Nokia announces the Lumia 925: a thinner, lighter aluminum body coming June for 469 euros

Nokia's second announcement for May is arguably a more notable progression from the Lumia 920 than the US-only Lumia 928. This is the Lumia 925. It's another flagship, but this one's setting its sights on the rest of the world. The first thing to note is the change in build materials and profile. While the rest of the Lumia range have stuck to plastics -- typically glossy polycarbonate -- the Lumia 925 is Nokia's first Windows Phone to be packed into an aluminum frame. One of the benefits of this change in design? The handset's weight has plummeted. While the phone has the same dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 1GB RAM and 8.7-megapixel OIS camera of the 920, the Lumia 925 is almost 50 grams (1.8 ounces) lighter than last year's Lumia 920.

Despite a thinner 8.8mm profile, there's an identical 2,000mAh battery. Alas, instead of built-in wireless charging, you'll have to purchase an accessory cover to enable the function on the 925. Said covers will come in red, yellow, black and white, offering a splash of color to the three understated monochrome shades (white, grey and black) of the hardware. The 925 model also sports an 4.5-inch AMOLED screen, so while it matches the resolution of the existing 920 (1,280 x 768), those on-screen blacks -- a regular occurrence with the Windows Phone OS -- should be notably deeper than the LCD competition. It's also coated in Gorilla Glass 2, with ClearBlack tech and a high-brightness mode to improve outdoor visibility and the same super-sensitive touchscreen that means you'll be able to steer the phone with your gloves on. There's more to say about camera improvements -- jump past some Nokia-approved sample shots below to hear more. %Gallery-188138%

Nokia continues to develop its photo tech, but the Lumia 925 concentrates on software -- it's lacking the xenon flash upgrade we saw on the Lumia 928. Here, it's all about the Smart Cam: a new app that can be assigned to the physical camera button and one that builds on the company's Scalado acquisition. The camera app takes 10 images in a burst, and then offers the user several options for using them. There's Best Shot (picking out an algorithm-based winner), Action Shot (which combines several images of a moving subject to create a stop-motion single shot) and Motion Focus (which adds a simple motion blur to everything that's not moving).

The Lumia 925 hasn't shirked on the imaging hardware, although it may be the same 8.7-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor seen on the rest of the 920 series. There are, however, some incremental improvements. Nokia's added a sixth glass element to the five-lens Carl Zeiss array we've used before and we've been told this will improve the sharpness of images -- something that the phone's built-in optical image stabilization also assists with. The Lumia 925 will launch in parts of Europe and China this June, priced at 469 euros (roughly $609), but we're promised an eventual appearance in the US. We'll have a hands-on for you as soon as Nokia's London event wraps up.

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Nokia introduces Nokia Lumia 925

New interpretation of world's most innovative smartphone captures the best low light images
London, UK – Nokia today introduced the Nokia Lumia 925, a new interpretation of its award-winning flagship, the Nokia Lumia 920. The Nokia Lumia 925 introduces a metal design and showcases the latest PureView camera innovation, new features and third party applications coming to the Nokia Lumia range.

The Nokia Lumia 925 includes the most advanced lens technology and next generation imaging software to capture clearer, sharper pictures and video, including the best low light images. The Nokia Lumia 925 also introduces the new Nokia Smart Camera mode, coming as an update to all Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones. Nokia Smart Camera offers an easy way to capture ten images at once and edit the pictures with options like Best Shot, Action Shot, and Motion Focus for creating the perfect high quality image.

Nokia also announced Hipstamatic will arrive on Nokia Lumia smartphones, allowing people to share their high quality pictures with like-minded enthusiasts on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram.

"We keep innovating," said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. "We're advancing experiences on Nokia Lumia portfolio whether that means great new benefits for an existing Lumia owner, or bringing new showcase devices like the Nokia Lumia 925."
The Nokia Lumia 925 introduces metal for the first time to the Nokia Lumia range, bringing appeal and unique benefits like increased robustness.

The polycarbonate back comes in white, grey or black. A wireless charging cover can be clipped onto the back of the phone to take advantage of Nokia's extensive wireless charging accessories and ecosystem. Covers, sold separately, come in white, black, yellow, and red.
Leading Nokia services, such as the HERE suite of integrated location and navigation services and Nokia Music for unlimited streaming of free music playlists, add to the great proposition offered by Nokia's latest smartphone.

Sales are expected to start in UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and China in June, followed by the US and a number of other markets. The Nokia Lumia 925 will be priced around 469 EUR before taxes and subsidies. Country-specific pricing and availability will be announced locally.