HMD Global, which produces Nokia smartphones, has introduced another new product – Nokia 2.2. The device belongs to the ultra-budget price segment, and is also the most affordable smartphone in the company’s line, which is released according to the Android One program. In this review, we will find out whether the phone is worth your attention.
Nokia 2.2 specs
| NETWORK | Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
|---|
| LAUNCH | Announced | 2019, June |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Available. Released 2019, June |
| BODY | Dimensions | 146 x 70.6 x 9.3 mm (5.75 x 2.78 x 0.37 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 153 g (5.40 oz) | |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| DISPLAY | Type | IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.71 inches, 81.4 cm2 (~79.0% screen-to-body ratio) | |
| Resolution | 720 x 1520 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~295 ppi density) | |
| Always-on display |
| PLATFORM | OS | Android 9.0 (Pie); Android One |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Mediatek MT6761 Helio A22 (12 nm) | |
| CPU | Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 | |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8320 |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSD, up to 400 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 16GB 2GB RAM, 32GB 3 RAM |
| MAIN CAMERA | Single | 13 MP, f/2.2, 1/3″, 1.12µm, AF |
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | |
| Video | 1080p@30fps |
| SELFIE CAMERA | Single | 5 MP |
|---|---|---|
| Video |
| SOUND | Loudspeaker | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| COMMS | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, LE | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS | |
| Radio | FM radio | |
| USB | microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go |
| FEATURES | Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity |
|---|
| BATTERY | Removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery |
|---|
| MISC | Colors | Steel, Tungsten Black |
|---|---|---|
| Models | TA-1183 | |
| Price | About 90 EUR |
What’s in the box
In a flat square cardboard box with the traditional Nokia design you can find: a smartphone, a removable battery for it, a power adapter (5V/1A), a USB/microUSB cable and many accompanying papers.
Design, materials and build quality
Despite the low price tag, this smartphone has a trendy appearance. Namely, a drop-shaped notch with a selfie camera in front. This element is very common in modern smartphones, but in far more expensive models.
Therefore, a drop in the screen of Nokia 2.2 is an advantage. Of course, this made it possible to accommodate a larger display, but the bezels remained relatively large. However, for a hundred bucks, no one expected anything else. But the logo on the bottom is bad idea.
On the back, everything is very concise and standard. In our case, we have a glossy gray case.
In addition to this option, there is a very conservative black color.
But one of the features of the smartphone is Xpress-on interchangeable panels. That is, separately it will be possible to buy back covers of other colors, thereby introducing some kind of variety into your life. There are three colors: dark green, blue and sandy pink. But I can’t say anything about their availability, they may appear in stores later.
On the front we see glass, without oleophobic coating. Therefore, it collects prints and stains very well. Film or protective glass with oleophobic coating are recommended. The back cover is made of glossy polycarbonate, which can also be easily scratched. But the fit of the parts is excellent and there are no complaints about the build quality.
Elements configuration
At the front of the screen is an proximity and light sensor, a front camera in the notch, and an earpiece speaker above it. Below the display is the Nokia logo.
On the right side: power button and volume control key. On the left there’s an another button and you need it to call the Google assistant. We saw the same element in Nokia 4.2.
At the bottom: a microphone and microUSB port, and on top is a single 3.5 mm audio jack.
At the back there is an oval block with a camera and flash, and in the center under it is a vertical Nokia logo. At the very bottom is the Android One logo, and to the right of it is a slot with the multimedia speaker with a small protrusion in the form of a dot. It is needed to create some kind of space between the speaker and the surface so that the sound is not muffled.
Behind the back plate there are two slots for nanoSIM and a slot for a microSD memory card, as well as the battery. The memory card must be installed above the SIM, because the slot for it is located directly above the slot for the carrier’s card.
Ergonomics
The dimensions of the smartphone are pretty small: the height is 146 mm, and the width is 70.6 mm. True, the thickness turned out to be as much as 9.3 mm, which is a bit much even for a low-cost phone. The weight is 153 grams. The case, however, is a little slippery and you need to hold it in your hand tighter.
But the buttons on the right side are placed well, plus the power button is quite large and generally easy to use. The button for activating the assistant does not interfere, so no false touches.
Nokia 2.2 Display
A tear-shaped notch made it possible to install a 5.71-inch screen in the smartphone. IPS technology, HD+ display resolution (1520 × 720 pixels), 19:9 aspect ratio, and 295 dpi density.
In general, a resolution is suitable for such a diagonal, as in Nokia 4.2. Do not forget that this is an ultra-budget phone, which means that the specs are normal for the class. At certain angles the screen takes on too cold and warm colors, even goes into blue and yellow.
All other important display parameters are at a normal level. There is enough brightness to use the smartphone outdoors, avoiding only direct sunlight. The color rendition is not bad, the saturation is moderate, in general – the display is quite pleasant to the eye, taking into account the price.
You can adjust only the white balance. There is a night mode and automatic screen activation with new notifications, or when lifting the device.
It is like Google Pixel – a solid black background, time, date, application icon from which a message arrived and battery percentage at the bottom. For IPS, this is not the right option, because it consumes more power, but this function will be useful to someone.
Performance
Nokia 2.2 uses the familiar entry-level platform – MediaTek Helio A22 (MT6761). It consists of four Cortex-A53 cores with a maximum clock frequency of up to 2 GHz. And in the role of a graphic chip, the PowerVR GE8320 accelerator is used. One should not expect anything spectacular from this combination and in the tests we get just the usual mediocre results.
There are 2 GB of RAM, and for a couple of applications it is enough. But no more than that, the rest is likely to reboot from time to time.
There is 16 GB of storage, which is critical. The system takes 9.8 GB – is a lot, it’s even a little more than what the original system of Pixel 2 XL takes. So, the user gets 6.20 GB. But in fact, it’s even less, because pre-installed applications also eat up a lot. Add here a couple more social networks and instant messengers, the data of which will grow rapidly every day, and you get a complete disaster.
What it means is that microSD is not just an opportunity to expand memory, but simply a mast-have. Although it is a complicated moment since it’s not possible to store everything on it.
The smartphone runs mediocre even for its level. Do not expect anything special from it. Often the interface slows down while opening big lists, applications open slowly, animations lag. There are devices on this hardware that run better and have their own shells. For games, the gadget is also not great, but for casual games simple graphics it’s okay.
Nokia 2.2 cameras
Nokia 2.2 has only one camera and it is represented by a 13-megapixel module with f/2.2 aperture, 1/3″ sensor size, and 1.12µm pixels, with autofocus supported.
Outdoors during fine weather the camera is capable of quality picture. But there’s no wide dynamic range or breathtaking details. In poor light, overall quality suffers and noise appears. There is HDR mode, but it’s not very pleasant to work with it, because the photo takes a long time, plus the application begins to slow down after you snap a picture. Anyway, it does not radically affect the final result. Simply put, a basic camera for basic needs.
EXAMPLES OF PHOTOS IN FULL RESOLUTION
Video is also not a strong point of the smartphone. You can record videos in Full HD, without stabilization. You can shoot an accelerated video in the same format.
The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels (f/2.2). Pretty simple camera. It also seemed to me that the colors are a little pale, compared to the main module.
The proprietary camera application allows you to set a timer, shoot square photos (1:1 format) and panoramas. There is Google Lens.
Face Unlocking
Nokia 2.2 lacks a fingerprint scanner, but the manufacturer added the ability to unlock the smartphone with face. However, this process is very long, as is the case with Nokia 4.2. Even in ideal lighting conditions, scanning the owner takes no less than three seconds, or even five.
By today’s standard it is really long. Don’t even need to try to start recognition in the dark, because you can wait a long time, and in the end, the smartphone simply asks to enter the password. But thanks at least for the opportunity.
Nokia 2.2 battery life
A removable 3000 mAh battery is not enough for a short time and it will be necessary to charge the smartphone from the evening. It is clear that if you use the phone sparingly, it will last longer. In my case, I stretched the charge for a day with about 4-4.5 hours of the screen turned on.
It’s normal for the average user. But this result is clearly not impressive. In PCMark Work 2.0 at maximum brightness, the smartphone lasted for 4 hours 57 minutes. Charging takes a long time, almost 3 hours from the bundled charger.
Sound and communication
The quality of the speaker is quite satisfactory. The same can not be said about the multimedia speaker, which is not very loud. It’s obviously not suitable for music. Only for calls and notifications.
Although in this segment there is hardly a smartphone that fares better. With the sound in the headphones, things are also not very good, unfortunately. But this is also not surprising.
A set of wireless networks and modules is classic for smartphones for $100. There is simple Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, no less simple Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE) and GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS). The presented modules work fine, I have no complaints about mobile communications.
Firmware and software
The software here is quite fresh, we have a relatively new firmware based on Android 9 Pie. This is a clean “green robot” that belongs to the Android One program and therefore should be regularly supported by security patches and receive major system updates in the future. Nokia 2.2 is ready to upgrade to Android Q (but Android Q is not there yet).
From Nokia, the buyer receives: a camera application, FM radio and My Phone. There are even more gestures than in Xiaomi Mi A3. Activating the screen when lifting the device, flipping to reject the call, raising to reduce the volume of the call. The Google Assistant call button can not configured for other actions.
Verdict
Nokia 2.2 is an ultra-budget smartphone that is not designed to perform overly complex tasks. It has its own small features, as well as its shortcomings. The trendy drop-shaped notch made it possible to accommodate a larger screen.
But the smartphone is overall slow, unlike some competitors with the same hardware platform. The sound is not at all outstanding, face unlocking is slow. There’s a big problem with flash memory (both quantity and speed), I recommend installing only the most important applications.
In all respects, this device is inferior to phones like Tecno Pop 2s Pro. Although, if you want the device as simple as possible and with clean Android, Nokia 2.2 might just do.
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