Microsoft Launches Nokia X2 Dual SIM Smartphone
by Brett Howse on June 24, 2014 6:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Microsoft
- Nokia
- Mobile
Today Microsoft announced a second iteration of the Nokia X family of low end smartphones they first announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. The new device is the Nokia X2 Dual SIM, and is a slightly higher specification device than the original Nokia X device announced in February.
First, the display is slightly improved with the addition of Nokia’s ClearBlack polarization technology which Brian Klug covered in his review of the Lumia 900. ClearBlack helps with blacks as well as outdoor viewing by using polarization and several layers to reduce reflections on the display. It can make an mediocre display look OK, and a good display look great, at least in my experience. This ClearBlack technology is outfitted onto the 4.3” 800x480 resolution display of the new X2.
Also improved is the SoC. The original Nokia X was based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, and the new device bumps it up to a current generation dual-core Snapdragon 200. In addition, the X2 trumps both the original X and the larger XL devices with 1 GB of RAM, however it keeps the same amount of storage as the other devices in the line with a small 4 GB but does support expansion with up to 32 GB of microSD.
The camera is also bumped up from the X which had a 3 MP fixed focus camera. The X2 has a 5 MP autofocus model with f/2.7 and a LED flash. Camera size is 1/4 inch so it’s unlikely this camera will be very effective in dim scenarios, but with the flash it should at least take some sort of picture. There is also a Front Facing Camera - a bonus over the original X, but it is only VGA resolution.
On the software side, the Nokia platform has been revved to “Nokia X software platform 2.0” with this release which offers enhancements to the user interface such as a Windows Phone-esque alphabetical app list, a new home key, and a pull-down notification screen. While an update is scheduled for existing devices, the software platform 2.0 will not be available on the older X and XL models due to hardware limitations of those devices.
| Nokia X Series | ||||||
| Nokia X | Nokia X2 | Nokia XL | ||||
| Display | 4" 800x480 | 4.3" 800x480 with ClearBlack | 5" 800x480 | |||
| SoC | Snapdragon S4 (dual-core 1 GHz) | Snapdragon 200 (dual-core 1.2 GHz) | Snapdragon S4 (dual-core 1 GHz) | |||
| Memory | 512 MB | 1 GB | 768 MB | |||
| Storage | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | |||
| Camera |
3 MP Fixed Focus 1/5 inch No FFC, No FLash |
5 MP Auto Focus 1/4 inch VGA FFC, LED FLash |
5 MP Auto Focus 1/4 inch UXGA FFC, LED FLash |
|||
| Weight | 129 g | 150 g | 190 g | |||
| Battery | 1500 mAh 3.7 V (5.55 Wh) | 1800 mAh 3.8 V (6.84 Wh) | 2000 mAh 3.7 V (7.4 Wh) | |||
As for the actual device, it’s going to be available in Black, White, Yellow, Green, Orange, and Grey with an “Inner Glow” outer clear coat. The device goes on sale in July with an expected MSRP of €99 (around $135 USD).
We weren’t really sure what was going to happen to the X Line with the Microsoft acquisition, but at least one more device has now launched so obviously there is some internal support for AOSP with Microsoft services. It’s likely this device was already in the pipeline prior to the acquisition, so we’ll have to wait and see if any other Android based devices find their way out of Microsoft. It will be interesting to see if we ever get any sales numbers on the X line vs the low end Windows Phone line (Lumia 520, 630, etc) because all of the X line phones have come in at or around the same price as the Lumias. We’ll have to wait and see at the next financial call if any of the numbers are broken out, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Source: Nokia
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sherlockwing - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
Don't really see why one would buy these phones instead of Moto E, same SOC, same spec, higher res(960X540) and you get all the google services & playstore instead of having to use MS services and limited app selection. Moto E is undercuts Nokia X2 in price($129 vs $150).Penti - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
Or just Moto G so you get better battery life than the low end Lumia's and so on. With Amazon having their fork, and BB getting ready to have Amazon app store on the Android Runtime Microsoft's market for these is just getting more squeezed, doesn't make any sense for developers to release apps through the Nokia Store and the market share aren't exactly those that would hack and mess around like the current Blackberry 10-users. Yet they need something like this. But customers can turn elsewhere.hodakaracer96 - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
This is forked android not windows phone...Penti - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
Because Windows Phone apps are released through the Nokia Store... Well no. But a Moto G is more value than Lumia 520, 630, 635 as well as non forked and better performing than the X2. Moto E goes for pretty much the same money as X2 and L520. A low end phone is a low end phone.hodakaracer96 - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
Ah just reread your comment I misunderstood. Yes I agree that the X2 is going nowhere. Especially if it loses the Nokia name (powerful brand outside of US) to some form of MS branding.Penti - Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - link
Won't loose the branding in the phones lifetime (probably pretty short) as they can use it until 31 dec 2015 at least. Nobody really cares about Nokia here in Europe any more, the company as a phone maker is already dead and buried. It's not that much more popular than in the US. WP sealed the fate there. Everything essentially stopped and fell apart quickly with the new direction. Microsoft swept in and killed Symbian, MeeGo, Meltemi etc by forbidding development as part of the collaboration, killing any European competition as a result, hardware was replaced by whatever Qualcomm parts Microsoft supported and two app processor vendors shut their doors for the mobile market as a result. That also killed their camera work in practice. It's more that it is what Microsoft needs. They need to have a presence everywhere and have their services reach this market too. Other will have more success forking Android though. New Chinese vendors already sell more smartphones than MS does globally, by essentially selling forked Android in China. NA has players like Amazon and Blackberry as said (latter has a runtime on top of the OS rather than Android), reaching those as a developer is easier. We will see how long Hungary or whatever Microsoft Mobile plant that churns these out will keep at it. The finns won't exactly love this new Microsoft. Thousands of engineers and assembly workers lost their jobs, most got other good jobs but obviously the country lost an identity and the network part simply operates as NSN for the most part and the mapping business don't advertise as an Nokia company any more but rather pushes their fairly new Here brand and name. People have moved on. Microsoft got stuck with Series 40/Asha that should have been faced out :)sherlockwing - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
correction: they actually have the same MSRP. But the agrument still stands: if you don't have to pay more to get a better screen and google services, why get stuck with only MS apps?Salt - Saturday, July 5, 2014 - link
Moto E is not even close to this phone, there's more in life than just praying for Google; Microsoft / Nokia wants a piece of the Pie, that doesn't make them better or worst than Google. Now Moto E don't even have a Led Flash for photos, doesn't have a front camera, and that is a huge fail, Skype on a phone is quite nice to have you know. Also this days Google is not develloping the OS very much, what they want to do is just sell their products, advertising!Penti - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
AOSP 4.3 Level 18 based according to docs. No update to 4.3 for the older devices.HardwareDufus - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
DSDA on this low end device.I hope we start seeing it in the higher end Lumia phones.