Nokia Lumia 625: taking polycarbonate to the next level

There’s a lot to enjoy in the new Nokia Lumia 625, but to us, the look and feel of the phone in our hands made the biggest impression. We talked with Kyeyoung Kang and Jenny Cui from the Nokia Design team to find out what’s new.

While the Nokia Lumia 625 has the biggest screen in our current range, it’s been designed to still feel human, tactile and comfortable. Kye explains that, “purity and seamlessness are at the centre of our design approach.”

The way this has been achieved is through a combination of material and design choices.

You’ll notice that shape of the phone is pillowed and natural, and the glass on the front curves at the edges. Even the rear of the phone is gently curved. Kye says that the design team think of the phone’s shape as being as seamless as possible and friendly to the touch. The edgeless flow of curves makes you turn it over in your hands automatically.

At the same time as the shape intrigues, the colour and materials team has been busy, “perfecting polycarbonate, and taking it to the next level,” as Jenny puts it.

Continuing to master how we work with colour layering, started with the Nokia Lumia 620, the new Nokia Lumia 625 builds on this approach to deliver something magical. The interchangeable shells are constructed of a single piece of translucent polycarbonate, layered with an inner colour designed to amplify and bring to life your final colour choice; orange, bright green or yellow.

The result gives richness to the colours, similar to the Nokia Lumia 620.  Jenny says that, by using layering effects, the colours are given, “a glow from within… there’s something magical about it.”

The feel of the Nokia Lumia 625 is completed with a matt finish. This surface allows the layered colour to appear in a more subtle way, adding altogether to the magical feel.

The final effect is a design that commands an emotional attachment. The phone has a big screen and is as hardwearing as any other Nokia model, but the feel of holding it in your hand is of something organic and delicate:

“It’s warm,” concludes Jenny. “Often technology can feel cold. But we wanted to make something that looks and feels warm and alive.”