With all the attention focussed on the Nokia N8 announced this week, Nokia sneaked out another new handset, the Nokia X2. The X2 doesn’t come anywhere near the N8 in terms of features, but what it does show is that Nokia are in a position to release what would have been a strong mid range device just a while ago as a bargain budget handset, with a price to match. The X2 is expected to be available to purchase from around June 2010, with an estimated price tag of just €85, which will see the device being sold with many top range free gifts on contract as well as attacking the large prepay base too.
Weighing just 81g, the Nokia X2 is a slim, monoblock handset, measuring 111 x 47 x 13mm, with a 2.2 inch QVGA TFT screen supporting up to 256,000 colours. The display may seem rather small in comparison with other recent releases, but is in keeping with the overall budget aims of the handset. The display sits above an etched alphanumeric keypad; menu navigation is handled via the traditional Nokia style 5-way Navi key, flanked either side by two soft option menu keys and call send/end keys. The phone offers quad band GSM connection for full voice roaming options, and transfers data over Class 32 GPRS and EDGE. Bluetooth 2.1 is included with A2DP, which ensures a smoother process for connecting to other Bluetooth devices as well as supporting wireless stereo audio transmission.
Music is a main focus on the Nokia X2, with the handset coming with built in stereo speakers, plus there is a 3.5mm audio jack and bespoke music keys. Running on the Nokia S40 platform, the music player has a nice feel to it, with different themes available to customise the look of the player. Your music collection is listed in a variety of ways, as standard you can select via album, artist or genre, plus there are three default playlists that choose music by type, frequency you listen to tracks, and so on. You can also create your own playlists, organising your music to suit your own mood. Audio on the X2, as with most Nokia’s is good quality, and you can control the sound output via the built in equaliser. There is also a stereo FM radio included, which has RDS support, and Nokia have included a built in FM antenna on the device so you do not need your headphones plugged in to the phone for the radio to operate.
Although web browsing on the phone is going to be limited due to the lack of GPRS or EDGE, the handset comes pre installed with the Opera Mini web browser, which is ideally suited to low speed connection types, and the phone can also deal with push email and instant messaging via the OVI messaging suite.
One of the surprising features on the X2, given its level entry price point, is the inclusion of a 5.0 Megapixel camera. It just goes to show that what was once a premium feature on a mobile device is more and more becoming a common standard entry level feature, and how the price of parts has really come down over the years. The camera has an LED flash, and offers fixed focus support, so images should be good enough to load up to the web, via Flickr or on your Facebook page, and thanks to the built in photo editor you will be able to touch up images before uploading them. Internal memory storage for music and images on the handset itself is rather limited, at just 48 MB, but thankfully the device offers memory expansion via Micro SD memory cards, with the X2 officially supporting cards up to 16 GB in size.
There is a strong selection of games pre installed on the X2, with titles like Bounce Tales, City Bloxx, Snake III, Block’d, Diamond Rush, Rally 3D, Brain Champion and Sudoku. The X2 supports Java MIDP 2.1, which means you can choose from hundreds of java games to install on your device, as well as java based applications like those from Google for email and Maps, and Yellow Pages, etc.
Considering the low entry price for the Nokia X2, it has surprising level of features, which wouldn’t be out of place on more expensive handsets. Given the popularity of Nokia devices in emerging markets and amongst prepay users, the X2 is set to be a very popular device indeed.
Related Nokia X2 Black Links
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1:48 pm
nokia X2 really can provide 13 hour talk time and 27 hour music playback? is it true?!
10:52 am
Its not true as my Nokia X2 has to be charged every day, I do text alot but the battery has to be charged every day and I've just been on to Virgin to complain x
8:03 pm
Im going to get this phone for my birthday and thanks to this review i REALLY am looking forward to my new phone.
x
5:53 pm
Not as good as people have said, camera no where near as thought it would be for a 5 mp camera with flash its quite fuzzy and when you takes photos in the dark the flash reflects off things and out shines the photo, the internet connection is VERY slow and the signal on the phone is dreadful.
9:00 am
nokia x2 is really beautiful
6:24 pm
Thought this phone would be good, till my wife got one, oh dear
12:04 am
Can you please confirm if this handset is egde compatible? You state that it hasnt got edge, but spec sites claim it does. Thanks.
10:49 pm
I have been very dissapointed with this phone. More so than any other phone I have ever purchased. I like a usable camera phone as I am a photographer but for this to be a 5mp the results are extremely dissapointing more akin to a 2mp camera.
Flash is poor. Internet usage is simply dire compaired to my old Sony Ericsson. Slow and unreliable. Constantly have to click links to get them to work. Which is frustrating and time wasting. Music is fine but no better than older phones I have had. It does not even come with a lead to connect to laptop to download music. Battery life is the worst I have ever had. Needs charged every day. And yes I did charge it correctly first time I used it.
Sorry to be so negative but I will not be buying Nokia again.