Lumia 525 announced: Nokia’s budget-friendly Windows Phone gets a modest update

By Andy Boxall November 27, 2013

Nokia Lumia 525 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nokia has updated its very popular Lumia 520 smartphone, the low-cost – available for as little as $100 on Pay As You Go – Windows Phone device which has helped drive sales of Microsoft’s platform in the U.S. and elsewhere. The new model is called the Lumia 525, and it’s a modest rather than a ground-breaking revision.

On the surface, it’s hard to tell the pair apart, as the dimensions are identical at 9.9mm thick and 124 grams in weight, all wrapped up in a curvy, colorful plastic body shell. As the phone looks the same, it’s no surprise to find the screen hasn’t changed either, meaning it still measures 4-inches and has a 480 x 800 pixel resolution.

You actually need to look very hard to find the differences between the Lumia 520 and Lumia 525. They both share the same processor, a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, but the Lumia 525 has 1GB of RAM instead of a mere 512MB. This will certainly help it cope with the more modern apps found inside the Windows Phone Store, but probably won’t make a huge difference in everyday use.

Nokia has added its Nokia Black software to the Lumia 525, which brings a few new features to the phone. These include the revised version of Glance, where notifications and other information appear on the sleep screen, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and updated camera software. Nokia’s Smart Cam, Cinemagraph, and Glam Me photo tools also come as standard.

Otherwise, we can’t spot any other alterations. The camera still has 5-megapixels and doesn’t come with a flash, there’s 8GB of storage and a MicroSD card slot, plus Bluetooth 4.0, and 3G HSPA connectivity.

The Lumia 525 is sure to go on sale in most places eventually, replacing the Lumia 520, but for now the phone will debut in Singapore on December 14, with other regions to be confirmed.

Editors' Recommendations

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

Nokia 3.1 Plus vs. Moto E5 Plus: Battle of the big screen budget phones

hmd global nokia us carrier partnerships verizon cricket wireless 3 1 plus 5

The Nokia 3.1 Plus has just arrived in the U.S. on Cricket Wireless, ready to challenge your expectations of a budget phone. It boasts a big screen, dual rear camera, and runs the latest Android 9.0 Pie, but still manages to come in at $160. This end of the market is pretty competitive and the Moto E5 Plus is an obvious alternative. It also has a 6-inch display and unbeatable stamina with a huge battery.

Which of these plus-sized smartphones deserves your attention? Let's find out as we pit the Nokia 3.1 Plus against the Moto E5 Plus in various categories to determine a winner.
Specs

Mobile

Nokia 7.1 vs. Honor 8X vs. Moto G6: Budget phone battle royale

Nokia 7.1 pattern

If you're shopping for a new Android smartphone and you don't want to spend too much, then you're spoiled for choice right now. There are lots of attention-worthy options on the market that won't break the bank. The Moto G6 is probably the best known, but the Honor 8X has an awful lot to offer, and the Nokia 7.1 is an exciting new contender.

We decided to pit these three relatively cheap phones against each other to find out which is best in various categories. In the end, there can be only one winner.
Specs

Mobile

Save $1,120 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 with this deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 display.

Samsung was the first company to bring foldable phones into the market, and while there have been a lot of other offerings from various companies, Samsung's foldables still remain at the head of the pack. In fact, one of the best foldables on the market is currently the Galaxy Z Fold 5. While it isn't as big of an upgrade compared to the Fold 4, if you're entering the foldable market for the first time and want to get the best, then the Fold 5 is the foldable to go for, especially if you're already integrated into Samsung's ecosystem.

That said, the best of the best can be very expensive, and that's true of the Fold 5. Luckily, there's a great deal directly from Samsung wherein you can save up to $1,000 worth of trade-in credit, as well as a storage upgrade from 256GB to 512GB, which is worth around $120. Even better, if you don't have or want to trade in, you can still take advantage of the storage upgrade, which is excellent since the Fold 5 doesn't have expandable storage.