Lumia 625: The ok phone

Ideal for those who like to watch videos on the go, the 625 is a solid phone packed with a lot of features to attract users

With its earlier range of Lumia phones - the 520, 620 or 920 - there was a sense of feeling they were certainly good phones but not really great. However, with its recently launched phones, it does seem like the Finnish giant has certainly upped the ante. If the 925 was a far superior upgrade on the 920, then the Lumia 625 is also a much better phone than its predecessor.

The 625 isn't that big a phone, but it does appear bigger than its 4.7 inch screen looks like. It's a very basic looking phone with polycarbonate body which comes with a Gorilla Glass 2 pane. It's a bit heavy phone and weighs around 160 gms. One of the best features of the 625 is the 4.7 inch screen - one of the biggest in any Nokia smartphone.

At the launch of the 625, Nokia made it clear they were positioning it as an entertainment phone - ideal for those who like to watch movies and videos on the go. The 625 plays movies quite well and the display is more than decent. However, whether it will appeal to the customers when there are bigger phones available remains to be seen.

NOKIA LUMIA 625

Pros: Big screen, excellent battery life
Cons: Poor camera, average display
At Rs 19,990, it is a solid, dependable device packed with a lot of features.Windows apps have also certainly improved, which makes it a more attractive phone

It comes with a 800x480p resolution and IPS panel and frankly it does the job. It's not the most striking feature but it doesn't disappoint either. The touch sensitivity of the 625 is much better than the 620. The big screen also helps in making browsing much better than any other Nokia Lumia phone

It runs on the Windows Phone 8 operating system, and the overall performance is pretty satisfactory. The Lumia 625 runs on a Qualcomm dual-core 1.2GHz, and comes with 512MB of RAM. The RAM is a bit low and at times it takes quite long to load videos or games. It has 8GB of internal space with the option of extending it up to 64GB using a microSD card.

The 625 also has Nokia's Smart Camera which allows you to take multiple shots, and comes with some good effects. The camera, however, is pretty basic and disappointing. It has a 5-megapixel camera with a single LED flash on its back and a VGA front camera.

One can, however, set the ISO, white balance and exposure, but the results don't improve much. If you're looking to buy a phone to click photos, then the 625 is certainly not the one for you.

The battery life like most Nokia phones is pretty good and it lasts for a day with a single charge despite heavy usage.

There's no doubt Nokia has improved the performance of its phones with its recent launches and the 625 is a testament to that. At Rs 19,990, it is a solid, dependable phone packed with a lot of features. The Windows apps have also certainly improved, which makes it a more attractive phone.

Perhaps at sub Rs 15,000 it would have been a phone which would have found many more takers. Still it's a good phone and will do well in the market. The poor camera, however, might just be a downer as there are better phones available at Rs 20,000. The 625 is a phone which is more than satisfactory but could have been better.