Nokia ducked out of the mid-range specs arms race a while ago. Instead they are pitching reliable and secure devices that come in a variety of non-trendchasing styles. Nokia X20 certainly fits that philosophy.
Unmistakably Nokia
Nokia X20 wears a frosted, textured rear, an exposed polished aluminium frame on its edges and gentle curves on each corner. Our review model is a fetching Nordic Blue, a deep aqua colour that is plainly inspired by the aurora borealis.
That frosted rear indeed teases reflections of light in a way that resembles the northern lights – job done. The camera housing cuts its way through the glass-like rear with a small cut aluminium surround.
Nokia X20 is gorgeous to look at and it feels nice too. It’s solid without feeling heavy and the frosted rear gives a little grip.
Our Nokia X20 review unit contained no charger – instead, Nokia included a compostable cover. The cover is a step up from the silicon sock you usually get with phones and it does show some effort towards sustainability from the Finnish giant.
Practicality
Nokia X20 is on the larger side with a screen size of 6.67″. The depth of 9.1mm, minimal bezel and attention to form means the device isn’t in any way unwieldy. You won’t be using it with one hand too often, though.
The 4,470mAh battery combined with the less power-hungry chipset and IPS LCD screen give the device a good chance of making it to bed on day two. This moderate user easily made this milestone with 10-15% battery to spare – that’s superb for a mid-range device in my hands.
Our review model’s 8GB of RAM is more than enough for multitasking and serial tab abuse and competitive in its price-range.
Specs War
As we’ve said hundreds of times here on TechStomper, Nokia aren’t doing the race to the bottom any more when it comes to price-to-specs ratio. The tricks and tradeoffs involved in bringing AMOLEDs and SD865s to the sub-€400 market aren’t just aren’t worth it – according to Nokia.
As someone who values reliability and aesthetic quality highly, Nokia X20 has enough power for the everyday applications as well as the kinds of mobile work I use my phone for. It’s not lacking at all in this respect.
The plain Android One experience is fantastic on Nokia X20. Smooth, attractive and user-friendly, it’s a joy to use next to bloated and ad-filled competitors in this price-range.
Nokia devices getting Android 11 before most other brands is a nice bonus.
However, there are some occasions where the lack of power can be seen. Complex apps can take a beat longer to open than you might like. Taking certain types of photos can make the device hang for a moment as it processes these images. It reminds you of the modest chip powering the lot.
Ultimately, there are a huge number of users who can deal with ads and bloatware in exchange for power. Nokia X20 doesn’t have raw power in its repertoire and those users will have to look elsewhere.
X Games
The 20:9 aspect ratio and 6.67″ Full HD screen are quite nice to game on. Plenty of room for virtual buttons and other HUD elements.
The Adreno 619 is about average for this price and does a commendable job on complex 3D games. Medium settings for 3D titles is easy enough for the device and framerates hit the target 60fps most of the time.
Nokia X20 is a capable mid-range mobile gaming platform but again, those after the very best performance for the price might be tempted to look elsewhere.
Functional Camera
Four lens is not something you see often on phones of this size and Nokia X20 does avail of all four to offers a competent suite of options.
The main snapper is above average at this price – shots using just this lens are excellent. Bright and sharp with decent contrast, the 64MP lens is strong in its price-range. That main lens does highlight the other’ three lens’ deficiencies though.
The 2MP macro lens is just about up to its task and with so little need for it, it seems like a waste of a lens. The 5MP depth sensor gives passable bokeh and DoF effects but, again, seems like a waste of a lens. The 5MP ultrawide lens is not up to the task and ultrawide photos have an artificial smoothness to them as the image processor does what it can with so few pixels.
Video at 1080p60 is good at this price. A 1080p24 mode can be shot in a suitably cinematic 21:9.
Specifications
| Chipset: | Qualcomm SM4350 Snapdragon 480 5G – Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Kryo 460 & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 460) – Adreno 619 |
| RAM: | 6GB, 8GB (reviewed) |
| Storage: | 128GB, Micro SD card compatible |
| Display: | 6.67″, IPS LCD, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio |
| Camera: | – 64 MP, (wide), PDAF – 5 MP, (ultrawide) – 2 MP, (macro) – 2 MP, (depth) Video: 1080p@30/60fps |
| Selfie Cam: | 32 MP wide Video: 1080p@30 |
| OS: | ‘Android One’ Android 11 |
| Connectivity: | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band; Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD; A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO; NFC; USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go |
| Battery: | Li-Po 4470 mAh 18W fast charging |
| Dimensions: | 168.9×79.7×9.1 mm (6.65×3.14×0.36 in) |
| Weight: | 220 grams (7.76 oz) |
| Colours: | Nordic Blue (reviewed), Midnight Sun |
On paper, its only OK but in your hand, it’s worth the €329 price (8GB RAM review model). Three years of security updates, the very latest Android fixes and upgrades, and an eye-catching design that doesn’t ape what’s cool or expensive.
If you need raw power on a budget, look elsewhere. If you want to do the basics and a little extra on a reliable, gorgeous device for two days at a time, then Nokia X20 is that device.
Review unit provided by PR. 8GB model is priced at €329 from Nokia.
