Customer Reviews

Nokia Lumia 925 16GB Sim Free Windows Smartphone - Black

As a long term Apple fan (up to the 4S) and more recently Android via GN2 and then HTC One I got this phone by way of a change when my company introduced a bring/buy your own phone (it replaces an awful Blackberry Curve). I've got the 32Gb Vodafone version, I think I'd struggle with 16Gb. Not sure it was a great move from Nokia to limit the 32Gb to Vodafone. Anyway...

I've tried WP8 devices beforehand and always sent them back (last one was the Lumia 920 which was too big, poor battery life and used to regularly crash) but after 2 months of use I'm pretty smitten with this and in fact I've started using it as my main phone over the HTC One (great device but still suffers from the android bug bear of being unintuitive/too complex). The 925 comes pre-loaded with the new Amber OS update which I believe is starting to roll out now. It introduces some useful new features including glance view (useful as a night clock), double tap to wake and flip to silence.

First off the build quality is great, different in look and feel but right up there with Apple. I use the lightweight charging case to keep it safe and unlike most cases the phone looks great with it on as you still see most of the phone. There is an official Nokia wireless sat nav car dock you can get which makes it a breeze to pop in and out without any wires (power cable from the dock excepting) and the (again optional) charging stand is great by the bed to pop on and use as an alarm clock. Shame they are not a bit cheaper or I'd have bought a few to spread around the house.

WP 8 itself is really quick, intuitive and easy to use. Fine, it doesn't have a quad-core CPU but doesn't need it. I think it has the best of Apple (easy to use) and Android (customisable UI) together. Re-sizable live tiles work very well at showing you what you need to know without always having to start an app. The dedicated camera button is so much easier than messing around with lock screens and helps to get photo's and videos of the kids before the moment has passed.

Inbuilt MS Office properly renders documents (unlike most iOS/Android clones which especially on PPT and complex Word docs usually screw things up) and the Outlook email client basically just works as you would expect.

Much has been written about lack of apps for WP 8 but I've found pretty much everything that I need including Spotify, a Sonos app (Phonos) and CoPilot (if you want a full feature sat nav). The many free/built in Nokia apps are generally great quality (sat nav, standard maps, music etc). Microsoft have recently launched great apps for weather, news and finance.

The screen quality is great (might not be 1080p but other than "bragging rights" I'm not sure quite how much difference this makes in every day usage on a screen this small), the battery easily lasts a day (unlike my HTC One which really struggles) and I'm a pretty heavy user (4 email accounts, Skype, Lync and voice calls etc).

The camera is the best I've used on a mobile phone, especially as others have noted in the dark. Don't kid yourself that this is as good as a decent compact camera but it is a great phone camera. There are various effects/lenses that can be used to generate some fun and unusual photos which can then be shared via social media.

The things I don't like are mainly down to Microsoft issues. There is no ability to download "official" TV/films on the phone the same way you can on Android (via Play) or iOS (via iTunes) and videos you purchase for Windows PC devices cannot be transferred to the phone "as is" which is a big oversight (something to do with DRM). There are of course ways around getting video content on the device, some legal some probably not so! Other niggles include lack of a notification centre (although you can kind of organise your favourite apps via live tiles to create one at the top of the page), the voice recognition is a little patchy at times and I can't find a way to upload multiple photos into a specific Facebook album (whether by the Photo app directly or via Facebook app). Also something I hope they fix is the sound management as there is just one level for "in call" phone volume and one for "everything else" including notification/media/alarms.

I'm hopeful that with some of the new low end devices (e.g. Lumia 520) that the ecosystem will take off and soon WP8 will be a true contender. From my experience with the 925 it deserves to be and I'm sure the next OS release will sort out most of the niggles. All up this is a great device for work and play, I love it and very much recommend it.

If you want to fit in on the tube, train or bus and have exactly the same phone as everyone else, go with the iPhone.

If you want access to 100,000s of utterly pointless apps that fill up memory, spy on you, will be deleted less than 5 minutes after you downloaded them and crash your phone with malware, go with an Android phone (or to a lesser extent an iPhone).

If you want a beautifully made phone that has a great screen and camera, is light and slim, looks amazing and has excellent pre-installed apps that are all you need, go with a Nokia Windows Lumia 925 phone.

The Nokia Windows phones have a "wow" factor not experienced since the first iPhone. They are a joy to use, lovely to hold, and beautifully smooth and slick in operation. They make the iOS feel clunky and dated. There is simply no comparison with Android phones which are total dogs compared to this. Typing on the Nokia is lovely, while Android just produces gibberish. The Android operating system is such a cluttered, user-unfriendly mess compared to Windows 8. If you are an ultra-techie geek wanting to customise everything and hack the system, Android may be attractive, but for anyone looking for something simple and intuitive, Windows is much nicer.

As for the obsession with Apps (or lack thereof), this is only relevant if you worry about having the latest pointless, one-minute wonder mentioned in your morning freebie newspaper that will be quickly deleted and forgotten before the next pointless App becomes the flavour of the week. If if it worries you that Granny Run 3: Here We Go Again or a choice of 113,670 different homages to Angry Birds may not be available, this isn't the phone for you. If you want a decent phone instead, go with the Lumia 925.

I've owned several Android/Apple devices, and I get the most satisfaction using this Nokia...I didn't think I would like Windows Phone...I'm not really a microsoft fan... and there are a few things missing... but they have designed a good, slick operating system that just works and is clearly well thought out. I'll give overall Pro and Cons below for the operating system (OS) and the phone itself. I had bought the Lumia 520, and loved it, but wanted a better camera and screen, hence buying the 925.

PROS - Excellent camera...good in low light but really excellent HD video (make sure it is set to 1080p for best quality), excellent daytime photos, and the anti-shake...I literally shook my hand taking a photo and it came out perfectly, with not a blur. It's not an SLR, but is as good as my Canon compact camera.

Apps - Not as wide a selection as iOS or Android yet, but the Apps I downloaded are high quality, and in fact I've found 90% of what I need. Which is pretty good for a new App store I think. Best of all, the Apps work, and are just as slick as the OS.

Keyboard - It's an excellent keyboard, that just works without gimmicks.

Screen - Bright, Sharp resolution, and importantly for me - it does not attract fingerprints too much.

Contacts - In the "People" App, you can import contacts from your SIM, which are saved in the "Hotmail" list, and you can then choose whether you want only the hotmail list to show, or facebook ,linked in etc too. You can then link your contacts, so that when you look up "Dad" it has several options for connecting with that person...email, phone, mobile, facebook wall etc etc. It's very good. It is worth spending half an hour linking the contacts, because you then have just one name for a person rather than Bob Work, Bob Mobile, Bob Bobby Bobson etc...

Battery life - With Battery Saver switched on, I get at least a day or day and a half of heavy use. Although if I play games it tends to drain the battery quite quickly. If you're only a light user, you should see 2 or 3 days from one charge. Without Battery Saver switched on (Always On) - it's the same as any other smartphone... dead by the end of the day.

Cons -
- There is just one volume setting (for media and ringtone) - although the alarm doesn't need a setting - it is automatically set to start quiet, and become very loud if you don't switch it off, which is perfect for a deep sleeper like me!
- No sound profiles like on old nokia's...(silent, meeting, outside etc)
- Bing is the main search engine and it is a refreshing change from Google, but isn't as useful/developed as Google...and lacks any filters on your results. You can of course just open google on the browser.
- Finally, the music app is really good, and great for discovering new music. Equaliser and Dolby Headphone settings sound excellent..but there is no way to view music files by Folder...only by Album / Artist / Song etc... not a big deal, but something I find useful on my Sony MP3 player.
- Sim drawer and headphone jack do not sit completely flush with the top of the phone - so an otherwise very handsome phone is not quite perfect.
- Size. I have my Lumia 520 here and the 925...and the 520 feels just right, and the 925 feels a little too big. I don't know how people cope with even bigger phones. I am getting used to it, but I think a 4.3 inch screen is enough... or 4.5 but with virtually no bezel.

There seems to be something in the way the OS is designed that restricts some functions though. I presume this is the price of having a slick, reliable system, the best example that comes to mind is the TuneIn INternet radio App. On Android there are tonnes of options, including setting the App as an alarm, or an auto switch off option so you can fall asleep or wake up to radio. This is missing on WindowsPhone 8 version of the app. Not a dealbreaker but something to be aware of. Hopefully it will become more customisable in future, without losing the well integrated, reliable functionality.

I hope this helps. I've tried to show all sides of the phone, good and bad, but overall I'm really pleased. Icing on the cake is the worldwide satnav...which works very well.

Update: I forgot to mention the speech recognition...when you have a bluetooth headset attached, the phone automatically reads text messages to you, and allows you to speak your reply. It works very well and is great for driving. There's also an app called Indigo which does similar things to Apple's SIRI... it all works well and picks up my voice quite accurately.

Very good phone and Windows software works really well. People hub especially well thought out. Main concern for me was the battery but found that turning off wifi on the lock screen helps. I was losing a good 30% of battery overnight with the option switched on. Overall a good phone.

Special mention to the service by Amazon. First phone delivered had a fault and was promptly replaced.

I got a 925 through my provider's upgrade. Wonderful, top end phone with superb call quality and much better data downloads even on 2g (my local mast rarely gives 3g) and all the bells and whistles you expect with a top end phone.

The bits I didn't know about before I brought it were - it has a data usage counter (data sense); you can enlarge the text size for contacts, emails and texts(to really, really large), AND it was made in the EU (Hungary) by a company which pays all its taxes in the EU.

I had shunned larger screened phones before because, as a woman, I have smaller hands and I do like to put my phone in my jeans pockets. However, now, I am converted to the clarity of the larger screen which puts less strain on older eyes. The phone is lighter than my Lumia 800 but still has enough weight for it to feel safe in my hands (I just hold it differently) and it does fit in all my jacket pockets as well as safely in my jeans.

You don't have to get a heavy leather pouch to keep it safe either. I just keep the very lightweight charging shell on to protect the back - from the dirt in my pockets!

I got this for the camera and video capabilities and boy do they live up to the hype, especially the low light photos where the camera captures the image with the flash but then switches the flash off before it takes the photo. No more dark or slightly brown photos. Smart shot, however, is not something I'll be using much, except, maybe to capture the grandchildren when they are doing their gymnastic party tricks.

It comes with the higher touch sensitivity switched on, I switched it off for the summer as it is so sensitive you can open an app just by passing a finger above it!

I bought this phone as my iPhone 5 sadly met it's maker after going in the machine, I was a little hesitant to buy in to the WP8 ecosystem as it is not as mature as iOS or Android, but I have to say having bought the device I am very happy with it.

The OS is very different in appearance from iOS and Android, but this isn't a bad thing, it's very slick and fluid, I never seem to get any lag from the device. Yes there aren't the same number of apps available in the app store, but all the ones you'd want to use everyday are there.

The device itself feels very well built and definitely feels like a high end premium handset in your hand, this is perhaps somewhat helped by the aluminium band encircling the device. The screen is gorgeous, colours are much more vivid than they were on my iPhone 5, similarly blacks are inky black, this is presumably because it has an AMOLED Clear Black screen as a pose to the LCD Retina panel on the iPhone.

I know people have complained that the phone is only 16GB with no expandable storage, but at the end of the day I would say most iPhone users buy the 16GB version (due to the cost), and I certainly find that to be more than enough for music, photos and videos. Again the iPhone doesn't have expandable storage,

The preloaded Nokia apps such as Drive are fantastic, and you can use maps and the SatNav function while you are out of a coverage area as these are actually downloaded onto the phone and don't require a data connection, as would be the case on Android or iOS.

I certainly would recommend this phone wholeheartedly to anyone in the market for a high end phone, and Windows Phone is now a viable alternative to iOS and Android, selling significantly more handsets than Blackberry and now with a market share in double digits, the app offering is only going to grow.

This is my second Windows Phone and in cosmetic (software) respects there's no distinguishable difference between WP 7.8 and 8, but this phone takes advantage of NFC, wireless charging and is 4G ready.

The 4.5 HD screen is pretty much comparable to Retina on iPhones, to my eyes. It's very light, has good built quality, and as ever the OS is zippy and intuitive.

The constant - and valid criticism - of all WP phones is lack of apps, but the gap is shortening in regards to all the big ones (Instagram was released just a few days ago), so if you find app variety is not too big a deal right now, this Lumia is probably the best phone in terms of price-feature ratio.

Just what I wanted a smart phone with stand alone GPS and WiFi who needs a simm card? 'Here Maps' Sat Nav is superb now looking into adding Garmin Maping for the outdoors not sure of the avaiabilty but if there is match this will be the best smartphone ever.

I really love it. It is the best Windows 8 smartphone so far on the market. I don't really like Android as an OS, so Nokia Lumia 925 was definitely the choice for me.

I would recommend this smartphone to everyone who is willing to be up to date with the technology and is already used to the new Windows 8 and the Office Package.

I was worried about switching to windows and away from Samsung but I am glad I did. Windows is a really neat system, and I mean neat. No messing around trying to find bit and pieces it is all listed neatly and logically and the tiles at the main page makes life easy. The Nokia 925 has a fantastic camera, if I can really look hard to find some down side to this phone then it has to be breaking so many nails trying to get the back off for access to the sim card. Other than that its great. Simples.