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We dissed the rumours even though we secretly hoped there was some truth to them. And today, here it is, staring us in the face. India witnessed the launch of the Nokia X, the 'unholy' union of Windows Phone and Android. In theory, this sounds like just the recipe Nokia needed to get out of the rut its stuck in. Their budget Lumia sales are doing exceedingly well although the Asha series still needs some convincing. Naturally, the new X series based on Android sounds like it should be an instant hit but we still remain a bit skeptical.
I had a chance to play around with the Nokia X today at the launch and here are a couple of things I noticed. To start off with, the build is rock solid. The X has the same design and build language as the Asha series and that's a very good thing. The covers are interchangeable and you have a choice of six jazzy colours. The battery is also removable. Underneath, we have two SIM slots and a microSD card slot.
The Nokia X has a heavy influence of the Lumia series
The physical 'Back' button has been substituted by a capacitive one on the X. The 4-inch capacitive display is similar to the Lumia 520's panel. Colours aren't very accurate and the sensitivity is strictly average. The responsiveness is actually not as good as the Lumia series as many times your touch isn't registered accurately. This was an issue when the phone was being demoed during the launch as well, so it wasn't just the unit that I had with me.
These are just two of the six colour options
The OS is dubbed the Nokia X Software Platform and it looks like a mash up between the Asha and the Lumia interface. Swiping left or right takes you to Fastlane, a recent activity logger that records every single thing you do with the phone. All your apps are dumped on the main screen and the list keeps getting longer as you add more apps. Unfortunately, Nokia hasn't implemented any app drawer like function. The good news is that you can now even add widgets to the homescreen along with the standard tiles and folders.
The removable back cover reveals the battery, SIM and microSD card slot
As this is Android underneath, certain things are similar like the notification drawer and the settings menu. Apart from some additional settings for Fastlane, it's pretty similar to Android. Currently, 75 percent of Android apps will work just like that without needing any code modifications. While the other apps might install fine, there's no guarantee they'll be perfectly usable.
A familiar settings menu
The thing is, the Nokia X runs on the bare essentials required for Jelly Bean, even less in some instances. There's a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core CPU onboard but it's a Cortex-A5 CPU. In contrast, most Android phones in this price range sport dual or quad-core CPUs based on Cortex-A7 CPUs. The GPU in the X is an Adreno 205, a really old GPU based on the 45nm fabrication. In contrast, GPUs in Android phones under Rs 10,000 are built on the newer 28nm fabrication.
The blocky design is actually cool and Nokia has pulled it off well
However, the worst bit is the measly 512MB of RAM onboard. This was alright on a Windows Phone 8 OS but it's simply suicidal on an OS that's based on Jelly Bean. This would explain why a simple app like Hotels.com took forever to open up during the live demo on stage.
The camera is nothing to shout at either. It's a 3MP fixed-focus shooter and no front-facing camera. I didn't know they still made fixed-focus cameras in this day and age. Naturally, you aren't going to be shooting much as video recording is limited to 480p, however I'm told the phone can play 720p videos.
Colours are washed out and pale
The market operative price (MOP) of Rs 8,599 feels a bit much when you consider the overall package. Yes, you get all the important Microsoft services and apps such as HERE Maps, Onedrive, Skype, Nokia MixRadio, etc and the tank-like build of a Nokia phone. It's great that Nokia has finally answered the cry of so many died hard fans who have fantasised about a Nokia-built Android phone. We wished Nokia had given us just a little more in terms of hardware, at least little more than the bare essentials required to run Jelly Bean the way it is meant to be. Not only would this ensure existing Android apps ran smoothly but also give it some headroom going ahead, should Nokia choose to use KitKat on future iterations of the platform. We'll be bringing you a full review very soon so stay tuned for that.
Nokia X seems to be lacking the X factor
Would you buy the Nokia X, despite the low-powered hardware, just because it is a Nokia and supports Android apps? Let us know.
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