It’s 2022 and Nokia is still releasing phones. Not just any phone, it’s an Android Go phone for Rs. 10,299. You read that right, an Android Go phone for that price.
Nokia C21 Plus was launched 2 weeks ago in India for a price above Rs. 10,000. But a quick look at the device clearly shows that the phone is not worth the price of Rs. 10,299. Not with Android Go and the Unisoc SC9863A SoC.
What is Android Go?
Android Go is the lite version of Android aimed at entry-level phones priced at around Rs. 5000. In Google’s own words, “Upgrading entry-level devices”.
Android Go comes with lighter versions of Android apps like Google Go, Youtube Go, Maps Go, and Gmail Go to make it easier to use resources. And with entry-level phones, the resources are as modest as possible. Android Go therefore does not come with extra features and options that can make the operating system heavy on the entry-level specs that come with the phone.
Nokia C21 Plus is not an entry-level phone
I talked about entry-level phones quite often in the previous section. But the Nokia C21 Plus is not an entry-level phone. It’s a phone that rivals the likes of Infinix Hot 11, Realme Narzo 50, Poco M4, and Samsung Galaxy F13. All of these phones are far superior to this phone. You will know once you look at the features and specifications of the Nokia C21 Plus.
Nokia C21 Plus: Key Features and Specs
The Nokia C21 Plus comes with a 6.52-inch HD+ LCD display with a teardrop notch.
It is powered by Unisoc SC9863A SoC which is the same chipset used in other budget phones like Infinix Smart 6, Samsung Galaxy A03, Realme Narzo 50i, Gionee Max, etc. It is an entry-level chipset and cannot be compared with other chipsets in the segment such as Mediatek Helio G88, Mediatek Helio G85, Mediatek Dimensity 700 or Snapdragon 680.
It comes with a 13 MP main camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. And there’s a 5MP selfie camera.
The phone is backed up by a 5,050mAh battery, but there’s no mention of fast charging.
Nokia C21 Plus comes with Android 11 GB edition, not Android 12 version of Android Go.
Nokia C21 Plus: price
The Nokia C21 Plus comes in two variants, a 3/32GB variant and a 4/64GB variant. The 3/32GB variant is priced at Rs. 10,299 while the 4/64GB variant is priced at Rs. Rs. 11,299.
It’s 2022 and Nokia is still launching a 3/32GB variant at a price where others are even launching 6/64GB variants as a base.
Nokia should stop milking nostalgia
HMD Global has been selling Nokia-branded phones in India for quite some time now. Although it released some exciting smartphones such as Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus that offered great value for money and a unique proposition, the phones that followed were average at best.
Not just the Nokia C21 Plus, the phones that preceded it such as the Nokia C21, Nokia G21, Nokia C30, Nokia C20 Plus, etc. all come with abysmal specs for the price. Each of the phones seemed like an attempt to sell the phone purely for brand nostalgia. Of course, Nokia was huge back then and it still has some brand recall among the masses. But is that enough to be a successful smartphone brand in today’s smartphone market where Redmi, Realme, Motorola and Infinix are launching competitive smartphones back to back?
In my opinion, HMD Global should take a look at its own products and compare with others and start making exciting devices like it did when it brought back the Nokia brand. Please don’t kill the Nokia brand again.