Nokia XR20 Review, Pros and Cons – Nokia is coming up with a rugged smartphone with an upper mid-range budget. The Nokia XR20 smartphone is a model you don’t cherish for its design or processor, but for its robust built-in materials. Therefore, the phone is durable and the phone is extremely expensive compared to the specs.
If on the one hand, it sports a good screen, processor, and camera, on the other hand, you will be put off by its battery. If you look closely or compare the Nokia XR20 smartphone with others, you will notice a huge difference that makes the phone a suspect choice. The Nokia XR20 looks similar to the Nokia X20 phone, its 5G bandwidth and 4 years of security updates are sure to draw your attention first. But we must dig deeper to find out more details. So let’s start the review of the Nokia XR20 smartphone.
Table of Contents
Nokia XR20 Review
Highlights
- A 6.67 inches IPS screen with 1080p resolution provides a standard viewing experience.
- Coming with Android 11 OS, you don’t feel much delay.
- Combined with 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset and Adreno 619 graphics unit, the Nokia XR20 model is not really worth your money.
- There is a 48 MP main camera that gives good pictures in daylight, with a poor result at night.
- Although the Li-Po 4630 mAh battery is quite satisfactory, you will be discouraged by its 18W fast charger.
Design and Display
Being a robust smartphone, there are also some challenges. You can’t expect much from the glamorous design. Although there are two colors, Ultra Blue and Granite Grey, you miss the vibrant design. Coming with a plastic back cover and rubberized sides, you can hold your phone very comfortably. A dual-camera board is defined on the back panel with its unique attribute. The fingerprint sensor is built into the sidebar, which makes the phone an ancient entity.
On the other hand, a large 6.67 inches IPS LCD screen is a boring choice. Where you can get an AMOLED screen on this budget range, the Nokia XR20 offers some decent specs on the front panel. Motion blur high refresh rate has been a priority for any smartphone which you’ll miss out here. Also, adjusting the brightness to 550 nits can be satisfactory. Overall, the density of 395 PPI with 1080p resolution can make your viewing experience attractive enough.
Nokia tried to give the phone a tough look, there is Gorilla glass Victus protection. Even the presence of the IP68 dust/water resistance feature underwater to a depth of 1.5 m. The phone has been tested for drop resistance to the concrete of up to 1.8 m. You can trust their protection specifications, which are the unique factors of the XR20 smartphone.
A rugged smartphone is always a heavy entity. It weighs 248 g and the 10.6 mm thick sidebar makes the phone heavy in your pocket. Coming with a military standard (MIL-STD-810H) compliant, you don’t worry about its durability.
Memory and Internal
With the latest Android 11 OS, you’ll get three years of standard software updates and four years of security updates. Along with that, you might be missing out on your custom UI feature. But there’s no obvious delay that contributes to smooth performance while you get on with your important tasks.
Just looking to enjoy watching an 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 482 5G chipset, you’re on the wrong track. But yes there are other alternatives that offer the same or better chipset at half of the budget. An 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset proves to be a moderate choice for any gamer.
The Octa-core processor is a standard that features a maximum clock speed of 2.0 GHz, so it’s not a big deal where you’re having a weaker performance. On the other hand, the presence of the Adreno graphics unit enhances the beauty of the visual experience, but because of the moderate chipset, you can be exempt from the best quality.
While the basic variant, 4GB RAM with 64GB storage combo makes less room for apps, videos, or photos, the higher variant, 6GB RAM with 128GB storage, expands the space for more downloads. This is another area you should consider enough when shopping. Like most smartphones, the Nokia XR20 also offers a storage expansion feature via its shared microSD card slot.
Camera
You only get dual lenses on the back. The Nokia XR20 comes with a 48 MP dual camera that provides sufficient image quality. The secondary camera includes a 13 MP ultrawide sensor. Each has a specific function, but with limitations, of course. Made from Zeiss optics, its camera feature comes in standard quality. A dual-LED flash and a second single LED flash make the phone an attractive choice for low-light photography. But those aren’t masterpieces in this budget.
Because of the robust smartphone, the cameras don’t have enough sound. Every shade of color tends to be a little weird. You will not be able to differentiate between colors after capturing an image. You get fine detail in daylight, but the night sky gives you a blow. Therefore, photos tend to look boring. The ultra-wide camera might be satisfying here.
Because of the low standard image processing output, you’re far from capturing great quality photos. The presence of an 8 MP selfie camera is below average. Capturing a dynamic range of photos will demotivate you because will always experience noise in your photos.
Although the company is offering the full 1080p resolution video recording for both cameras, you’ll miss the stabilization feature. Therefore, the video recording option is also very limited for a photographer. If you check out the alternatives, you’re sure to find 4K video recording options in the same price range. The company is more focused on making durable smartphones than decent camera phones.
Battery and Others
The Nokia XR20 phone comes with a Li-Po 4630mAh battery. Although the brand promises 2 days of battery life, you’ll realize how much it’s worth playing games or watching movies. On the other hand, its fast-loading option isn’t satisfying either. It only supports a fast 18W charger and it is amazing to get a 15W fast wireless charger. The Nokia XR20 costs $550 (Rs 40,999) approx.
Nokia XR20 Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Nokia XR20 smartphone.
| Specifications | Nokia XR20 |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | July 2021 |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.76 x 3.21 x 0.42 inches |
| Weight | 248 g |
| Size | 6.67 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 550 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~395 PPI density |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass Victus IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 60 min) Drop-to-concrete resistance from up to 1.8 m MIL-STD-810H compliant |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| OS | Android 11 |
| Chipset | 8nm – Qualcomm SM4350 Snapdragon 480 5G |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.0 GHz Kryo 460 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 460 |
| GPU | Adreno 619 |
| Card slot | Yes (uses shared SIM slot) |
| RAM | 4GB, 6GB |
| Internal | 64GB, 128GB |
| Camera | 48 MP (wide), PDAF 13 MP (123Ëš ultrawide) Zeiss optics, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, second LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX Adaptive |
| GPS | Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.0 |
| Sensors | side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Battery | Li-Po 4630 mAh Fast charging 18W Fast wireless charging 15W |
| Colors | Ultra Blue, Granite Gray |
| Expected Price | $550 (Rs 40,999) approx. |
Nokia XR20 Pros and Cons
Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the Nokia XR20 smartphone.
pros
- Water and dust resistance.
- Drop-to-concrete concrete resistance.
- Gorilla glass Victus protection.
- Decent photography with adequate daylight.
- Stereo speakers are present.
- NFC and 5G enabled.
- Long battery life.
- 18W fast charging and 15W wireless charging support.
- Full HD IPS LCD display.
cons
- Without a high rate display.
- No custom UI support.
- Not for low light photography.
- Use shared SIM micro SD card slot.
- It’s not for playing games with high graphics.
- Average performance with 8nm chipset.
- Little overprice compared to specs.
Conclusion
The Nokia XR20 display made of IPS LCD technology is far from the performance of an AMOLED screen. You will certainly get the latest built-in features, but there are many smartphones that offer better and stronger specs. On this budget, a 48 MP camera is just a trivial addition, though it doesn’t give you much satisfactory image quality. Also, a decent battery with a relatively less standard fast charger doesn’t make the phone a good buy. Overall this is a durable smartphone for the user who use to go in harsh conditions.
Of course, a comparison would be a better decision. If you are looking for a better alternative option, you can check out the Ulefone Armor 11T smartphone in an almost similar price range with better specs.
