The official pricing for the Nokia 2 is out. As expected, the smartphone retails for ₹6,999 and the device will be exclusively available on offline retails stores across the country. In this short comparison, lets us look at the some of the competition at this price tag. Is the Nokia 2 really worth it? Let’s find out.
So, let us compared the smartphones, which are priced ₹6,999 or lesser. At this price tag, the only brand that we can think is the Xiaomi. Lately, the Redmi line of smartphones is the tailor-made choice for the users. With faster upgrades (MiUi) and value-added features, let us analyse, which one will suit your taste.
To begin with our comparison, we are considering the Nokia 2, Xiaomi Redmi 4, Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite (which are priced at ₹6,999) in fact, we went a step ahead and also considered the Xiaomi Redmi 4A, which retails for ₹5,999 and offers similar tech specifications to that of the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite.
Design: As we have already discussed the price tags of these smartphones (which is almost the same), let us look at the design. To begin with the Nokia 2, the smartphone offers a typical Lumia like design with a metal mid-frame and a plastic replaceable back panel, in fact, this design looks a lot better than the one on the Nokia 3. So, in terms of design, the Nokia 2 offers a great deal. However, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 does take the lead with its all-metal unibody design, which is in line with the most of the premium mid-tier smartphones. Coming to the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite and the Xiaomi Redmi 4A, both models offer a plastic unibody design with metallic paint and we are not impressed with the same.
So, if you are that sort of the user, who gives a lot of importance to the looks and aesthetics of the smartphone, then stick on to the Nokia 2 or the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. However, if you have a ₹1000 rupees shortage, then the Xiaomi Redmi 4A will not disappoint you either.
Processor and RAM: This is where the Nokia 2 lost its bet. In fact, the Mobile Solution used on the Nokia 2 is much inferior to the one on the Xiaomi Redmi 4A, which retails at a much lower price tag. The Nokia 2 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 Quad-core SoC, paired with 1 GB LPDDR3 RAM and 8 GB onboard flash storage with a dedicated micro SD card slot (up to 128 GB). On the other hand, the Redmi 4 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 Octa-core SoC with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB onboard flash storage. The Redmi Y1 Lite and the Redmi 4A is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 Quad-core SoC with 16 GB onboard flash storage.
So, Nokia 2 not only has the underpowered processor, but the device also offers just 8 GB of onboard storage. Considering the fact that, the operating system will consume around 4 GB storage, what you get will not be sufficient for the basic application installations like the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Whatsapp, which takes at least 300 to 400 MB space. The other three smartphones offer double the storage option with plenty of free space around to play with. However, the Nokia 2 and the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite does offer a dedicated micro SD card slot (up to 64 GB), the Xiaomi Redmi 4 and the Xiaomi Redmi 4A offers a Hybrid SIM slot, so the users have to compromise with the either dual SIM card slots or a SIM and an SD card altogether.
Connectivity: All four smartphones do offer similar networking capability. The Nokia 2, Xiaomi Redmi 4, Xiaomi Redmi 4A, and the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite offers dual nano-SIM card slots with 4G LTE and VoLte capability. Additional features like analogue FM Radio, Bluetooth 4.2 and WiFi with WiFi Hotspot are also supported.
Display: The only common thing (almost) on these smartphones is the display. The Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, and the Nokia 2 offers a 5.0-inch HD 720p display and the Xiaomi Y1 Lite offers a slightly bigger 5.5-inch 720p display. Nokia has cut short on the display, so, the company has struck with a TFT LCD panel, whereas the Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, and the Redmi Y1 Lite offers a premium IPS LCD screen, which offers much better colour reproduction and good viewing angles. So, if you are into watching a lot of content, then the Redmi Y1 Lite with the bigger 5.5-inch display might work well.
Camera: The Nokia 2 is equipped with an 8 MP main shooter with a 5 MP selfie shooter with 720p video recording capability (processor limitations). The Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, and the Redmi Y1 Lite is equipped with a 13 MP rear-facing camera and a 5 MP front-facing selfie camera. The Redmi 4 does offer 1080p video recording capability, however, the Redmi 4A and the Redmi Y1 Lite top at 720p video recording capability.
So, generally, Nokia smartphones are known for their camera capabilities. However, in this case, due to the camera incapability, the smartphone might not have the same guts as the other smartphones. So, from the camera perspective, going with the Xiaomi Redmi 4 will offer greater camera capabilities.
Operating system: This is where the Nokia rise and shine. The Nokia 2 runs on the stock Android operating system based on Android Nougat 7.1.2 with latest security patches. On the other hand, all three Redmi smartphones run on a forked version of Android Nougat with custom MIUI on the top, which requires a lot of resources compared to the stock Android user interface. So, if you are into software updates with the Pixel look-alike user interface, then, going with the Nokia 2 looks like a great choice.
Battery: The only reason that you might be considering the Nokia 2 might be the battery. The Nokia 2 and the Xiaomi Redmi 4 does offer a massive 4100 mAh Li-ion battery, which should last easily for two days. The Xiaomi Redmi 4A and the Xiaomi Y1 Lite are equipped with a 3080 mAh 3030 mAh battery, which should easily last for a single day of usage. All four smartphones do offer micro USB port with charging and USB OTG support.
Conclusion: Nokia 2 does have a few strong points like a premium build quality, HD display and the stock Android user interface. However, the Redmi 4 with double the storage, double the RAM and the premium metal build with fingerprint scanner might make this a great deal. So, what do you think about the Nokia 2? Are you planning to buy one? Share your details in the comment box.