SPECIFICATIONS:
- Dimensions: 5.08 x 2.78 x 0.33 inches
- Weight139g
- Processor: 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon chip
- lntemal Storage: 16 GB/32 GB
- Display: AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
- Battery: Non-removable Li-ion 2000 mAh battery
- Camera: 8.7MP rear-camera with Zeiss optics
WHAT’S HOT:
- Sexy aluminum build
- AMOLED display plus Gorilla Glass. perfect combination
- Superb camera complementing Nokia Smart camera and Cinematography features
- Wireless integrated charging
WHAT’S NOT:
- Sudden battery drain outs
- Windows Phone lacks several must have apps
- Tums into hot mat after hours of long use
BOTTOMLINE:
- Shutterbugs will fall head over heels with the Nokia Lumia 92S’s awesome camera partnered with equally delightful features.
Not so long ago, the first integration of the camera to the mobile phone seemed such a major milestone as landing the first man on the moon. Fast-forward to present day, and no, a round-trip vacation to the moon is still not possible. On the other hand, camera phones are now a big player in the mainstream market. The camera has become such a fundamental part of the mobile phone that companies are doing all sorts of tricks to outdo competition. Here, we’ll take a closer look at the Nokia Lumia 925, a phone and a camera in one.
Emerging out of its box, what best describes this first encounter is the absurd pick-up line, “Hello there, you pretty thing.” Compared to my tattered call and text Nokia X2 handset, it is lightyears away from the powerful features and build of the Lumia 925. This might be the upgrade I’ve been waiting for.
The Lumia 925, an upped version of the 920, has a rectangular design that resembles a chocolate bar at 0.33 inches thick. Compared to its colorful polycarbonate Lumia predecessors, the 925 has an aluminum frame and is only available in white, black, and gray. The back is a matte plate that feels good to touch. Speakers are located at the rear along with the PureView Carl Zeiss camera and LED flash up top. Another flip will show the magnificent 4.5-inch AMOLED display bordered with a glossy black bezel and overlaid with protective Gorilla Glass. Also on the front are a 1.2 MP camera and three capacitive backlit buttons —back, home, and search-rests at the bottom.
Moving on to the aluminum sides, you’ll see a microSIM card slot, a microUSB port, and audio jack atop the phone while on the right side, there’s the volume rocker, power button, and camera button.
Display is undeniably astounding; the 4.5-inch PureMotion+ AMOLED Clearblack display is the Brad to my Angelina. If the Windows Ul and live tiles leave you in awe, a 1080p Electric Shock K-pop music video will definitely wow with an explosion of fuchsias, flashy detailed clothing, and animated vivid colors. While the speakers produced a bit of a flat loud sound, a pair of headphones or loud speakers can make up for its mediocrity.
Fawning adjectives aside, one notable feature of the Lumia 925 is the sensitivity of the touch screen that was still responsive to my tissue-covered forefinger. As for the Corning Gorilla lass 2, it held up pretty well against my pointy ball pen, so it will probably survive more gruesome scratch attempts in the future.
The trickiest part of the review was getting used to the Windows Phone 8 OS and interface, which gives off an other worldly feel if you are an Android and iOS user like me. But, you’ll eventually get the hang of it especially with the pretty Live Tiles that updates to real-time content.
We must mention the lithe performance of the 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chip of the Lumia 925 tagged with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. Opening applications were fluid and the smooth game run of Jetpack Joyride warped me right inside the endless coin collecting game. Battery performance was okay; the 2000mAh battery can last you up to at least a day given moderate phone usage. I’ve been using the unit for days now and there was an instance that the power suddenly drained out on me, but that was maybe just a freak occurrence.
This review wouldn’t be much of use if we don’t dwell on the impressive 8.7-megapixel PureView camera with Carl Zeiss optics, the bread and butter of the Lumia 925. Paired with complementing camera apps and features, you can forego other digital point and shoot cameras and go with this one. Test shots delivered rich colored and fine detailed outputs even in poor-light conditions. I took a video outside my house, bobbed the phone up and down, made quick side to side motions, and the 1080p video was still pleasant, no pixilation, with only a little ghosting.
Getting to the good part, the Lumia 925 has astounding camera features on top of the common ones-like the Nokia Smart Cam, Cinemagraph, Photobeamer, and the Pro Camera App. With the Smart Cam app you are entitled to numerous feats through simultaneous processing of a single photo. Change Face allows picking the best smile and face in a series of shots. Action Shot captures moving objects across the frame and creates a single photo of the subject appearing in multiple places. Best Shot takes multiple photos so you can pick the best one. Motion Focus mode snaps at moving objects keeping the subject in focus and the background blurred. Remove Moving Objects allows the manual removal of pesky photo bombers. Rounding them all off is the crowd-favorite Cinemagraph feature, wherein you can hold the phone up, record, and pick the parts you’d like to animate in the frame; it’s the easiest way to create animated GIF files. Finally, with the PhotoBeamer app, you can send those candid and gorgeous photos directly to your web browser for your friends to see.
Although still lacking with essential apps like lnstagram, the Windows Phone 8 is a breath of fresh air if you’ve been an Android and iOS dweller for the longest time. I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I sure did fall for the Nokia Lumia 925’s solid performance and astounding camera features.
First published in Gadgets Magazine, October 2013
Words by Mia Carisse Barrientos