Nokia unveiled its most affordable Android smartphone, the Nokia 2 in India. Since this was a global announcement, the prices stated at the event was 99 Euros (roughly Rs 7500 directly converted). However, the company has not revealed the India pricing or launch information. We are assuming that the phone will be priced lower than the Nokia 3 and hence will be competing in the sub-8K smartphone segment. Here is how it stacks up against its competition. We pit the phone against the Xiaomi Redmi 4A, Yu Yunique 2, Moto C Plus and the Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro.
Before we go any further, here is a look at the specifications of the phone
Display: 5-inch, 1280 x 720p
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 212
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 8GB, micro SD card support
Camera: 8MP, 5MP
Battery: 4100mAh
OS: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Starting with the display, the phone is at par with most sub-8K phones in the Indian market. The 720p resolution is now a staple specification most phones in the category offer. However, Nokia says the display used on the phone is an LTPS display which offers better contrast ratios and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
Nokia 2: 5-inch: 1280 x 720p
Xiaomi Redmi 4A: 5-inch: 1280 x 720p
Micromax Yu Yunique 2: 5-inch, 1280 x 720p
Moto C Plus: 5-inch: 1280 x 720p
Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro: 5-inch: 1280 x 720p
The Nokia 2 has a metal chassis, but comes with a polycarbonate removable back. The build quality is almost at par with the Nokia 3 smartphone. In comparison, most phones in the sub-8K category have a polycarbonate shell and back.
On the performance side of things, Nokia has employed the Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 SoC. It is a 2015 quad-core SoC which we previously saw on the Lumia 650 from Microsoft (Nokia). In comparison, most phones in this category use MediaTek SoCs and we have the Snapdragon 400 series ticking in a few.
Nokia 2: 5-inch: Qualcomm Snapdragon 212
Xiaomi Redmi 4A: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
Micromax Yu Yunique 2: MediaTek MT6737
Moto C Plus: 5-inch: MediaTek MT6737
Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro: Exynos 3475
Nokia has also skimped on the memory for the Nokia 2 as the phone comes with only 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Most competing phones offer double of that.
Nokia 2: 5-inch: 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM
Xiaomi Redmi 4A: 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM
Micromax Yu Yunique 2: 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM
Moto C Plus: 5-inch: 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM
Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro: 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 supports upto an 8MP camera at the back and the company has ensured that the phone gets a 8MP rear camera. The rear camera supports autofocus and is aided by an LED flash, but apart from that it is too early to say anything about the quality. In comparison, most recent budget phones now come with better camera specifications.
Nokia 2: 5-inch: 8MP, 5MP
Xiaomi Redmi 4A: 13MP, 5MP
Micromax Yu Yunique 2: 13MP, 5MP
Moto C Plus: 5-inch: 8MP, 2MP
Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro: 8MP, 5MP
Nokia claims the new Nokia 2 will provide 2 days of battery life on a single charge, as the phone features a fairly large 4100mAh battery. There are only a few phones which compete with the phone on that front.
Nokia 2: 4100mAh
Xiaomi Redmi 4A: 3120mAh
Micromax Yu Yunique 2: 2500mAh
Moto C Plus: 5-inch: 4000mAh
Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro: 2600mAh
Software wise, Nokia is continuing its approach to provide a stock Android experience with the Nokia 2. The phone ships with Android 7.1.1 Nougat and will updated to Android Orio in the coming months.
Nokia 2: Android 7.1.1
Xiaomi Redmi 4A: Android 6.0.1
Micromax Yu Yunique 2: Android 7.0
Moto C Plus: 5-inch: Android 7.0
Samsung Galaxy On 5 Pro: Android 6.0
Nokia is also adding choices to the colours of the phone. So, instead of the normal grey, black or white approach, Nokia 2 will feature a dual tone colour pallet. You can see the copper and black version of the phone in the image here.