Nokia Lumia 525 is an upgrade of the Lumia 520 with 1 GB RAM and the new Nokia Black update for Windows Phone 8. The Lumia 525 is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with Adreno 305 GPU running the latest Windows Phone OS. The Lumia 520 was plagued with incompatibility with several games including Asphalt 8 which required 1 GB RAM, but that's been resolved in the Lumia 525. At present its available for about Rs. 10,200 in the market. At this price point it competes with the likes of the Sony Xperia M, Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 and some quad-core options from Micromax. Lets have a look at the device first, in the Unboxing of the Nokia Lumia 525.
You get the usual set of accessories inside the box including the following:
The data cable is really short, although well made. All the accessories are good in quality atleast on face value.
The Lumia 525 has a 4-inch IPS scratch-resistant display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels running on the 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8227 processor with Adreno 305 GPU and 1 GB RAM. Memory on Windows Phone is a huge factor as it decides app compatibility especially games. Then if we move into the nitty-gritty of it, you have a 5 MP primary camera which is capable of recording 720p video at 30 FPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS with GLONASS support. 1430 mAh battery keeps the device running.
There are three sensors in the phone namely, a Proximity sensor, an Ambient Light sensor and an Accelerometer.
The major difference between the Lumia 520 and the Lumia 525 is the backcover. This time Nokia decided to go with a glossy backcover on the Lumia 525 which is a bit more rounded than its predecessor and makes the phone seem thinner.
Moving around the device you would notice the typical Windows Phone button layout. On the right you have the Volume Rocker which is sturdy, below that there's the power lock/unlock button and then the two stage camera key. There's nothing on the left side.
At the top you have the 3.5 mm audio port while the micro USB port finds a place at the bottom. There's a 5 MP Auto Focus camera at the back and the loudspeaker. The Lumia 525 is a single-SIM device and uses a micro SIM card. The 8 GB internal storage of the device is expandable using a micro SD card.
The front panel of the phone is made of scratch resistant glass and houses the 4-inch display, earpiece, sensors and the microphone alongwith three capacitive buttons for Back, Home and Search.
The Lumia 525 looks quite like its predecessor and since we got the orange one it really looked stunning. The bright colors are definitely eye-catching and the back-cover this time around is quite glossy, though not slimy.
Windows Phone 8 runs smooth on the Lumia 525 and it comes pre-installed with Nokia Black update with several new features. Animations are smooth, the interface fluid and the touch response is beyond compare, it certainly lives upto its super-sensitive credentials. Colors look bright and the viewing angles of the display are great. The phone performed brilliantly at first boot.
The Lumia 525 competes with the Xperia M, Galaxy S Duos 2 and several other phones from Micromax, but its build quality and materials used in making it alongwith Windows Phone make it stand out. We will be back with the gaming review of the Nokia Lumia 525, camera samples and then the Full Review. Till then have a look at the hands-on images.