HMD Global has been putting some exceptional efforts in bringing back Nokia’s legacy with its ultimate range of smartphones. Working on smartphones in different price ranges, Nokia is still seeking the limelight. With the recent launches in the budget segment, the Nokia 2.2 and Nokia 4.2 have been set apart a couple thousand bucks. But what will the users choose? We have the Nokia 2.2 with us here, and after using it for a brief amount of time, here is the Nokia 2.2 Review.
Design and Display
The Nokia 2.2 falls right in the budget segment and hence you can not expect greater things in the design. But, putting up with the build quality, HMD Global always had the hardware right on their devices. The 5.7-inch display with the dewdrop notch, the device fits perfectly into your hands. The bezels are okay-ish for a budget phone but the thick chin has the Nokia branding.
On the rear, the single-camera along with the LED flash sits vertically in the center followed by Nokia and Android One branding. Missing out the fingerprint sensor, the back is made of polycarbonate material and is removable with the battery also being capable of removed. The speaker is also placed at the back towards the bottom, just beside the Android One branding. They stuck with the power button, volume rockers on the right panel and the smart button on the left. The bottom panel has the Micro-USB port along with the microphone while the 3.5mm headphone jack is placed on the top.
The 5.7-inch IPS LCD display comes with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels which is similar to the Nokia 4.2. Although both the units share the same display unit, we can certainly say that it is not up to the mark. The colors on this display look undersaturated, the brightness is good enough for the device to be used under different light conditions.
Performance and Software: Nokia 2.2 Review
The Nokia 2.2 is powered by the MediaTek Helio A22 and 2GB/3GB of RAM depending on the variant you pick. The review unit we got has 3GB of RAM along with 32GB of internal storage. Talking about the performance, the device did disappoint us a bit but it is expectable with the slow Helio A22 SoC. The apps took a while to open up, multitasking resulted in lag, scrolling through the app menu too, and frame drops in several apps.
In gaming too, heavy games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9 were down to 10-15 frames per second, so, not quite impressive. However, the PUBG Lite variant ran better than the usual app. Other games like Hill Climb Racing, Subway Surfers, and others ran well. From what a mediocre smartphone user would use in a day, the device would struggle a bit. So, this device is solely made for the beginners into smartphone usage or someone who would not use a phone much.
In terms of software, the Nokia 2.2 runs stock Android 9.0 out of the box. And with Android One integrated, the regular updates are promised for up to 2 years. The UI is neat and clean without any bloatware. Also, the customizations on offer are kept at a minimum so that no user would get confused.
Cameras: Nokia 2.2 Review
Most of the smartphones in the budget segment have come up with dual-lens and some with triple-lens rear camera setup such as the Infinix Smart 3 Plus. Here on the other side, HMD Global gave just a single-camera for the Nokia 2.2. The 13MP rear camera sensor comes with an f/2.2 aperture and autofocus. On the front, the Nokia 2.2 sports a 5MP selfie camera in the dewdrop notch which can also be used for face detection unlock.
The stock camera app has all the basic modes including the time-lapse, panorama, Google Lens, and auto HDR mode. In the camera app, there is some lag when you click the shutter button. The photos came out good enough in well-lit areas but struggles a lot in lowlight conditions. The photos come with a lot of grains and noise. The device of capable of shooting videos at 1080p on both the cameras but the videos gets saved in the older 3gp format.
Although the shutter speed is not so great, the device yet takes some great photos in the HDR mode. Also, it is better to use the HDR mode in the lowlight conditions. Coming to the selfie camera, the 5MP shooter does take some crisp photos but there is no portrait mode in either of the cameras. The HDR mode is also available for the selfie camera but doesn’t make much difference. Check out the camera samples below.
Overall, the camera is not quite up to the mark and can be termed as average. Again, if you see other smartphones in this price segment, they do offer better options.
Battery and Miscellaneous
The Nokia 2.2 comes with a 3000 mAh removable battery which will pretty run you a long day. For the average user, we used the device for browsing, social media, a bit of gaming, multimedia, camera, and streaming and it still had some juice left after a long day. The battery takes up to 2 hours to charge from 0 to 100.
About the other aspects, the audio quality through the speakers is not so loud and the placement of the speaker makes the sound muffled when laid on a flat surface. The connectivity is good enough and no network issues were faced in our tests.
Verdict: Nokia 2.2 Review
The Nokia 2.2 sets down in the budget segment costing Rs.7999 for the 3GB + 32GB storage variant. While the Nokia 4.2 is priced at Rs.10490 for the same variant, we don’t think that the Nokia 2.2 is worth buying saving a couple of thousand bucks. With the MediaTek Helio A22 SoC, the device struggles and sets a low standard in terms of performance. Considering other budget range options like the Redmi 7 or the Infinix’s smartphone range, the Nokia 2.2 loses in certain aspects. If you are someone looking for a neat stock Android experience and promised updates, this can be of consideration for you.
The Good:
- Stock Android with 2 years of promised updates
- Rigid build quality
- 5.7-inch large display
The Bad:
- Poor performance
- Single-camera setup not up to the mark
- 720p display
