Yesterday, AT&T and Nokia released the slim and mostly-metal Lumia 925, bringing along with it one of the nation’s largest LTE networks at a $99 price point ($429 off contract). Today, we go hands on with the latest Nokia offering and come away impressed.
Featuring 16GB of internal storage (12GB available), a 4.5-inch AMOLED display with ClearBlack and an 8.7MP PureView camera with that extra lens-element for improved sharpness, there’s a lot to like about the Lumia 925. The phone is cool-to-the-touch due to the aluminum frame and it comes in elegant black (as opposed to T-Mobile’s brighter white offering). The OS is build 1328 (GDR2) and like other AT&T GDR2 devices, unfortunately lacks Data Sense.
Though the device omits the extra 16GB of storage found on the Lumia 920 and 1020 and neglects wireless charging, the Lumia 925 offers a more conservative and sophisticated style than those other two devices. Simply put, this device looks fantastic just lying there with the Glance screen on and the cool, reflective metal and display.
Replacement for the Lumia 920? Nope, just a much thinner and lighter sister-device for a different audience.
We’ve reviewed the Nokia Lumia 925 in the past and did a follow up hands on with the T-Mobile version, but look for a mini-review of the AT&T variant in the coming days. For now, you can watch our unboxing video and check out our high quality photos.
The AT&T Nokia Lumia 925 is now available at your local store or online.
Have questions? Want to discuss the Nokia Lumia 925? Head into our 925 forums and get your answers: forums.wpcentral.com/nokia-lumia-925
Reader comments
AT&T Nokia Lumia 925 - Unboxing and first impressions
I wish my 920 on at&t had the amber update
Dude. Sweet. Leading the way in mobile hardware.
The black 925 is SO ATTRACTIVE THOUGH
I traded in my 920 and now have the 925 and I love it! I am bummed about giving up my 920, but the overheating and wireless charge fail became an issue. I already had to send it in once they sent me a refurb that was worse than what I had. Plus I had an upgrade and I'm tired of waiting for Amber lol. But I really like this 925. After I traded in a few phones, I basically paid tax. They don't have the charging case in store (shocking *_*) but trusty amazon to the rescue for accessories as always. My armorsuit shield fits exactly, which is nice. I'm not used to all this lightness though ;) I actually like heavy, solid phones.
one caveat...wait until you get home to transfer your apps as at&t WiFi in store never seems to work, and I just got all my data sucked up in one day since I thought it was using their WiFi.
If they're going to end the exclusivity deal with T-Mobile (I wonder how T-Mobile feels about that), they might as well go all out and bring this to multiple carriers, particularly those with no Nokia presence right now, like Sprint or U.S. Cellular. What is the purpose of bringing yet another Lumia to AT&T when they already have a bunch and are due for many more in the coming months? Spread the wealth, Nokia! Geezus.
Colp, you way want to add every CDMA carrier not named Verizon (which is virtually everyone else). Nokia has an issue with all of them since their legal issues with Qualcomm, and to earn trust they need to abide to the conditions they are requiring, which are in line with Sprint's requirements.
I am getting this phone
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Will post later.</p>
925 is nice but they took away built in wireless charging and 16 gigs. Of storage for the same price, sucks.
"Replacement for the Lumia 920? Nope, just a much thinner and lighter sister-device for a different audience."
Are you still pushing that poor rationalization?
What's poor about it? For me this phone is a refreshing change from polycarbonate.
Your misinterpreting my comment. I am not saying that the phone itself is necessarily "poor". I am saying that Mr. Rubino is still pushing the idea that the 925 is for a "different audience" than the 920, which is to my analysis incorrect and simply just a rationalization of the main critique that many people have of the 925, that for a flagship it lacks sufficient memory.
If the 925 had 32 gb of memory we would see less complaining and would likely see that quite a few people would prefer the 925 over the 920. Given an overall equivalence, when would lighter and thinner be for a different audience? Given a rough equivalence, lighter and thinner would likely always be preferred. That is not a "different audience."
If t-mobile had the 32gb version with WiFi calling, I'd order it in a heartbeat.
Well you are halfway there...T-Mobile does have Wi-Fi calling for free.
Is the Power button pushed in?
I bought mine and i dont know if it is so on purpose or not?
This black really looks sexy! But I much prefer my grey one. Fits perfectly with the aluminium frame.
I liked how you pointed out the polycarbonate issue on the back, next to the upper corners. Happened to me, as well.
As usual, a great review from you guys. Keep it up!
Sales reps at my local at&t store did their best to sell me an iPhone and argued with me that Lumias were running windows RT! Carriers only care about getting the contract and have little interest in support.
They likely get a nice commission for every high-end smartphone they sell.
One of the best phones on the market. With the cloud, who needs extra storage? I pre ordered this and they shipped it a week early, nice.
Oh, and there is a great wireless charging hack that you have to get some nerve to execute on. Look for it here on WP Central, too bad its only in French. I did it today and can validate it works. All you need is a wireless charging shell, charging plate, some patience, a mobile phone repair kit from Radio Shack, and nerves of steel. Hope to post my photo essay on the hack soon. Once completed, you can charge wirelessly without the added shell.
I was kind of sceptical about this. Please, post a video to youtube and share it with us here =)
...
Right, i bought a 32gb micro sd card and it's pretty darn small....how hard is it to incorporate extra memory for a small extra cost for something so tiny that if i risked putting it near my penis, i fear I'd lose it down my jap eye!?
I have to admit this is a really sexy phone. If only it had at least 32gb storage... Wireless charging isn't a huge deal for me but I need a good amount of space on my phone.
They have time to fuck around with new phones but when it comes to releasing a simple update they just cant, -___-
That problem there-in lies with AT&T and other carriers. Phones like the 920 have had GDR2 avalible for almost a month, perhaps even longer. Sadly, the carriers and refusing to roll out the update until they approve it, and they usually take their time...
That sock... I want.
Anyway I can purchase it for my 1020? I'd be willing to pay upto $10 for that sock, I honestly think it's that awesome.
Guess there's not going to be an unboxing/review of the ATIV S Neo.
Blame Sprint and Samsung for not sending out a review device :/
Have they given you an explanation? Or do they just not like you guys?
...if your latter question is indeed the reason... GEE, I wonder why.
What's that supposed to mean? We reviewed every Samsung phone in the past with positive reviews. We also reviewed the 8XT on Sprint, once again, mostly positive.
We'll leave it to the court of public opinion to decide.
Dang...that's just not cool! You should put up a front page article...saying so...maybe calling out Sprint will get them off their arse's?
Well, first I'd heard they hadn't sent one out, too bad for those of us on Sprint.
Would be interesting to read and see reaction to it.
Surprising that it was launched here in India first. Isn't it the opposite usually?
L925 was first released on T-mobile months ago. The one being reviewed here is the AT&T version.
Once again Americans get the gimped version. Haha.
Said the dude with a mud house
Off topic: How those contracts work?? 99 USD is pretty cheap for the phone ??
Because you'll pay a couple grand for it over the lifespan of your 2yr contract.
What is the deal with the att stores and the push of either iPhones or S4... If I don't want one then back off!
Yeah, I remember going out a year and a half ago to buy the Lumia 900 on launch weekend. My local AT&T Store was sold out, but I do remember the sales rep. talking about the 900's data connection bug, and then trying to sell me the iPhone instead. I then matter-of-factly told him how the 900's data bug was purely software related, and a fix was being pushed out in just a matter of days. I also explained how the iPhone 4 had hardware related connectivity issues, meaning a messily software update wouldn't do anything.
AT&T needs to have one representative in every store for every major mobile ecosystem (so at least three per store). That way, there will be one person pushing iOS, one person pushing Android, and one person pushing Windows Phone. It'd be great, because they would all balance each other out in terms of bias, each one explaining the benefits of the ecosystem they're trying to sell, and pointing out the flaws in the other ecosystems.
That way, the consumer (who very likely won't know anything about technology, statistically speaking) will hear the pros and cons of every OS, and can then make a fair and informed purchase. It's a beautiful model, yet sadly, it's one that'd be hard to implement, so I doubt it will ever happen, especially since AT&T is constantly cycling through flagship devices.
I want one
The 920 is still the better beast especially when the update hits it!
My first impressions???? Hmmm, what the hell is gdr2 doing on here? Someone screwed up. . . Again. Oh, at&t
I was stoked about this device but the USB on top? I use my phone in a mount in my car. Why put this USB on top? Not a good position for it. Guess I'll keep my L920 a while longer.
I seem to be alone in this, but one of the things I miss most from the Lumia 900 since I've gotten my 1020 is USB on top. I just think it's more convenient, as it doesn't get in the way when you're using it while charging.
My L920 uses wireless charging so that's taken care of. But my phone sits portrait in my car for GPS. The bottom is the best place for the USB port..
I do have to admit a lot of confusion over the Other issue. I have an AT&T branded 920, so no GDR2 yet, and the Other issue has never raised its head.
I have tons of music and a few download videos running around 13GB. On the phone, the other slips between 2-3.5GB. On the Metro Windows Phone App, it always reads higher, usually around 4.
Is it carriers who are helping to limit memory size? I ask because why would a 32GB device (1020) be released in one market, and a 64GB device in another? This is one thing that Apple got right, always listing a 16, 32, and 64GB device.
It always puzzled me why on Windows Phones, the lower or mid-range devices always got the expandable memory through MicroSD, but the supposed flagships did not. I think this may be one thing that hampered the HTC 8X. The specs on the 8S were clearly inferior in many respects, leaving out some features, but the memory expansion was great.
For Photography on the Lumia 1020, it clearly needs the 32GB, but that is hardly robust enough for a lot of photo storage and manipulation in the camera, especially since essentially 2 versions of the photo are taken. Imagine said phone with an additional 64GB of storage. This is why for the first time and even larger phone intrigues me. The 1520 strikes a better balance and deserves the higher price tag if it will add the rumored added storage.
Nokia refuses to add expandable memory to its premium flagship devices, because they say it would deteriorate from the design. It's unfortunate, but for me, 32GB is enough (although, my deepest sympathies to Lumia 925 owners who are stuck with 16GB).
However, the upcoming Lumia 1520 is said to have expandable memory, likely stemming from the fact that, it's so big, they can easily add a MicroSD slot without taking away from the design.
Walked into att to check out the 1020 and this dude came up to me telling me how bad the 1020 was and blah blah.and tried selling me a Samsung galaxy s4 which l wasn't interested in. All the time he was talking l figured he personally hasn't used a windows phone before.
Yep, agreed...they never have had one in their hand
The Lumia 925 is the ONLY black device I have ever, in life, considered purchasing. Like, ever! I actually thouht about getting the Lumia 925 in white, but there is no way I will ever spend money on a phone with T-Mobile branded on it.
I am going to get the Lumia 1020, but I am going to purchase the Lumia 925 in black shortly thereafter.
Lovely looking device.
I don't understand why you have no problem having att branded phone but not the TMobile. What is the difference? As a matter of fact TMobile phones have higher resale value then any other branded phones in US. Once unlocked, they could be used on Att or Tmobile bands with no problem.
This! Black 925 is just so sexy. If not for built in wireless charging and 32gb storage I'm happily ditch my black 920.
How many phones you need?
You walk into a att store and the employees trying to drive you towards a Samsung s4.att needs to do something about this
Ironic that AT&T gets all the exclusives.
Att is faster then Verizon
In a foot race or what?
Does AT&T think people will go out and buy this thing retail to get GDR2/Amber? Is that why they are stalling the update? Also, why are they withholding Data Sense? It's makes no Damn Sense unless they are hoping the masses will all go over their allotted data, so they can get the overages.
Does this have the same radio as 920? If so, what the EFF are they testing that's taking so long?
Of course AT&T doesn't think that, because the number of people that have any clue what GDR2/Amber is, or care even if they have even heard of it, is miniscule and has no effect on AT&T.
I went into my ATT store and the salesman said he "thought" the 925 was available yesterday (Friday), but they didn't yet have one on display... sigh... Anyway, I picked up the Note 2, just to get an idea of what, at 5.5", would be similar to a 1520. I've been waiting for a larger screen than my 4.7" Titan, but 6" is just too big for me.
For those who are saying that the phone on T-Mobile is expensive here is the math for the phone on AT&T:
Contact length on AT&T: 24 Months
Subsidary embedded in contract per month: $24
24 month payout via contact: $480
Cost of phone in store: $99
Total paid for phone for AT&T $579
Total paid for phone at T-Mobile: $509
For $70 over 24 months or <$3 per month, the additional coverage that AT&T brings is much more than worth it. Also, you need to look at the employee discounts if you are employed with some big employers. AT&T have much more customers than T Mo, that means your M2M minutes are worth more on AT&T. Rollover minutes etc. etc.. and you can see that $70 over 2 years is not a big deal ..
Total savings for equivalent service on T-Mobile for average customer: $1200
Getting OS updates: Priceless
Can you provide a link to the amount that AT&T Subsidizes?
I haven't never heard of a carrier actually put a dollar or percentage on their subsidies.
Maybe he just means the difference between the T-Mobile equivalent plan and AT&Ts plan. I have never heard of a number for that either otherwise.
I pay around $22/month less on T-Mobile than on AT&T ($79.xx vs $101.xx), which is why I made that assumption, figured with different taxes and fees in different states maybe it comes out to that where the poster lives.
Of course, $24 x 24 is actually $576, and the result in the post is $480, so maybe he meant $20...
For me, the total cost difference would be $118 over the life of the contract. Of course, there are plans like Walmart's plan that would save hundreds of dollars more.
However, this misses a MAJOR point - with T-Mobile in this case you would have unlimited data AND not be tied to a contract. If you want to switch phones, or just switch provider you can do so. No such luck with AT&T.
Yes, AT&T has better coverages in many cases, but T-Mobile serves me very well and I have zero desire to go back to supporting the draconian business model that AT&T has. I really hope T-Mobile's model where you pay for the phone separately from the service works out, because it's just so much more honest and consumer friendly.
+ 1. :)
I can't provide you a link but I worked for a Major carrier and know the revenue models. The amount per month that covers the subsidy of a phone averages to about $20 a month on a discount plan. It's easy to break down when you understand how the industry works.
So out of that $70 the average consumer will only use 20 to 30 dollars' worth of services leaving $40 to $50 to cover operating expenses which includes the phone subsidy The actuarial table for phone subsidy plans is to have them paid off in 18 months. And when the phone balance is paid off the dollar amount of the service price to consumers stays the same.
24x24=576+99=675
Walked in to an At&t store today and had forgotten that they now have the 925, I loved it. I had always been a fan of the black version and it looked sleek and sexy. This really is a beautiful device as Daniel Rubino had stated since its unveil!
When will the next generation of Lumia 9xx be arriving?
I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
There is no more 9XX. It's all 10XX from now on.
Yes but...Lumia? Or maybe Surfia? Lurface?
How do you know that? I wouldn't be surprised if the 10XX was kept for the mega camera models and they'd still keep the 9XX series going.
After the 1520 and the unnamed Nokia tablet. I'm waiting for the true successor to the 920 as well.
Besides the specifics AT&T apps what are the differences between the AT&T and the TMobile versions that make worth a new unboxing and first impressions??
People who are on AT&T and missed the original. People doing searches. Not everyone reads every article or visits this site daily.
Thank you for responding me.
On looks alone I would trade my Lumia 1020 for the 925.
Said nobody ever.
Biggest and the most important difference is the T-Mobile version supports AWS (Pentaband) while the ATT version does not
Based on pics alone I can tell the 1520 is thinner. Went to at&t today to hold the 925 and galaxy mega (to get a rough estimate of how to wield the 1520). 925 is still that sexy prom queen I lust after. The galaxy mega was so ridiculous though lol. I love the 1520 but I'm going to have to rewire my brain on how to hold a device on order to use it day to day
Just my thoughts
Another great review Daniel.
This phone is a real breakthrough for ATT customers since it already comes with GDR2 in it
1020 has it too.
This would've been mine on T-Mobile until my wife decided to use her upgrade. Now that I have my unlocked yellow 920, I realize I can go back to a 16gb device. I have 11gb of movies(FlashVideo), games and only thing I'm missing is my music collection and I still have more available memory than what you get out of the box with this.
I'm loving my NL 925 and still have 7.5 GB of storage with games, musics and vidoes. :-P
My music alone is over triple your remaining storage.
My entire music collection is just over 5gb. And only about half of that will probably end up on my phone. I guess I'm not much of a purchaser of music even though I like lots of it.
You must not have ANYTHING on your phone.lol And if you have 7.5gb left you must be very picky about what you put on it.:P
Yup! I just picked what I needed to used on my phone. No need to dump every xbox musics, videos, and games on my phone and complain the storage space is not enough. :-P What happened to you I haven't seen you for a while?
I've been around. Just more so observing than commenting. Plus now that I have a WP8 phone I've been enjoying all the new features and playing around with this L920 camera. I have a few posts in the Pictures and Video taken with your Lumia 920 thread and hope to add more.:)
So Daniel, wouldn't this L925 be close enough in design to the L920 that the testing excuse we keep getting from AT&T regarding GDR2/Amber is now officially ridiculous? I know, beating a dead horse here it seems...
16GB is a deal breaker for me.
Big chance to AT&T release GDR2 without data sense..
COME ON! I am really unhappy to AT&T. I just bought my L920 on AT&T thinking the update were fast and better to WP! I don't even live in US. I've unlocked my phone but it still have AT&T limitation!
I am like you getting PRETTY tired of the treatment from AT&T. My Samsung Focus never got multiple updates and now I am sitting here with my mellow yellow 920 not feeling so mellow. What is it with them and their total "disrespect" for their paying and enthusiastic Windows Phone customers. You know they are absolutely aware of this B.S.
Should have bought the Rogers version, pentaband and has got the update too.
You can flash to the Rogers GDR2 ROM, it comes w/ Data Sense and LTE is enabled, plus no carrier splash screen :P
Which numer of the ROM?
I've try with two other ROM and couldn't do it..
Ugh I wish tmo had the black its soo much nicer
I may have found a way around this problem..Buy a used TM 925 ans swap bodies :)
Stopped by an AT&T store today and checked out the 925. It really is a very nice looking device and feels great in hand.
That black is sexy!
Nokia always knew how to make a great design with high quality. A beautiful quality! I fell in love with my Nokia 2300, then 2600, then 1661, then N8, then Lumia 800, then 720, and now I need to put my hands on this 925!!!
I got my first phone, Nokia Xpress music 5230, when the time for change came, I couldn't ditch it, I still have it :p I love Nokia <3
16GB is the big weak spot for this one, IMO, especially without being able to add a microSD card. I'm quite happy with my L920 Yellow, and if I were to upgrade would go the L1020 Yellow route. Still, this L925 is a nice addition to the lineup, and will certainly grab the demand of some.
I have 9gb of apps and media and 10.5 GB of " other storage" so really about same as 16 GB of because gdr2 I assume fixes that's issue
My "Other" storage is at 753MB on the my T-Mo NL925 with 7.4GB free, for reference. I'm very happy with the Other storage situation on GDR2--problem is gone as far as I can tell.
My other storage is at 253MB on my 925. Though I got mine from Germany
My other storage on my 925 is 2.67GB so its far from gone
You have a fundamental misunderstanding of Other storage, how it works and what the original issue was.
So tell us, what is using up 2.67 GB? How come no other OS suffers from this annoyance that MS has made us believe is "normal"?
Lol @ you dude! The iPhone suffers from the same "Other" storage problem.
Here are some links for you :)
http://www.ipodrepublic.com/iphone/fixing-issue-other-files-iphone-memory/2010/03/31/
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1847881?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2367194?start=0&tstart=0
:)
Edit: to answer your question: "what is using up 2.67 GB?"
E-Mails(and E-Mail Attachments!), SMS/MMS, Settings, Temp Files (IE,etc.), Maps, etc. ...deleting most of those files will shrink the other storage.
No, it does not; on my 920, with GDR2, "other" is 8.7 GB and does not includes maps, email etc. These are listed separately and simply adding "other" plus emails, docs, maps, music, pictures etc. match exactly the amount of free space I have.
It manages it a lot better that other will be dynamic it will shrink and grow as needed
My other storage is at 3.5 GB, but that's the highest I've seen it since getting GDR2. Before it was anywhere between 4 and 8 GB.
...
I get & keep a lot of emails, I have over 7 GB of games and I have a ton of music on my SD (I don't really know if the music affects it or not, but I'm assuming something about it does). So I think 3.5 GB isn't that unreasonable.
This is why many of us would like this gdr2 update. Not for the glance or the camera update but for this "other storage" issue but please correct me if I'm wrong if I decided to download to my hearts content will this 10.5 GB of other storage affect me? If not then I really don't need this update but it does suck how the new Lumias have the other fixed
The gdr2 update reduces/cleans unused metadata/files from the other storage when needed
Ya, I agree. Just checked mine and I'm at 12gb...with 17 left. I take alot of pics with my 920
Agree! My wife's HTC 8x ran out of space quickly and she had few pictures, some apps and no music. 16 GB is just not enough, especially with the OS and other storage taking up large chunks of memory. I'm not sure why WP companies didn't offer 3 storage variants like apple does; it's one thing I do like about the iPhone. My 32gb 920 ran out of storage, a few days ago and I had to delete 1.5gb of temp files. My 6 GB of "other storage" is still there :(
How many WP are available on AT&T now? With the amount of variety in store, market saturation has to be on the rise!
520/620/820/920/925/1020/
Only 6 Windows Phones... all they need is a 720
Lumia 520 (GoPhone), Lumia 620 (Aio Wireless, owned by AT&T), Lumia 920, Lumia 925, Lumia 1020 and the HTC 8X.
Lumia 820 was discontinued.
As much as I might not like at&t, I gotta appreciate their support for the WP platform, especially when the other carriers were slow to adopt.
Just wish their salesman/women knew about the WM platform
@ @ mjfadaway I totaly agree...
Since when was it discontinued?
I don't know, but it doesn't show up on their site. Must have sold poorly.
The 8 series seems to be the bad seeds of the family. Only the 800 was covered, be it by a limited audience due to availability.
I find it better than my 920. Lighter, slimmer a better camera( from what's been said) and what's the difference with 32 GB on my 920 ? I still have about 10.5 GB if other storage so that's about as much memory as the 925 at the end.i have a case on my 920 so a charging case for it would be no big deal .gonna think about it but hope when gdr3 comes out we won't be last again my mind will be made up then
What's the difference? For you, maybe nothing. For me, I have 14.41 GB of music on my 920. I love listening to music on my device, so the added storage is a MUST, when no microSD slot is available.
Do they make charging cases for the 925?
Yes and the Microsoft store gives you one with your 925 for free.
Thanks, I just looked at it. Similar to the one for the 1020.
I dunno... I kinda like the white on mine more than that blackWhy is it cheaper than the T-Mobile one off contract?
That was my question as well, I wonder why?
I have a 920, but that $429 sounds tempting
Here in my country, black WP phones tend to be cheaper than colored ones - and I don't know why either. Maybe for the same unknown reason, that's why the black AT&T is cheaper?
I have no idea either. All I know is that for the 920, black uses a matte finish whereas red, yellow and white uses a glossy finish. Could that be the reason?
In my country, Malaysia, all Nokia phones, regardless of colour, are given the same price. Same can be said of the other manufacturers like HTC, Samsung and Sony as examples.
It usually has to do with demand or what they think people prefer. Strange that this didn't apply to the 920 or 1020 and all colors were the same price.
It is called economy of scale. They know they will sell more black so they produce more black thus drive the costs associated down to produce that style. The case is only a visible cost that we as purchasers see directly.
Even if we remove the scale argument there is some greater elasticity with pricing to color. In the market people currently feel it personalizes it and personalization is a willing extra cost for people. This willingness to pay more for color (in some markets) is probably more of a sellers choice then directly associated with Nokia's pricing structure. Although, one must also consider that Nokia offers the seller for 100,000 units you get price A for 250,000 you get lower price per unit of B. The seller also knows tht Black is the color most people purchase so they order 250k blace and 100k yellow and that ads to the cost too. But, hey what do I know it has been 20 years since I took an economics class.
If this had 32 GB of storage, or a SIM tray, I'd run out right now
A SIM tray?
He probably meant an SD card slot.
Yes, meant SD tray...sorry, two 3 year olds crawling on me while watching AL/A&M
A SIM tray? All phones have a SIM tray, no?
No
I present to you non 4G cdma phones.
For an example, the BlackBerry Style 9670.
The 32GB version is Vodafone exclusive, but you can order it online at Amazon. It's unlocked, it only has a Vodafone logo when booting.
Yes
Nice