The Nokia X is the Finnish brand's big effort to make greater waves
into the low, low end of the smartphone market – and it's enlisted the
help of Android to make that happen.
The Nokia X is a phone that
comes with a fairly decent spec list for a phone that's coming in at €89
before tax (around £75, $120, AU$135) – we're talking a dual-core 1GHz
processor from Qualcomm, 512MB of RAM, a 4-inch WVGA screen and a
1500mAh battery.
However, it's important not to compare to this to the likes of the Moto G,
as it's not meant for the more developed regions in terms of smartphone
use. This is for areas where Android devices are sold at a much lower
average price, but still can do the basic things that others can.
With that in mind, the Nokia X is probably a little better than OK. The
polycarbonate body is fairly chunky, but in the hand it dovetails well
with the smaller screen, as it would be hard to hold something that
small and thin.
The screen doesn't seem to suffer either – the contrast is strong,
helped by the smorgasbord of colour on offer from the live tiles.
There's
not a lot else on offer here in terms of ports or anything – the
mandatory headphone jack and camera (which is only a 3MP option with no
flash) are the only other items in a sea of matte plastic.
But
this isn't meant to be a phone that's all about design – the Nokia X is
supposed to offer a differentiated user experience from the rest of the
identikit Android phones on the market.
To
that end, I actually rather liked what Finland's top Microsoft
subsidiary is doing – there's a nice fusion of Android familiarity and
Windows Phone functionality.
The live tiles idea is really cool –
it's essentially just a clever way of doing Android widgets, but while
other launchers can make things look too complex, Nokia is doing things
its own way and making it all seem a lot cooler.
For
instance, there's no 'Apps' key that shows all the little bits of
software you've downloaded – now it's all in one long list that just
endlessly scrolls. To that end, it can get a bit messy, so Nokia's
method of creating folders is needed and something that wasn't possible
on Windows Phone.
It's
nothing special, and you can't just drag and drop to create a folder,
instead needing to tap an icon. But at least dragging the live tile
icons for each app will allow you to move the order around
automatically, and some, such as the gallery, will expand to show
pictures in your album.
You can also see more notifications on the lock screen than you might on other Nokia phones - it's a little boring in terms of design, but works well enough.
Come on Nokia, you don't have to change EVERYTHING.
Fast
Lane isn't the same as the multi-tasking menu you'll get on the likes
of most other Android phones - while long pressing the icon will shut it
down, the app apparently still runs.
However, Fone Arena
noted that the multi-tasking menu is still there, but you'll need to
install specific apps to get it to work - not hard, but its absence out
of the box may irk some.
CPU
The
dual-core processor seems perfectly able to handle all tasks – it
stuttered a fair bit when opening some apps, and in the demo the mapping
application didn't like rendering 3D images at speed, but on the whole
it was OK.
Then again, it feels like this should be a little
cheaper as a device once you've dug a little more into it. It's likely
to be pretty kind to that 1500mAh battery, so at least you won't be
reaching for the charger every seven seconds.
The
Nokia X only features 4GB of on-board storage, and no microSD card
expansion (unlike the Nokia X+, which has that option and 768MB of RAM
to speed things up a little) which is a real worry when it comes to
trying to add media as well as downloading apps – there's not a lot of
room for much else.
Update: So it turns out we
were fed wrong information on the Nokia stand - there is a microSD slot
here, as you can see, meaning the only difference between the X and X+
is the extra RAM...we'd always recommend paying more to get that speed
boost, but in some countries a few pounds difference in the price is a
huge thing.
There's
also a removable battery in the mix too (like its brother) - I'm going
to guess that Nokia will only release either the X or X+ in more
developed markets, and it will likely be the latter to ensure greater
app performance, given how close these models are.
Camera
Nokia's 3MP effort without flash is just that: non-flashy. It's a super-basic snapper, and it's almost so basic that I feel the Finns should be making a bit more of an effort, even at this price point.
However,
there are some tweaks: you can alter the white balance and exposure
levels ( a fairly easy trick for most chips these days) so you can start
to improve the brightness when the darkness begins to set in.
The
pictures you take also append to a Live Tile on the home screen in a
similar way to Windows Phone - although only if you've sized up the
window, given you can make the Live Tiles bigger and smaller as you wish
in most cases.
Nokia
has been very careful to remove everything from Google here and make it
all about Microsoft – there are lots of similarities between the UI on
show here and Windows Phone.
OneDrive
is front and centre, and with 10GB of storage on offer that might seem
enticing for those stuck using Android phones with no access to Google's
Drive.
However, there does seem to be a feeling this is forced
into the phone – part of me keeps wishing that Nokia had just done this
before signing itself away to Microsoft, as this could have been a
really good addition to the Android game.
Early verdict
The
Nokia X is a hard phone to work out – on the one hand, it's a super
cheap handset and as such has the budget specs you'd expect.
On
the other, it seems to be not much better than the Lumia 520, which is a
Windows Phone handset and supposed to sit above it in the product line –
on current prices, it's also cheaper.
There are some worries here
even for the developing nations: that 4GB of storage could get eaten up
quickly, and while Nokia is touting the ability to add third party apps
through other stores, new phones can live and die by app availability
and that could kill the Nokia Android project.
The Nokia X is
constructed well enough, has a interesting new UI and is breaking new
ground – but as a new phone, it seems a bit expensive for what's on
offer.
The operating system is built on the Android Open Source Project,
which in turn is been based on 4.1 Jelly Bean, but looks nothing like.
On the inside and outside, this is more like Asha with a Windows Phone
twist. Fastlane meets resizable tiles - a simple to use combo, user
friendly and light on the hardware.
Key features
- Quad-band GSM, GPRS, EDGE
- Dual-band 3G with HSPA
- Optional dual-SIM support, dual standby
- Nokia X software platform 1.0, based on the Android Open Source Project
- 4" IPS LCD WVGA capacitive touchscreen, ~233 ppi
- 1.0 GHz dual-core Cortex-A5 processor, Adreno 203 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play chipset
- 512MB RAM
- Proximity sensor, accelerometer, display auto-rotation
- 4GB internal storage (1.2GB available to the user)
- Nokia HERE maps with free lifetime voice-guided navigation and offline maps support
- Data-efficient Nokia Xpress browser
- Nokia MixRadio
- Nokia Glance screen, double-tap-to-unlock
- 3.15 MP camera, FWVGA video recording @30fps
- microSD card support (up to 32 GB)
- Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity
- FM radio
- Bluetooth v3.0
- Standard microUSB port, charging
- 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery
Main disadvantages
- No Google services (Play, Gmail, Maps, Calendar, Drive), you can't even sync contacts
- Fixed-focus camera
- No front camera
- Budget-grade hardware may result in system bottlenecks
- No smart dialing
- No document reader
The absence of Google services is surely a deal-breaker for those
hoping to get the pure Android experience on a Nokia phone. Of course,
the Nokia and Microsoft's alternatives are there: HERE Maps and
Navigation (instead of Google Maps), OneDrive (instead of Google Drive),
Nokia Mail (instead of Gmail), Nokia Store (instead of Google Play).
Ultimately, you won't be able to sync your Google Contacts and Calendar
but Nokia pushing its own agenda is hardly a surprise.
The Nokia X has a simple objective: keep cheap droids at bay. But not
Samsung's, LG's or Sony's cheap droids - it's the countless - nameless -
dirt-cheap Android-powered smartphones Nokia worries about. They're a
real threat to their Asha lineup in developing markets and entry-level
Lumias elsewhere.
Nokia X at ours
With the X-line, the Finns are sticking a competitively-priced
smartphone in your hands, and save you the embarrassing disputes about
how smart the Ashas really are. And hey, the Nokia X and its siblings
have to be cheap not only because they compete with the cheapest of
droids. It's because the Lumia line needs to feel like an upgrade -
which is the ultimate goal.
Politics aside, everything else about the X-line seems pretty
straightforward. Asha simplicity and Windows Phone aesthetics thrown in
the Android shaker. Done teasing you, our traditional exterior close-up
comes next.
Special thanks to Nokia India and BloggersMind for providing the review unit.
Controls
The Nokia X's right side features a power button and the volume rocker. Both controls are solid to press and comfortably placed within your thumb's reach. You can unlock the X with the power key, but you can also do so with a double tap on the screen.There is nothing on the left side of the X.
The right side of the Nokia X • the bare left side
The top pf the Nokia X accommodates the 3.5mm audio jack, while the bottom has the microUSB port you'll use for charging and computer connections.
Nokia X top and bottom
Popping out the battery cover isn't as easy as on the Asha series. You have to almost bend the phone at one of the corners, so careful not to drop the X while doing it.
Once the battery cover is removed, you'll get access to the 1,500mAh Li-Ion battery. The two microSIM compartments are next to the microSD slot, but none of those is hot-swappable. The battery needs to be out of its compartment for the SIM/SD cards to be accessible.
A peek under the battery cover
Display
The display on the Nokia X is a 4" IPS LCD unit of WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) resolution, which boils down to around 233ppi. That's pretty much enough for comfortable web browsing, media viewing and even reading documents.
Nokia X's IPS display
The pixel arrangement is standard RGB - it's an LCD screen so you wouldn't expect anything less.
Nokia X display matrix • Nokia Asha 501 display matrix
Battery life
The Nokia X boasts a 1,500mAh battery unit, which Nokia says it'll last half a day on calls or 17 days on standby with two SIMs.Our tests revealed the battery is indeed enough for half a day on 3G calls, which is good considering the small capacity. Its performance on video playback and web browsing is rather mediocre though. The dual-SIM stand-by is OK, but nothing impressive and we are not sure if the Nokia X will make it to the 17 days promise. All of our tests brought the Nokia X overall rating of 38 hours. That's how long the phone will go between charges with an hour of calling, browsing and watching video daily each 24 hours.
GSMArena Nokia X Review (Popularity 65%, Design 7.7/10, Feature 7.3/10, Performance 7.3/10) - 10 April 2014
Where to Buy
| Price: | $169.89 + $4.99 shipping |
Price: $154.00 + $4.39 shipping
Amazon -Nokia X Dual Sim , 3MP, 4GB, 3G, Jelly Bean Factory Unlocked World Mobile Phone - Black
Price: $139.99 + $3.95 shipping
Amazon -Nokia X Bright Red
Price: $174.99 + $4.49 shipping
No comments:
Post a Comment