable when you begin working with the smartphone. It provides very good performance even for multitasking. Nokia Lumia 525. A bit disappointing in the model is its 5MP camera. It works well for shots in a sunny day but better don’t try it on in twilight or dark places. The lack of LED flash is among the weakness of the phone although not many entry-level devices are enriched with flash. Video calls are also not the best idea with Nokia Lumia 525 as there is no front-facing camera. The battery of the device assures long hours during the day. It supports the basic connectivity features so users can enjoy games, chatting or browsing through the web every time they want.
Nokia Lumia 525 is purposed for the developing markets. Just like its sibling Lumia 520 it will conquer the niche with $200 worth devices. We will see whether the new phone will win the success of its predecessor. Lumia 525 will be launched in the middle of December, just in time for the holidays. Perhaps many retailers around the globe will offer the model. This means that the most impatient from you will be able to order the device and get it shipped to their address.
