Nokia 2 Quick Review – A Beautiful Budget Phone Which Is Tough To Recommend

Nokia 2 is now the most affordable Nokia branded phone in India. While low price is always welcome, that in itself entails some compromises and tradeoffs. HMD Global says that it has focused on what consumers the most and the Nokia 2 will be a unique experience for affordable smartphone buyers. We went up close with the new Nokia phone at the India launch to check the veracity of these claims and here we have summed up our findings in the Nokia 2 quick review below.

Also Read: 10 Best Phones Under Rs. 15,000 To Buy In 2018

Nokia 2 Specifications

Design and Build

The Nokia 2 has a good quality polycarbonate back complimented by a contrasting ascent metal side frame. The white variant has a black rim, the Black variant has a copper rim and for purists, there is a black color model with a matching black rim.

The back panel tapers towards the side edges to seamlessly merge into the metal side frame. It’s also removable, but the battery is sealed inside.

Adhering to the age-old Nokia build standards, the 2 feels very solid and durable. The display is 5-inches in size, but it doesn’t feel inordinately compact, perhaps because of the generous bezels flanking it. The 4100mAh battery inside lends it some heft, but the phone is still very comfortable to handle.

The micro USB port (Type-A) is at the bottom and the audio jack is up top. There is no fingerprint sensor on the phone and the loudspeaker is present on the rear (which is far from ideal).

The missing fingerprint sensor and the rear loudspeaker placement are tough to swallow, but we are still inclined towards proclaiming Nokia 2 a good looking phone. We’d pick it over trite template metal unibody design (that we get to see on almost all budget phones) in a heartbeat.

Nokia 2 Display

HMD Global is using a 5-inch LTPS LCD display on the Nokia 2. The 720p HD resolution is apt considering the display size. The display is sharp, has wide viewing angles and the quality of the display is pretty good. Compared to other affordable phones, Nokia has an upper hand here as well.

Nokia 2 Performance and software

Performance is the veritable chink in the Nokia 2’s Armor. Even if you can accept the entry grade 1.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 212 processor, the 1GB RAM and 8GB storage assisting it are simply not enough in 2017.

Even the most basic of users would need more than 8GB of internal storage considering the sheer number of basic things for which we rely on our ones. Though the handset is running stock Android software, we did notice a few stutters even on our hands-on unit.

On the bright side, Nokia promises Android Oreo update somewhere down the line.

Nokia 2 Camera and Battery

For photography, Nokia 2 includes a basic 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie shooter. The initial images that we clicked in adequate daylighting turned out fine on the phone’s screen, though not extraordinary in any way. Of course, we will have to wait till our full review to know for sure.

The 4100mAh battery sounds very reassuring and also takes center stage. HMD global didn’t mention fast charging and it most probably isn’t supported.

Nokia 2 Quick Review

The Nokia 2 is one of the better-looking phones in its class, one that has a great display and a massive battery backup. It’s also one of the rare few phones in this budget that’s destined to get Android Oreo update. However, in spite of all these positives, it’s hard for us to recommend the Nokia 2 simply because of the limited RAM and paltry internal storage.