With the next installment of the Lumia series coming in early May; the Nokia Lumia 525 released in January will be setting itself up for some stiff competition. Overall we’ll be debating if the upgrade is worth the price, and hoping to answer the initial question: is the gathered interest following the Nokia Lumia 630/635’s impending release later this year worth placing in the time and effort?
[promo title=”Nokia Lumia 630/635″][/promo]
Design & Specifications
The model is attributed for its curved design over the angular box that is the Nokia Lumia 525; and is dimensions are 129.5 x 66.7 x 9.2 mm, 78.5 cc (or 5.10 x 2.63 x 0.36 in) at a light 134g. Ironically, this model is heavier by at least 10g, but is still relatively light in comparison to some of the other smartphone series on the market.
Coupled with Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 OS and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, the Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 assures that the ability to surf the internet isn’t going to become a laborious chore. When it comes to apps, the phone will have fairly little hindrance in the process. However, it does come up a little short in regards to the internal 8 GB, and 512 MB RAM. However, with a microSD, that number escalates to 128 GB.
Display & Audio
The display of this model features IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, and 16M colors. In addition to 480 x 854 pixels, at 4.5 inches the phone has 218 ppi pixel density. But for those extra pixels, the phone does pay a price in losing some resolution. Therefore the interface design is more-or-less a double-edged sword. It will require a decision on what exactly you’re willing to sacrifice for the phone’s optimization. But for the most part, the Lumia 630/635 is a pleasant model with an average look.
The audio itself is one of the Lumia 630/635’s biggest focal points with a high range and can support an ample amount of music if the phones microSD is implemented properly. But the phone itself hosts a rather pristine sound and can be adjusted to the needs of any music enthusiast.
Camera
The camera itself is rumored to have 5 MP, 2592 х 1944 pixels, and accessible autofocus. Along with that are multiple features such as a 1/4” sensor size, geo-tagging, and panorama. The video is lacking in the aspect that it is set in 720p at 30fps with no secondary option. Not one of the Nokia Lumia 630/635’s strongpoints; but it just doesn’t seem to be geared towards an individual whom is particularly interested in the function of either camera or possible video resolution.
Battery Life
The battery itself is a Li-Ion 1830 mAh battery (BL-5H) and can harness an impressive 600+ hours of stand-by. However, the available “talk time” is sufficiently lowered to around 16 hours a day. Which should be enough to get through your entire day but can prove to be rather taxing in comparison to what it offers toward music. Of course, if you’re an upfront music-lover, the 58+ hours that’s accessible for your audio sounds like a phenomenal deal. Worth sacrificing the phone’s drain on the battery for the actual implementation of hosting numerous calls.
[promo title=”Nokia Lumia 525″][/promo]
Design & Specifications
There’s no way around it: this Nokia is an angular, sharp-looking model in comparison to the future installment of the Lumia series. But for those that like the more compact, sharp-edged figure that’s hardly a problem. At 119.9 x 64 x 9.9 mm, 75.7 cc (or 4.72 x 2.52 x 0.39 in) and a comfortable 124g; the model is light and smaller than the upcoming phones from Nokia.
The late Nokia model features a Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Black OS alongside a Qualcomm MSM8227 chipset and Dual-core 1 GHz. Which is not nearly as powerful or as quick as the Lumia 630/635, but the Lumia 525 will get the job done, even if it’ll most likely be at its own pace. It still holds the capability to be optimized with an microSD up to 64 GB, as well as its internal 8 GB accompanied with 1 GB RAM.
Display & Audio
However, for each setback there is a redeeming quality for this model it’s the IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors. Because of its smaller dimensions at 480 x 800 pixels, or 4.0 inches the model maintains 233 ppi pixel density. Meaning that it relatively will offer higher resolution and a clearer depiction of the overall display. Which is something that the Lumia 630/635 is giving up in order to focus on another trait.
The audio is what we’re here for. It’s a relatively pleasant phone with a lot of space to grow your music collection. Though it doesn’t have necessarily as much to offer as the Lumia 630/635, its cumulative power will keep the sound at a consistent level.
Camera
To be quite honest the camera is nothing to get excited about, at 5 MP, 2592 x 1936 pixels, and autofocus there’s a lot of lacking potential. Its only features are 1/4” sensor size and geo-tagging; and the video is much the same with a lagging 720p at 30fps. It’s even more restrained then the Lumia 630/635, but then again requesting that these models construct a better camera is about as reasonable as asking for a miracle.
Battery Life
Installed within this phone is a Li-Ion 1430 mAh battery (BL-5J) which is relatively weaker then the next model. However, it is still rather impressive with over 300+ hours of stand-by time and 48 hours of “music time.” One expected cut is in the “talk time,” but it is ironically one hour (on average) higher then the upcoming Lumia 630/635. It’ll be enough wiggle-room to get through your day even with numerous calling, but the battery life is something that the user will want to take into account if its applicable to their lifestyle. It could really help (or hurt) in choosing the correct model.
[promo title=”In Conclusion”][/promo]
The Nokia Lumia 630/635 is rumored to run the potential customer about $200+ dollars whereas the Lumia 525 is still gliding in at about $190 at the highest potential asking price. Whether or not you’re looking for a model that’ll give you a long battery life or library of music are two questions that you’ll take into serious consideration when looking to purchase either of these models. In my personal opinion, waiting it out for the Nokia Lumia 630/635 is going to be far more profitable than settling for the Nokia Lumia 525.
In retrospect, both have a lot of similarities as well, meaning that if the numbers of storage space and resolution of the display don’t bother you—that it’ll probably be a toss-up between saving money on the Lumia 525 or spending the extra on the latter model that’ll be available in May.
Between the two, what exactly are your expectations behind choosing a Nokia phone?