Nokia 2 Review

Quick Specifications

Design

The Nokia 2 is the most affordable smartphone in HMD’s line up. For only KShs 11,000 at launch, the device squarely puts itself in the low end, entry level spectrum.

However, the design has some premium touches, the frame is made of aluminum and the back is from polycarbonate, a high quality plastic. This aligns well with the durability standard that Nokia phones are traditionally known for.

The plastic back is removable for interchanging, but the battery isn’t. The device has no fingerprint reader, but a simple face unlock feature joins the usual array of android unlocking options.

Display

The display is of IPS variety, it is covered with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protection, something that is rarely found in entry level devices. The brightness goes up to 500 nits, but it can go higher if the “sunlight mode” is enabled.

Software

As is the case with most Nokia Android devices under HMD, the software is left pure. Google’s stock apps for calendar, clock, messages and so forth are the ones that run the show.

These eases the process of updating the OS to newer versions such as the Oreo 8.1 update that is promised to come soon. (The device currently runs on Android 7.1.1 nougat).

Performance

This being an entry-level device, you should expect just basic speeds especially while working with the snapdragon 212 quad-core and 1GB RAM. The device scores 25210 in Antutu and performs smooth enough to get you around apps. Too much multitasking is not recommended with the small RAM neither is heavy gaming. If you keep things simple, the device will not disappoint you. The 8GB internal storage can run out pretty fast, but fortunately, Nokia 2 supports micro SD cards in which apps can be installed as well.

The audio performance from the 3.5mm audio jack is only average as you would expect from an entry level device. Luckily, the external speaker is very loud and compensates for the audio jack performance.

Camera

The camera interface is one of those software areas that Nokia has iterated from pure android to add more extras. You get neat features such as watermark and manual mode while keeping classic ones such as HDR.

The image quality is great in well light areas, however, HDR can however be too aggressive at times.

Selfies are well detailed with natural faces produced instead of the overly smooth beauty modes found at this price range.

Battery

The battery is the major selling point of the Nokia 2. It comes a huge 4100mAh battery that promises to last for up to two days. Well, it lives up to that promise. The devices has 7-8 hours of on-screen time based on heavy usage. Normal usage will get you into the second day on a single charge only. Speaking of charging, the device does it slowly, up to 4 and a half hours to go from 0-100%, so overnight charging is the way to go.