Nokia X
It has been raining devices and innovations at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but not too many have captured as much attention as Nokia's first Android phones, the X Series. Rumoured to be in the works for ages, Nokia's Android phones finally saw the light of the (official) day at Barcelona. And have generally queries and questions by the dozen. Although the phones have not yet been made officially available to us, here is our attempt to answer some of the common queries about them, based on what we have seen and heard, from sources official as well as unofficial.
So Nokia is making Android phones. What's the fuss about then?
Well, Nokia has resisted the Android temptation for a while, preferring to stay with Symbian, Asha and Windows Phone for its devices. Considering its close relationship with Microsoft, which makes Windows Phone, one of Android's biggest rivals, yes, this is quite a big deal. Think of Lionel Messi going from Barcelona to Real Madrid...yes, THAT big.
Well, Nokia has resisted the Android temptation for a while, preferring to stay with Symbian, Asha and Windows Phone for its devices. Considering its close relationship with Microsoft, which makes Windows Phone, one of Android's biggest rivals, yes, this is quite a big deal. Think of Lionel Messi going from Barcelona to Real Madrid...yes, THAT big.
How many Android phones is Nokia releasing?
Well, to start off, three. These are the X, the X+ and the XL, part of what many are calling the X Series of devices.
Well, to start off, three. These are the X, the X+ and the XL, part of what many are calling the X Series of devices.
Are these going to be expensive handsets?
Far from it. Nokia's X Series of Android devices is going to be very much in the affordable price segment - the Nokia X will cost 89 Euros, the X+ 99 Euros and even the large screened XL will put you back by a mere 109 Euros. In pure conversion terms, the devices will fall in the Rs 7,000-Rs 10,000 price belt.
Far from it. Nokia's X Series of Android devices is going to be very much in the affordable price segment - the Nokia X will cost 89 Euros, the X+ 99 Euros and even the large screened XL will put you back by a mere 109 Euros. In pure conversion terms, the devices will fall in the Rs 7,000-Rs 10,000 price belt.
And what do we get for that price?
Well, the X comes with a 4.0-inch display and 512 MB RAM; the X+ also has a 4.0-inch display but has 768 MB RAM; and the XL has a 5.0-inch display and 768 MB RAM. All of the devices are going to be powered by dual core Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm, and will have displays of 800 x 480 resolution. They will all be dual SIM devices, and while the X and X+ will come with 3.0-megapixel cameras, the XL will come with a 5.0-megapixel one.
Well, the X comes with a 4.0-inch display and 512 MB RAM; the X+ also has a 4.0-inch display but has 768 MB RAM; and the XL has a 5.0-inch display and 768 MB RAM. All of the devices are going to be powered by dual core Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm, and will have displays of 800 x 480 resolution. They will all be dual SIM devices, and while the X and X+ will come with 3.0-megapixel cameras, the XL will come with a 5.0-megapixel one.
Which version of Android will they run?
Android 4.1.2, Jelly Bean.
Android 4.1.2, Jelly Bean.
Isn't that a bit old? I mean, the Moto G is coming with Android 4.4.
On paper, yes. But this is going to be a very different kind of Android.
On paper, yes. But this is going to be a very different kind of Android.
Wait, so this is not the usual kind of Android that we see on other Android phones?
Nope. This is not going to be your run of the mill Android. Nokia has made quite a few tweaks to the OS. The interface is not going to be like other Android phones. It is going to be a mix of what you saw on the Lumia and Asha series of devices. There is just one home screen with all your apps arranged on it in the forms of boxes and tiles, similar to what you see on the Lumia devices (which run on Windows Phone). You can resize tiles, move them around and change their colors and so on. And just as in the Asha series of devices, you have the Fast Lane option, where swiping to the left shows you a list of recently used apps. Also a lot of the regular apps that you get on Android like Gmail and Maps have been replaced by Nokia/Microsoft alternatives like Here Maps and Nokia MixRadio.
Nope. This is not going to be your run of the mill Android. Nokia has made quite a few tweaks to the OS. The interface is not going to be like other Android phones. It is going to be a mix of what you saw on the Lumia and Asha series of devices. There is just one home screen with all your apps arranged on it in the forms of boxes and tiles, similar to what you see on the Lumia devices (which run on Windows Phone). You can resize tiles, move them around and change their colors and so on. And just as in the Asha series of devices, you have the Fast Lane option, where swiping to the left shows you a list of recently used apps. Also a lot of the regular apps that you get on Android like Gmail and Maps have been replaced by Nokia/Microsoft alternatives like Here Maps and Nokia MixRadio.