Gadgetory

so the same thing always happens when a new device launches the media gets review units ahead of the official launch and we get to use them while we write our review then the press embargo lifts every outlet posts their reviews and videos at the same time writers and commenters go back and forth and it's a huge frenzy of opinion and buzz for about a day and then it all goes away sure there's some follow-up coverage but after that initial blast almost no one revisits the device to see how well it's aged because we're all onto the next big thing already so let's do something about it let's take a look at Nokia's most metallic update to the Lumia 900 line I'm Michael Fisher this is PocketNow this is the Nokia Lumia 925 and this is episode 25 of after the buzz while it just became available on AT&T in September the Lumia 925 first launched in the United States on t-mobile back in July and it was available in parts of Europe the month before that our own Anton Dean odd reviewed the phone at that time calling it a joy to use and promising that for the right kind of customer it wouldn't disappoint five months later both observations continued to be true the Lumia 925 is indeed something special but now more than ever it also takes the right kind of buyer to appreciate it some of us were a little hard on the 925 at first which took the industrial design of the earlier 920 and modernized it with aluminum trim and a busier backplate while we're still not pleased about the removal of wireless charging and wish the speaker had been kept on the bottom edge it's tough to overstate the beauty of the 925 especially in the black finish of our AT&T unit this is quite a beautiful device and Nokia seems to know it having included the kind of carrying pouch normally included with luxury sunglasses it's lightweight keeps it in the same pocket ability League as something like the iPhone 5s while its aluminum trim puts it a step above something like the galaxy s4 more in line with an HTC One in terms of feel in hand back in June we weren't sure if the change in design language from the earlier was a good idea but given the industries continued march toward thinner and lighter designs the 925 has held up much better than the 920 then even to a degree the newer 1020 in terms of aesthetics the ClearBlack display may not be 1080p but it's excellently sized at 4.5 inches and it's AMOLED fuelled blacks are dark as can be it's color palette as dazzling as ever with regard to nuts and bolts hardware capability there's nothing special here but then there doesn't really need to be given Windows Phones ability to operate smoothly on even middling hardware that positive distinction though can only carry Windows Phones so far we love the fluidity of Microsoft's platform and the fact that the Windows Store has finally landed long-sought titles like Instagram and Vine it's a definite feather in its cap but with the competition on both sides recently rolling out big updates iOS 7 from Apple and Android 4.4 from Google Windows Phone is due for some feature enhancements and an interface refresh it's not necessarily stale but some elements aren't aging well the people and me hubs for example have failed to keep pace with the functionality of the social networks they plug into some live tiles don't always update as often or as seamlessly as they should the clipboard forgets copied content fairly quickly it sounds like quibbling but little shortcomings like that can add up to a subpar experience over time we can only hope that Microsoft addresses them in the next Windows Phone release and that that upgrade will run on the 925 s older hardware on the other hand nokia has thankfully done a great job of keeping these phones up to date with the latest software toys when we unboxed our ATT unit we had almost 20 updates waiting with feature enhancements ranging from app upgrades to bug fixes and those updates just keep coming Nokia's software suite and it's after purchase support is truly outstanding and we hope to see this commitment to meaningful updates continue after the Microsoft acquisition closes one of the biggest enhancements has been the Nokia camera app which made its debut on the Lumia 1020 and allows fancy tricks like manual focus and adjustable shutter speeds exposure and so forth if that's too much for you you've also got the option of sticking with something fun like Nokia smart camera with its various enhancements or even the stock Windows Phone camera app which is pretty bare-bones no matter which app you use they're all driving the same 0.7 megapixel PureView shooter which is excellent though 13 megapixels has become the new high-end benchmark resolution the six element lens and optical stabilization of the 925 means it's likely to be the superior camera in almost any situation especially in low-light scenarios it's not perfect the purple haze color fringing is a little more pronounced than usual on our unit and sometimes you need to tweak the settings to get color balance just right but the fact that those options are available to you in and of itself puts the 925 on another level yes the Lumia 1020 delivers more impressive results but the 925 is also slimmer lighter and $50 cheaper on contract with AT&T speaking of 80 the 925 performed very well on the nation's second largest carrier in the Greater Boston area the LTE throughput excellent as we've come to expect voice quality was excellent on our end as well with a warm sound a nice side tone callers said we sounded a bit crackly but otherwise fine speakerphone quality wasn't quite as good again we wish Nokia hadn't moved it from the bottom edge to the back but at least it's loud and as we've come to expect from 900 series Lumias battery life continues to be good but not great especially after prolonged uptime after many apps have been opened and closed the Snapdragon s4 tends to get pretty hot under a load and that combined with the fairly low battery capacity means the 925 will continue to be a better phone for the tight jeans crowd than the road warriors among us if you're in the latter group you will definitely want to invest in an external battery pack so are you the right kind of buyer who should consider picking up a 925 now five months into its lifecycle well whether it will continue to age well depends largely on what we see in the next version of Windows Phone and there's no guarantee that all of the new versions features will come to the 925 so honestly it's a gamble but if you are buying right now and you're looking for a fluid straightforward user experience and an outstanding an adaptable camera and you don't want to spring for the added bulk or cost of a Lumia 1020 or 1520 the 925 is a real beauty despite its shortcomings just treat it with kid gloves or keep it in its protective pouch to preserve the resale value would you get the 925 did you just buy the 925 what is your relationship with the 925 let us know in the comments below and toss us a like please if you did enjoy the video also check out our full review of the Lumia 925 it's been up at pocketnow.com since the summertime go have a look at that and as always thank you so much for watching please follow us on social network so you don't miss future coverage and we will see you very soon