Nokia Lumia 625: Hands-on and first impressions

Nokia unveiled the Lumia 625 to the media yesterday, introducing an affordable Windows Phone with a 4.7-inch display. As the chosen name would suggest, it's a budget smartphone. The market is certainly shifting into a cheaper war and Nokia is looking to further strengthen its arsenal of products to better compete against manufacturers. So what is the new Lumia 625 like and is it worth checking out?

Having on spent a handful of minutes actually playing with the units handed out, the Lumia 625 is a solid smartphone for the price. Going to be priced at around £200 at launch (depending on mobile operators and retailers - will also be available subsidised), it's a premium experience for a small price tag. It's worth remembering that this is a budget phone and isn't meant to sport all the bells and whistles.

If you're familiar with the Lumia 620 you'll get on well with the Lumia 625. The 4.7-inch display is the largest screen on any Lumia Windows Phone and is a breeze to use. The only issue is the resolution, which is set at 800x480. Sure, it's not 720p, but it's a budget handset. If you're looking to pick up a smartphone for under £200 you're not going to be expecting a high-end product. No NFC, no wireless charging, but we do have microSD and 4G support.

Nokia also covered some of the design elements of the Lumia 625, and one that really caught our attention is how light wraps around the curved glass. Nokia notes this as an illusion and it just further emphasises the pebble look. The microUSB port is at the bottom, along with the usual buttons on the side. As we covered in our earlier coverage, the cases can be swapped to keep the device looking fresh with multiple colours to choose from - red, white, black, green and yellow.

Will the Lumia 625 be the choice for many consumers? Absolutely. The combination of a large screen and more affordable pricing will appeal to many.