Nokia Lumia 625 Price in Philippines Php 13,200, Specs, Quick Review, Sample Camera Shots - Front and Back, Hands-On Video

Last Friday, at Nokia Philippines' Headquarters in Makati City, the Finnish company formally introduced its newest midrange WP8 smartphone offering, the 4.7-inch Nokia Lumia 625.

Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 625 Philippines, Mark Milan Macanas

Priced at only Php 13,200, Nokia Lumia 625 is currently the most affordable LTE capable smartphone in the market (based on official SRP). It's compatible with the LTE bands of Globe Telecom -- so if you want to enjoy the fastest mobile speeds on a handset that you won't have to break the bank to get, then I'd suggest you check out this release.

"The Nokia Lumia 625 combines high end innovation and experiences with a stunning 4.7” screen and 4G connectivity, to bring high speed entertainment to new audiences on a budget." shared Mr. Karel Holub, General Manager of Nokia Philippines. He added, "With its perfect balance of specs and features, the Nokia Lumia 625 offers the leading 4G smartphone experience at its price."

Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 625 Philippines, Nokia Lumia 625 Price

Looks-wise, Nokia Lumia 625 is practically just a thinner and wider version of the Nokia Lumia 620. Both handsets - just like the best-selling Nokia Lumia 520 - come with swappable matte back cases in youthful and vibrant hues. Nokia Lumia 625 is available in Orange (more like Red Orange or Clementine Orange), White, Black, Yellow, and Bright Green.

Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 625 Philippines, Nokia Lumia 625 Price

Just like all Nokia handsets that came before it, this handset feels very solid in the hand. The semi-transparent back case which hugs the frame snugly and kisses the sides of the scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass display tightly will tell you that Nokia really paid attention to details and precision in crafting the device. Weighing 159 grams, Nokia Lumia 625 has that reassuring heft that's practically absent in some handsets in its price echelon.

Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 625 Philippines, Nokia Lumia 625 Price

As for its technical specifications, this smartphone flaunts a 4.7-inch IPS display with 480 x 800 pixels resolution and runs Windows Phone 8 operating system with its Dual Core 1.2 GHz Krait-based Qualcomm MSM8930 Snapdragon chipset -- delivering smooth and lag-free touch response and gaming performance. Other features include 512 MB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card slot, and Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second video recorder.

Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 625 Philippines, Nokia Lumia 625 Price

Nokia Lumia 625 sports dual cameras; A 5 MegaPixel autofocus camera at the back with LED flash and a VGA front cam for video calls and for selfies. According to our friends from the company, the smartphone's imaging capabilities are comparable to that of Nokia Lumia 620.

Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 625 Philippines, Nokia Lumia 625 Price

The main camera doesn't really have the Carl Zeiss optics of its more expensive siblings, Nokia Lumia 920 and 925, but it does deliver clear and crisp photos regardless of the lighting condition. Also, as you can see in these sample shots (kindly click them for larger view), images taken using Nokia Lumia 625 - with automatic settings - show good contrast and decent color replication.






The front cam only has a VGA sensor but it does give you images with clear details and vibrant colors making them good enough to be shared on social networking sites like Facebook or Instagram. This proves that quality of shot is far more important than its size. Here's a selfie that I took using Nokia Lumia 625's front-facing camera.


Nokia didn't really disclose if either shooter of the handset has a BSI sensor. Nonetheless, I think Nokia Lumia 625's dual cameras perform quite well even in low-light conditions.

TechPinas Brings The Tech Event To You

TP Friends, here's a video of Mr. Karel Holub, Nokia Philippines' General Manager, and Mr. Mike Smith, Nokia's Product Manager, giving a short presentation during Nokia Lumia 625's launch in the country. They explained the many features and main selling points of this very affordable LTE-capable handset. In the latter part of the clip, you will see my quick hands-on of both the Orange and Bright Green variants of the smartphone -- just to give you an idea of how they look in the flesh.


TP Thoughts

Having played with Nokia Lumia 625, I can really say that it gives great value for the money. Its attractive design, stellar build, the LTE-support, the large (albeit low-res) display, the good battery life - thanks to the sizable 2,000 mAh pack and the fact that WP8 is power efficient - and the dual cameras that deliver decent shots - all these combine to make this smartphone one of the best in its price category.

Sure, Windows Phone 8 doesn't have an app market as big as that of iOS or Android but it does have the essentials - including Facebook, Twitter, 6Tag for Instagram, Foursquare, and Youtube HD. Of course, you also get software and features that are unique to WP8 like Live Tiles that update direct to the home screen, the People Hub which makes it easy to stay connected with friends and family, Xbox Live, Microsoft Office integration and 7GB of online SkyDrive storage that add to the expandable 8GB of in-built storage. And since it's a Lumia, users will likewise enjoy Nokia Creative Suite for editing photos, Nokia Smart Camera allowing you to capture the perfect shot every time, and Nokia Cinemagraph.

All things considered - especially the fact that it only sells for Php 13,200, I'm inclined to give Nokia Lumia 625 a solid 8.8 out of 10 TP Stars. Had it shipped with GD3, I would have scored it higher. I just hope that the Windows Phone team would work on the firmware update and do more to entice developers to create apps for the platform with greater urgency.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name Nokia Lumia 625
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category Midrange
Dimensions133.3 x 72.3 x 9.2 mm, 87.6 cc
Weight 159 grams
Available Colors Orange, White, Black, Yellow, Bright Green
Operating System Windows Phone 8 Amber
Display 4.7 inches (~199 ppi pixel density), 480 x 800 pixels, IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Features: Sunlight Readability Enhancement, High Brightness Mode, Color Enhancement and Super Sensitive Touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Processor Dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8930 Snapdragon chipset
RAM 512 MB RAM
Internal Storage 8 GB, expandable via microSD card slot, supports up to 64GB
Camera 5 MegaPixels, 2592 Ñ… 1944 pixels, autofocus, VGA front camera
Video Capture Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second for main camera, VGA for front camera
Audio and Video Playback MP3, WAV, eAAC+, WMA, MP4, H.264, H.263, WMV player
Ports microUSB v2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
GPS Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS
Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE 800 / 1800 / 2600
SIM Card Type microSIM
Battery Non-Removable Li-Ion 2000 mAh battery (BP-4GWA) *confirmed
Uptime Up to 552 Hours of Standby, 24 Hours of Talk Time, 90 Hours of Music Play
Value-Added Features Large display, LTE support
Announcement September 20, 2013
Availability September 20, 2013
Price Official SRP: Php 13,200