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Nokia Lumia 625 official: a 4.7-inch Windows Phone with LTE, coming this September for 220 euros (hands-on)

The rumors were true. Nokia's revealed its biggest phone to date, with a screen measuring in at 4.7 inches. It's the Lumia 625, and it joins a series that has grown a fair bit since the Lumia 620 launched earlier this year. Compared to that earlier phone, the 625 keeps the same resolution (a slightly pixelated 800 x 480), but bumps the processing power up to a dual-core Snapdragon S4. Despite that hulking LCD screen, however, it's still thinner than the Lumia 920 at 9.15mm (0.36 inches). It's a Nokia smartphone, so there are plenty of HSPA radio gadgetry to keep the global fanbase happy. What's more -- and this is rare for an entry-level Lumia -- it also has LTE. Specifically, we're looking at the British EE-friendly Band 3 option here, alongside Bands 7 and 10.

If there's anything to remind us that this is no flagship device, it's the camera. Don't expect any 41-megapixel sensors. In fact, get ready to be a little underwhelmed by a 5-megapixel camera module, although you'll still get the likes of the animated gif-making Cinemagraph and the same Smart Camera app seen on the Lumia 925. You'll have 8GB of internal memory to fill with your best photo moments, and there's also a microSD slot behind the removable back. Meanwhile, customization options include orange, green, yellow, white and black cases, although there's no turquoise shade like we saw on the Lumia 620. It's headed to EE, Vodafone, O2, Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse in early September, priced at £200 or 220 euros for continental Europeans. Find our hands-on impressions (and a video!) right after the break.

If you thought the notion of Nokia's biggest-screened phone would result in an unwieldy tablet-bordering size, don't worry. The thinner profile makes it as easy to handle as the Lumia 925, while the matte plastic finish means fingers can keep a handle on it. Those brighter color options look great in real life, reflecting lots of light, something that might not be obvious in all of our hands-on shots. The screen is pretty disappointing, with off-angle views suffering substantially. With that WVGA display now spread across 4.7 inches, the pixel density now comes in below 200 ppi, making icons and text a shade more jagged than we'd liked. (For reference, the Lumia 620 was around 246 ppi.)

That mid- to high-end Snapdragon S4 processor means the smartphone didn't stall during our short playtime. We didn't get a chance to test out the camera, although our samples shots from 5-megapixel sensors found in other Lumia handsets should offer a decent estimate of how pictures will turn out, with some extra functionality from the aforementioned Smart Camera app. Barring concerns with screens and the camera, its low off-contract price -- with LTE-capability -- could make the 625 a very enticing package for first-time smartphone buyers.

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Fun, Fast and Affordable: Nokia Unveils Lumia 625

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced the Nokia Lumia 625, an accessibly priced 4G smartphone to help people see more of what they love. The Nokia Lumia 625 delivers high-speed entertainment to a wide audience with a large 4.7-inch super-sensitive LCD screen and 4G Internet access.

Nokia Lumia 625Building on the award winning Nokia Lumia design, the Nokia Lumia 625 includes five brightly coloured changeable shells, which add to the Live Tile personalisation brought by Windows Phone 8.

The Nokia Lumia 625 also provides many innovations found in the recently announced flagship Nokia Lumia 1020. These include a range of integrated camera applications like Nokia Smart Camera, offering handy features like removing unwanted objects from pictures, and Nokia Cinemagraph, which turns photos into living memories with added movement.

"With our largest smartphone screen to date, the Nokia Lumia 625 is a perfect example of how Nokia is delivering leading smartphone innovation and experiences at every price point," said Jo Harlow, executive vice president, Nokia Smart Devices.

Powered by the latest version of Windows Phone 8 and including the Nokia Lumia Amber update, the Nokia Lumia 625 delivers a richer and easier to use smartphone experience at a competitive price. Live Tiles update direct to the home screen, and People Hub makes it easy to stay connected with friends and family. Windows Phone 8 also includes Xbox Live, Microsoft Office, and 7GB of online SkyDrive storage to simply make life easier.

With access to more than 165,000 apps including Vimeo, Temple Run and WhatsApp, the Nokia Lumia 625 offers faster mobile fun, as well as safer surfing with Internet Explorer 10 - making it ideal for viewing videos, games, and other content. The Nokia Lumia 625 also offers SD memory card support, allowing up to 64GB of additional content storage.

Nokia Music provides unlimited streaming of ad-free mixes without registration or subscription, plus the ability to download mixes for listening offline with the Nokia Lumia 625. Nokia has also teamed with Coloud(TM) to create BOOM(TM) headphones that combine audio prowess with excellent value, and integrated microphone and buttons for voice calls and music control.

With its big screen and super-fast connectivity, the Nokia Lumia 625 offers leading maps and location experiences from HERE, providing free maps, turn-by-turn navigation and public transport guidance.

The Nokia Lumia 625 will be available in a range of colours including orange, yellow, bright green, white and black with an array of changeable shells enabling easy personalisation. With an estimated retail price of 220 Euros before taxes and subsidies, the Nokia Lumia 625 is planned to begin selling in China, Europe, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, Africa and Latin America in Q3 2013.