Most entry-level devices cater to the needs of power users, with a promise of battery life that’s longer than a conventional smartphone. Xiaomi’s Redmi series comes on top in this price bracket, but we’re finally seeing Nokia making its entry into the same with the Nokia 2.
The phone will likely be available by end of November with a price tag of Rs 7,000. The primary focus again will be on giving the stock Android version, and letting people expand storage manually.
But keeping that aside, does the Nokia 2 carry enough weight to rival the existing line up? Here’s a quick look at what it offers.
Nokia 2:
- Display: 5-inch HD 1280x720 pixels
- Operating System: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- Processor: Snapdragon 212
- RAM: 1GB
- Storage: 8GB, expandable up to 128GB
- Rear Camera: 8MP
- Front Camera: 5MP
- Battery: 4100mAh
Design
Nokia 2 offers everything that the earlier Nokia Android phones offered. The sturdy design makes it robust and ready to handle your rough-and-tough use. The use of aluminium 6,000-graded metal on the edges gives the phone a rounded figure, fitting in your palm with ease.
The phone doesn’t stand out, but neither does it lack quality, especially for the segment it caters to. We’ve come a long way from cheap looking, entry-level phones, to something that entices buyers to at least consider them.
The back panel gets a rubberised touch which isn’t glossy, and that’s a good thing.
Display
Nokia 2 gets a 5-inch screen with 1280x720 pixels resolution coated with Corning Glass 3 for protection. Unlike most devices in the market right now, the use of a compact form factor could also help first-time smartphone users make a seamless transition.
As folks at HMD Global, the company that manufactures Nokia phones, pointed out, they’re not going after the specs-for-price battle, which has resulted in them using an LTPS panel that is claimed to be brighter in contrast to a regular HD display unit (more on that with our review).
The size of bezels are big (at this price, we expected that), and we felt that the design team at HMD Global could have made better use of the display real estate on offer.
The overall quality of the display was satisfactory, and you might have to tweak the brightness settings a bit to make it usable in outdoor conditions.
Hardware, Camera & More
As we’ve mentioned above, Nokia 2 packs the relatively unknown Snapdragon 212 processor with 1GB RAM. Yes, HMD Global is so confident about the quality of the Nokia 2, they’ve chosen a single unit RAM. But, is it enough for the users?
Don’t expect high-end performance from the device; gaming should be a big no-no and mostly limited to basic mobile usage, ie, surfing the internet and watching videos.
Having said that, with Android 7.1.1 Nougat on board, we hope to get better user results from the Nokia 2. For camera sakes, you get an 8-megapixel unit at the back, and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front.
The phone, as expected from an entry-level device, offers FM radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5-mm audio jack, microUSB 2.0 for charging, and 4G connectivity.
The phone comes loaded with a 4,100mAh battery, that is claimed to last two days, at least the company says so. Juho Sarvikas, the product officer at HMD Global, even went on to say that using Nokia 2 could free you from carrying a powerbank.
What We Think?
Nokia 2 is out, and will be available in India very soon. For a phone priced around 7K, the phone feels solid, packing a decent screen, and cameras that’ll just about get the job done.
However, we feel that HMD Global is playing a risky game by adopting entry-level hardware, and hoping that stock Android manages to suffice for buyers to take the plunge.
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