Mobile Phones

Nokia X2 hitting shelves in select countries

Nokia X2 AndroidNokia has shown off their upgraded handset in the Nokia X2, a handheld device that will be the fourth Android-based release this year.

The Nokia X was released earlier this year, and the X2 is a direct sequel in the line. It has a number of the same features, but with some additional perks that improve the overall performance of the phone.

Tech Specs

The display is a little larger than the X, at 4.3″ rather than 4″. Though they have decided to stay well under the 5″ mark flirted with by other brands. Display-wise is a disappointment; even most budget smartphones are equipped with a better resolution that the X 2’s 800 x 480, 221 ppi.

At least with media so obviously not the focus there is no reason the 1 GB dualcore Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor will be a hindrance. It should run everything on the phone quite well, and is actually more powerful than you might expect from a Nokia. 

The on-board storage is only 4GB, so most users are going to want a microSD to expand it up to the allotted 32 GB. There is also free cloud storage, though only up to 7 GB. It will be good for images, but not for other media.

Since it runs Android, it will at least have access to Android apps. Only some are likely to work, and many others will be more than the limited hardware can handle.

Most interesting of the apps is Skype. It has been better integrated, thanks to Microsoft’s purchase of the Nokia brand. You get a free month of global calls through the service; less than you would hope as an incentive, but still an interesting little extra.

For media, they do have MixRadio, to compete with the popular Pandora and other radio apps. Streaming other media apps will be more or less impossible, as the X2 is run on Wifi.

The Final Verdict

It is a Nokia smartphone. Nokia has been synonymous with cheap phones for years, and as far as cheap phones go, this one isn’t half bad. It is definitely a good option for a preteen getting their first mobile phone.

But it still isn’t quite enough to compete. The iPhone 5c costs less (the X2 is 99 Euros at launch), and other brands have phones available for about the same, with better specs.

Microsoft has never been that great at direct competition, if you think about it. The Zune against the iPod? The Windows Phone against, well, anything?

If you are interested, it is being released this week in “select countries” that have yet to be named.

Source: Nokia

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