Nokia 2.4 First Impressions: Pros, Cons, And The X-Factor

Big 6.5-inch Display Serves Well For Multimedia Tasks

The Nokia 2.4 flaunts a big 6.5-inch screen with a teardrop notch. Despite the low resolution, the 20:9 aspect ratio LCD panel serves well for day-to-day multimedia tasks. The big screen offers an immersive viewing experience for movie streaming, gameplay and also works well for reading and browsing web pages. It's s decent display for indoor use but feels dull under direct sunlight. Overall, if you spend most of your time on your smartphone for consuming multimedia content, the Nokia 2.4's big display will come in handy.

 

Solid Build Quality

Despite the plastic build, the Nokia 2.4 feels sturdy and durable, something we expect from a Nokia device. The quality of plastic used in the construction seems long-lasting and the phone feels much more durable than the Redmi and Realme's budget smartphones. The Nokia 2.4 has a die-cast metal chassis that firmly holds the polycarbonate back shell and the front of the handset. The phone also offers a good grip in the hands, thanks to the 3D nano-textured back cover that sits securely in the hands. The Nokia 2.4 is available in Dusk, Fjord, and Charcoal gradient colour options.

Convenient Biometric Scanner & Dedicated Memory Card Slot

The Nokia 2.4 comes equipped with a rear-mounted biometric scanner that's fast and consistent in unlocking the handset. The phone's physical buttons offer decent tactile feedback and you also get a 3.5mm audio jack positioned at the top. Importantly, the smartphone comes equipped with a triple-slot SIM card tray which means you can use two active SIM cards and a memory card to expand the phone's built-in memory to up to 512GB at the same time.

Capable Camera For The Price

The Nokia 2.4 features a dual-lens camera setup featuring a 13MP f/2.2 primary sensor aided by a 2MP depth sensor. Despite flaunting basic camera hardware with a narrow aperture on the main lens, the phone captures bright and well-exposed shots. If light conditions are favorable, the Nokia 2.4 captures impressive images with crisp details and vibrant colors. And when the sun sets, you can capture well-lit shots with the dedicated night mode.

Also, the 2MP depth sensor impressed us with its edge detection abilities. It creates a pleasing bokeh with both human and non-human subjects. Overall, we are looking forward to capturing some impressive shots on this budget phone as the camera performance seems pretty good for the price.

Cons

Low-Resolution Panel

The bigger screen size does offer a good real-estate for multimedia playback; however, the low-resolution is a big letdown. The 6.5-inch screen size with 720p resolution only results in underwhelming 267ppi which directly affects movie playback and gameplay experience. Also, the LCD screen's viewing angles are not inspiring and the outdoor visibility is pretty average. If you cannot compromise on the display's color reproduction, viewing angles, and resolution, look elsewhere.

Dated microUSB Charging Port

Nokia's budget offerings are still stuck with a dated microUSB charging port which can be pretty annoying if you have already made the transition to the Type-C charging port devices. This shouldn't bother you much if you are still using microUSB enabled phones but for someone looking for a secondary budget handset, the Nokia 2.4's microUSB charging port can be a deal-breaker.

Below Standard 5W Charger In The Box

Nokia is offering a 5W charger in the box for a smartphone that draws power from a modest 4,500 mAh battery cell. The charger took almost 2 hours to refuel the battery from 10% to 90% which is annoyingly slow for 2020 standards. The company should have at least offered a 10W charger in the box to match the competition.

X-Factor- Stock Android With Solid Software Update Cycle

The Nokia 2.4 runs on the stock version of Google's Android 10 and comes with a promise of three years of security updates and two years of Android OS software upgrades. This means that the Nokia 2.4 is destined to receive the Android 11 and Android 12 updates. The company hasn't specified a timeline for the Android 11 update but it should be around the corner. Overall, there's no other sub-11K smartphone that guarantees such a solid software update cycle at this low price-point.

As far as software performance is concerned, the Nokia 2.4 feels fluid and comes sans any unwanted bloatware. The Android 10 gestures work seamlessly on this budget smartphone and overall, the software user-experience seems better than the budget devices from Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

The phone has been launched in the lone 3GB+32GB configuration and is powered by MediaTek Helio P22 processor which should suffice for all day-to-day tasks without any performance issues. The Nokia 2.4 should easily last for a day with moderate to heavy usage. The smartphone is powered by a 4,500mAh battery cell and the company promises a two-day battery life on one full charge cycle.

Should You Buy The Nokia 2.4?

The Nokia 2.4 isn't the most feature-packed and spec-heavy sub-12K handset but it still has a lot going for it. The phone's durable build and stock Android software with a solid upgrade cycle are some valid reasons to invest in Nokia's latest budget offering. However, the low-resolution screen, dated microUSB charging port, and awfully slow charging speeds are some major deal-breaker features that force us to consider similarly priced devices from Chinese smartphone manufacturers. It's too early to comment on the real-world performance as good software optimization might work in favor of the Nokia 2.4.

Availability And Offers On Nokia 2.4

The Nokia 2.4 will be available online exclusively on Nokia.com/phones starting 26th Nov. 2020. Nokia mentions that the first 100 customers placing successful orders on Nokia.com/phones between 26 Nov. 12:00 noon IST and 04 Dec. 11:59 pm IST, will also receive a 007 merchandise hamper comprising 007 special edition bottle, cap, and metal keychain.

Nokia will also sell the 2.4 via Amazon.in, Flipkart, and through leading retail outlets across India starting 4th December 2020. If you are a Jio customer and purchase the Nokia 2.4, you will be entitled to benefits worth Rs. 3,550. The benefits include instant cashback of Rs 2,000 on the prepaid recharge of Rs. 349 plan and Rs 1,550 worth vouchers from partners. Nokia mentions that the offer applies to new as well as existing Jio subscribers.