Nokia X: 7 things you should know

The Nokia X was launched today for Rs. 8,599. This means that it will compete directly against sub-10K Android phones and Nokia’s own Lumia 525. Although Nokia said during the launch that the phone will be available for purchase immediately, you will begin to see it in shops from March 15 onwards.

The Nokia X , that differentiates itself from the X with slightly more RAM, and the Nokia XL, that sports a 5-inch touchscreen and a 5MP and 2MP rear and front cameras, will be launched in India in the second quarter of 2014.

Now, you may have heard that the Nokia X is the Finnish manufacturer’s first Android smartphone. However, what you must keep in mind that the X is not a ‘regular’ Android phone. The X doesn’t actually run on stock Android but instead is based on Android. This means that the phone will be able to run Android apps but won’t have many features you take for granted on an Android phone. For example, the Nokia X won’t support Google services, so the phone won’t come with Gmail, Google Now, Hangouts or even access to the Play Store. Instead, it will rely on Microsoft services like Bing and One Drive and its own little app store. However, you will be able to sideload Android apps to Nokia X provided you have the requisite APK files of individual apps.

Okay, so here’s where the Nokia X stands with respect to its specs. Here’s a quick look at some of the key specs:

Display: 4-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 800×480 pixels

Weight: 129 grams

Storage: 4GB internal, support for microSD cards up to 32GB

RAM: 512MB

Camera: 3.15MP primary, no front camera

OS: Android 4.1.2. (Jelly Bean)

Processor: 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Play

Battery: 1500mAh

So, the above specs (especially the single low MP camera and the dual-core processor) make it very clear that the Nokia X has no pretensions about being anything other than a budget smartphone.

One of the big areas that the Nokia X compromises on is its camera. It sports a single 3.15MP camera with a 1/5” sensor that does not match up to the Lumia 525’s 1/4” sensor. The X’s camera is also only capable of recording 480p video (the Lumia can record 720p videos). To top off the disappointment, the lack of a front camera means that many users won’t be able to enjoy video chats or selfies.

The Nokia X doesn’t rely on the standard Android interface but instead sports a brand new interface that looks a little like Windows Phone mixed with Asha. The Nokia X interface relies on tiles similar to Windows Phone, instead of the more orthodox Android widgets. The phone lets you add apps that you want on the homescreen for easy access or as tiles that display dynamic content (for e.g. latest photos you may have shot, missed calls etc.).

The Nokia X also co-opts the Asha series’ Fastlane UI, which is essentially an interface element that lets you see both notifications and gives you quick access to your most used apps. You get to the Fastlane screen by swiping from the left or right edge of the phone.

The Nokia X will not give you access to the Google Play Store. Instead it will come with its own app store which will be curated by Nokia. However, users will also be able to access other popular third-party sources for Android apps such as Yandex (Russia). Of course, you can also sideload any Android app you want, provided you have its APK file.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Nokia X will stay away from Google services like they’ve got the plague. Instead, Nokia will try to get people to start using Microsoft and homebrewn solutions like the Nokia Here Maps and Microsoft’s cloud storage solution- One Drive. These services will be integrated system-wide so apps installed on the Nokia X will be able to call these services when required.