Nokia Lumia 925 Goes Metal, Drops Weight

Nokia recently unveiled its new Nokia Lumia 925, and this Nokia not only looks to learn from some past missteps, but also show that Nokia can put together a mobile device every bit as sound as those offered by competitors Apple and Samsung. It won't just be a new superstructure that gets attention for the Lumia 925, however, as some exciting new features also step into view.

The Nokia Lumia 925's biggest new feature is that it's dropped quite a bit in weight despite the fact that it's gone to a metal construction. The Lumia 925 now weighs just 139 grams, down from the 185 grams posted by the Lumia 920. The Lumia 925 will also be packing in Windows Phone software, and has already been described as "a new version of Lumia 920 that has been put on a diet to fit inside an iPhone-like frame," according to Nordea's Sami Sarkamies, who also referred to the Lumia 925 as "a solid product" that "should be able to attract new customers who have considered 920 too bulky for their taste."

The Lumia 925 is also bringing in some comparative firsts, including a new smart camera mode and a photo editing function, which Nokia plans to later bring out to other Lumia devices. Meanwhile, for the U.S. markets, Nokia also showed off the slightly heavier Lumia 928, the second phone that Nokia's planning for the high-end smartphone market.

Given that the high-end market represents between 35 and 40 percent of the global market, according to Nokia executive vice president for smart devices Jo Harlow, it's clear that Nokia needs a slice of that market in order to stay viable. Indeed, Harlow elaborated that Nokia's "goal is to have a complete portfolio across the price range," showing that Nokia wants a finger in most every pie out there.

The strategy may be working, as Nokia's sales have reportedly grown in the recent time frames, but Nokia is still well off its past successes as Nokia devices account for roughly 5 percent of the market. Nokia actually lost five percentage points of market share, according to reports from Gartner, which dropped it down to 14.8 percent, down from 19.7 percent just a year prior, and measuring badly against Samsung's 23.6 percent market share.

Nokia's been trying to get back to the top for some time now, out to reclaim its past glory as the top of the mobile device heap, but it has been finding it tough to surmount the entrenched leads of Samsung and Apple. Nokia's alliance with Windows Phone has given it something of a competitive advantage, but it's still going to be a tough proposition to convince Apple and Samsung users, already enjoying current experiences, that Nokia and the Windows Phone line is the way to go. Getting some competitive edge would be a help--Microsoft may have something here in terms of its recent possible overtures toward Nook Media LLC--but it's still going to be a tall order.

With phones in every price range, and a little something extra to keep the Apple and Samsung users' interest, Nokia may well have the necessary combination to get that lost market share back and potentially even take some new share besides.