Nokia had announced its first Android family of smartphones at MWC 2014 in Barcelona. While the mobile platform on all the three smartphones is based on AOSP (Android Open Source Project), it doesn’t really give a feel of the Android ecosystem but yes, you can install Android applications on them.
We had already reviewed the Nokia X last month and frankly we were quite satisfied with the design. Although the OS seemed a bit too sluggish. Nokia has now given us a preview of the Nokia XL which is a larger and more powerful smartphone than its X. If we compare the two, the XL has a larger display (5-inch vs. 4-inch), more RAM (768MB vs. 512MB), a better camera (5MP with auto-focus and flash vs. 3.15MP fixed focus), a front camera (X doesn’t have a front camera), and a larger battery pack (2000mAh vs. 1500mAh).
The XL runs on the same Android-based OS as we had seen on the X. But with a slight bump in RAM, we saw some improvement in the overall performance. Now we aren’t saying that it worked flawlessly, but still better than the Nokia X. The camera is a lot better and we liked the fact that it has autofocus. Pictures in bright conditions actually look quite good now. With a front-facing camera, one can make video calls as well.
In the design department, there isn’t a huge difference apart from the larger size. The build quality and the finishing are just as good as the Nokia X and the handset feels very sturdy in the hand. The Nokia XL will come in a variety of colors including White, Black, Orange, Green, Yellow and Blue.
The Nokia XL is definitely a better option than the Nokia X. But again, we weren’t entirely happy with the mobile platform it is running on. We hope that Nokia can refine it further and make it smoother and more responsive.
| Nokia X | Nokia XL | |
| Display | 4 inches IPS with 800×480 resolution (233ppi) | 5 inches IPS with 800×480 resolution (233ppi) |
| Battery | 1500mAh | 2000mAh |
| Storage | 4GB, expandable via microSD card | 4GB, expandable via microSD card |
| Camera | 3.15MP rear fixed focus | 5MP rear with auto-focus and LED flash, 2MP front |
| SoC | Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 | Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 |
| CPU | 1GHz dual-core | 1GHz dual-core |
| GPU | Adreno 203 | Adreno 203 |
| RAM | 512MB | 768MB |
| Operating system | Android 4.1.2 with Fastlane | Android 4.1.2 with Fastlane |