HMD Global owned Nokia has been releasing phones with outdated designs — that is, huge ugly bezels and chunky builds, especially in the entry-level bracket. And from the looks of it, we shouldn’t expect a revamp anytime soon since the newly launched Android-Go based Nokia C2 also feels out-out-place in 2020.
The phone runs on a relatively unknown Unisoc chipset that features a modest quad-core processor clocked at 1.4 GHz. Paired with this unremarkable SoC is 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage (expandable up to 64GB with a microSD card). the phone may, however, come with an affordable Nokia price tag.
These internals are powered by a stock Android Pie Go — which is designed to power entry-level hardware such as Nokia C2’s. The UI includes lightweight editions of popular Google apps, including YouTube Go, Maps Go, among others. There’s also a dedicated button to summon the Google Assitant.
The design is reminiscent of now-obsolete models from two, perhaps three years ago. Instead of the sleek, modern, and bezel-free look, you’re looking at a 5.7-inch panel surrounded by some hefty bezels. The screen produces an HD+ resolution and an uncommon 18:9 aspect ratio. There’s no notch or punch hole to be seen; the front-facing selfie camera lives in the forehead of the device, alongside a front LED flash. The rear-mounted camera has an underwhelming 5MP sensor behind it, as does the selfie shooter.
Flip it over, and you get a polycarbonate shell with soft rounding and a single-lens camera fixed in the middle. Oddly enough, the back is removable, which gives you access to the phone’s 2800mAh battery.
Needless to say, there’s no support for fast charging, and the charging port is of the micro-USB variety. The build includes a 3.5mm jack and comes in Cyan and Black colors.
HMD Global has yet to share the availability and pricing details. However, the phone will exclusively be released in Africa, the Middle East, and Asian Pacific countries, as per the phone’s official listing.
