Nokia Xel. Nokia XL - the most common problems and some ways to fix them. A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet

Nokia XL is the company's alternative offering for fans of the Android operating system. Nokia's attempt to capture another part of the smartphone market. Let's look at user reviews of the Nokia XL, as well as the characteristics of experts, and try to determine based on them whether this company will be able to achieve what it wants? What's good about this phone? How do those who purchased and tested its capabilities respond to it?

About the good

Reviews about Nokia XL indicate that the phone runs stably on this operating system - it does not freeze. Convenient to use. It has a clear interface and fits comfortably in the hand. There are no slowdowns during use. All communications work perfectly. Signal reception and transmission is reliable both over telephone networks, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Has a good camera. The flash works great. The battery lasts well. Users also include the following advantages:

• large screen;
• decent power of the device;
• loud speaker;
• ability to switch between SIM cards;
• front camera with Skype support.

About the bad

About the Nokia XL, user reviews indicate that it does not sync with the PC. It is not possible to install applications on the memory card. The Android operating system has been stripped down. There are few applications on the Market. Heats up quickly and strongly. There are problems opening the back cover.

About cost and operating system

XL is, one might say, the “big brother” of X from Nokia. You can buy it on average for 7,000 rubles. The device runs on its own firmware, bringing the appearance of the interface closer to Windows Phone. This, of course, limits the capabilities and makes it impossible to access services from Google, including Play.

What's in the box?

The device kit includes:

• The headset, unfortunately, does not have a call key;
• charger that connects to microUSB.

Nokia XL Dual review: briefly about the main thing

The screen is made using TFT IPS technology and has a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, or 187 dots per inch. The device has a dual-core processor with a frequency of 1 GHz. RAM - 768 MB. The smartphone has 4 GB of built-in memory. Dimensions - 41.4 x 77.7 x 10.9 mm. These Nokia XL characteristics speak volumes, but do not allow us to fully appreciate this device.

Appearance

Allows you to study the appearance of the Nokia XL photo. The buyer is offered a wide variety of color solutions. It is possible to install a phone cover of a different color. The build quality of the phone can be called ideal. Considering that it is collapsible, when you hold it in your hand, you don’t feel it. Thanks to the polycarbonate from which the case is made, the phone does not scratch, does not slip, and is pleasant and hard to the touch. Its front side is completely covered by glass. The five-inch display has an aspect ratio of 16:10. There is a peephole located right above it. There are also light and proximity sensors. The manufacturer has placed touch keys under the display.

At the bottom end there is a microUSB connector. On the top there is a 3.5 mm headset input. The right side has a polycarbonate volume rocker. Below it is a lock/power button.

In the middle of the back panel there is a camera eye, above which there is a flash. There is a speaker in the lower rear part of the case.

An easily removable cover hides the battery, connectors for two SIM cards and a slot for microSD.

Ergonomics of the device

Ease of use of the Nokia XL Dual SIM is ensured by its light weight - only 190 grams, thoughtful button placement, and rounded back cover. Despite its size, it fits comfortably in the hand. Its shape follows the shape of the palm. The rough body gives you confidence that the device will not slip out of your hand. The lock and volume keys fit comfortably under your fingers, allowing you to operate the device with one hand.

Screen

This device is quite large and bright. Overall pleasant, but still budget friendly. It is distinguished by high quality workmanship, has correct color rendition and fairly wide viewing angles. I would like the pixel density to be higher, but this is quite enough to ensure that your eyes do not get tired for a long time when working with the device.

Disadvantages include poor glare protection. No matter how you turn the device, reflections cannot be avoided. The finger glides freely across the screen, which pleases us because it doesn’t get very dirty.

Interface

The most interesting thing about this device is, of course, its interface. In it (which may upset fans of this software) there is very little left of Android. The firmware was developed based on an outdated version of this operating system. The new interface is called Fastlane, since there is practically nothing left of the old one. We must pay tribute to the developers - it turned out to be very simple and understandable and prettier than Google's.

The icons located on the poles have a multi-colored background. The screen can be scrolled down like a web page, which is clear, convenient and attractive. There is a search bar at the top, using which you can easily search the Internet and open applications.

Swipe opens the curtain from the bottom up, in which you can switch between SIM cards, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, mute the sound, etc. It’s bad that there’s no flashlight icon here.

The only place that clearly indicates that this is still “Android” is the settings menu. It's like all Google phones. If desired, the Fastlane interface can be changed to another “launcher” - and the device will become more similar to Android devices. But it is not recommended to do this, since the installed one is adapted for this device and is much more convenient than the others.

There are no off-screen keys, which allows us to give more space to the screen. There is only one touch key. A short press returns to the previous position, a long press takes you to the home screen (which is, of course, very convenient to use).

To say that the device flies is to lie, but its speed is still very good. The device does not have long freezes.

Despite the fact that it is not connected to Google, the device allows you to use social networks and transfer photos. Although the device does not have the Play Market, all the usual applications can be found in the Nokia store.

The choice in it, of course, is not the same as in Google Play, but there are no various virus applications and garbage. And "Yandex.Store" provides almost everything necessary for a not very demanding user. At the same time, the choice is better than that of Windows Phone.

Advanced users will certainly be disappointed. But they can solve all their problems by flashing the device.

Photo-video

The advantages of all Nokias include their cameras. But you shouldn’t be too happy, because this is a budget employee, and not a representative of the Lumiya line. That's why PureView isn't here.

The main camera is 5 megapixel. With its help you can take pretty good pictures during the day. But even with artificial lighting they leave much to be desired. The device has autofocus and flash. The flash is more for show, but the autofocus is quite good. Color rendition is clearly dull. The image is easily blurred, so you need to hold the smartphone firmly in your hands and not take pictures on the go - nothing good will come of it.

The front camera is only good for what it is. But for those who do not need high-quality images when communicating on Skype, it is quite suitable. But it’s better not to use it for “selfies” on Instagram.

Wireless interfaces

The Nokia XL Dual SIM smartphone does not offer a variety of wireless technologies. The smartphone does not support MIRACAST or NFC. Of course, like others, it has a good Wi-Fi gadget and, although outdated, Bluetooth works stably without glitches.

Autonomy

The device can operate for quite a long time without recharging. This is made possible by a fairly capacious 2000 mAh battery, not a powerful processor and a low charge for a day, which is enough for even the most active user.

The device in operation

Of course, it is not designed to play FullHD video. Not all 3D entertainment and heavy games will be a success, but everything else is no problem.
The earpiece speaker is good, but the same cannot be said about the music speaker. When the sound is strong, noise can be heard, so it is better to listen to songs with headphones.

Results from experts

pros:

• beauty of design;
• good build quality;
• excellent ergonomics;
• convenient and simple interface;
• two SIM cards;
• long battery life.

Minuses:

• no access to Google Play;
• The processor is not powerful enough for a wide monitor;
• low resolution;
• Not very good front and rear cameras.

conclusions

Reviews about the Nokia XL indicate that it is a well-built device. It is also suitable as a first smartphone for those who are not very demanding of this type of device, for whom the size of the display, simplicity and clarity of the interface are important.

In general, having studied the reviews and characteristics of experts about the Nokia XL Dual SIM, we can conclude that this device, despite its shortcomings (who doesn’t have them?), has every chance of winning the love of a certain category of buyers and part of the market for Nokia. We must give credit to this company - they tried. Which once again did not disappoint its fans, providing a fairly high-quality and balanced device.

This year, Nokia introduced a new line of smartphones using the Android platform, albeit in a radically redesigned form. We tested the largest representative of this new cohort - Nokia XL.

Characteristics:

Communication: GSM/EDGE/UMTS (DualSIM)
Screen: IPS, 5 inches, 800 x 480
OS: Nokia X 1.0 (based on Android 4.1.2)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8225), Adreno 203
RAM: 768 MB
User memory: 4 GB, microSD expansion slot
Connectors: microUSB, 3.5 mm audio output
Wireless modules: Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi
Camera: front - 2 MP, main - 5 MP
Dimensions: 141.4x77.7x10.9 mm
Weight: 190 g.
Battery: 2000 mAh
Extras: GPS, FM radio
Price: 1999 UAH.

Despite the fact that the Nokia X series stands apart from the company's other devices, in terms of design, it uses the same combination of bright colors and classic shapes. As a result, the model can be easily confused in appearance with more expensive Lumia smartphones. Well, this is only good for the hero of our review.

The manufacturer apparently did not set a goal to make the Nokia XL thin or light. If you're going to make a 5-inch smartphone, then there's no need to waste time on trifles. The device cannot be called thin by modern standards, and its weight exceeds even some 6-inch devices.

On the other hand, how could it be otherwise, because you are buying a thing with the abbreviation XL in the name. Nevertheless, the device looks and feels complete and well assembled in the hands.

Despite the large diagonal, the screen resolution is not very high - 800 x 480 pixels. In general, the picture is bright and contrasty, the viewing angles will not disappoint either, but there is moderate pixelation here. But the low screen resolution has a positive effect on the autonomy of the gadget.

Special thanks to the manufacturer for supporting two SIM cards. In Nokia smartphones this is perceived as a pleasant innovation, while in the CIS countries the function is incredibly popular.

Both cards are connected at the same time. But when one of them receives a call, the second remains without communication until the conversation is over. 3G support via UMTS technology is also not possible.

Nokia XL uses a 2-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8225) processor and 768 MB of RAM. In AnTuTu Benchmark, the device scored about 8000 points, which is not very much, but typical for a budget phone. The interface seems to be well optimized, so there are no stutters in everyday tasks. But, of course, you shouldn’t count on dynamic 3D games.

The OS uses a modified version of Android 4.1.2, which the manufacturer calls Nokia X Platform. The interface changes compared to stock Android are so significant that it really feels like we are facing a completely different platform.

Literally everything has been redesigned, from the icon design to the menu organization itself. There are certain similarities with Windows Phone - the same “tiles” on the main screen. It is obvious that the company is trying to make it so that a user who has tried Nokia X will later have an easy time switching to, for example, Lumia.

But the main advantage of the platform is perhaps that it is compatible with Android applications. True, not without reservations. So, the device does not have the usual Google services, such as Play Market. Therefore, it is proposed to install applications from the Nokia store or other alternative “markets”.

It may be difficult for the user to find a specific game or a familiar mailing program for this smartphone. By the way, if you are looking for such software or service, we can recommend the solution Prostoemail (prostoemail.ru), which works directly in the browser. This is a popular mailing system, highly effective and, importantly, quite affordable. In general, unlike specialized software, the user will have all the basic software for the Nokia XL. Of the pre-installed Nokia services, I would especially like to mention Here navigation, which also works in offline mode.

The resolution of the built-in camera is only 5 megapixels. However, to say that she is here for show would be unfair. Apparently, the camera copes with its task as well as possible given the hardware used.

In general, taking a good shot during daylight hours and in good weather is not a problem at all. For shooting at dusk and indoors, you can use the built-in flash, which, by the way, is not available in the younger model, the Nokia X.

The large dimensions of the case made it possible to install a fairly capacious 2000 mAh battery in the Nokia XL. In combination with a low-resolution display and an economical processor, it provides good battery life. In our case, this is about two days of active work.

Summary

Nokia XL is a relatively inexpensive smartphone with a nice design, dual SIM support and pre-installed Nokia services. First of all, it can be recommended to fans of the brand. For example, for those who previously used ordinary push-button phones, but are now “ripe” for something more functional. However, there are many alternatives on Android, which for the same price sometimes offer more powerful hardware and the usual Google services - the same Play Market. True, the Nokia XL is clearly more interesting in appearance - inexpensive Android smartphones rarely boast a bright design. The choice is yours.

The company believed that Nokia smartphones with Android OS would not allow them to stand out among other manufacturers. As an alternative, the well-known Windows Phone platform was chosen. And although it has gained quite a popularity recently, smartphones from other companies running Android OS are sold much more often. Android smartphones are becoming more functional every year, and their prices are decreasing. Taking this into account, Nokia decided to create its own version of Android. The developers were faced with the task, on the one hand, to create a smartphone on which Android applications would run, on the other hand, it was important that the device was not called an Android smartphone and there was no mention of Google. The operating system has been changed beyond recognition. The company has put a lot of effort into making it different from regular Android. The interface of the new operating system is a combination of elements from the Windows Phone, Android and Asha operating systems. The home screen is very similar to the screen found in Windows Phone OS.

The company presented the first smartphone on the new operating system, Nokia XL, on February 24, 2014 at the Mobile Congress in Barcelona. The positioning of the new smartphone from Nokia is very simple - “a bright smartphone for Android applications.” The main audience of this device is young people who feel the need for a smartphone, but do not want to spend a lot of money on it. Also, enthusiasts and software developers, those who like to explore new things, may be interested in a smartphone. Today we will take a closer look at the new product and try to identify all the pros and cons of the smartphone.

Contents of delivery

The Nokia XL smartphone comes in a compact cardboard box, already familiar to other Nokia products. In addition to the smartphone itself, you will find in the kit:

— Charger AC-20

— Battery Nokia BN 02 2000 mAh

— Stereo headset Nokia WH-108

— Quick Guide

The equipment is quite poor, but this is due, first of all, to the low price of the smartphone.

Design

Nokia has always tried to be different from others in terms of design. The company's engineers often experimented with the appearance of their smartphones, but one of the most successful, according to users, was the design of Nokia Lumia. In Nokia XL, as well as in the Asha line, they tried to create a cheaper version of the case, similar in appearance to the Lumia line. However, the Nokia XL smartphone uses inexpensive plastic and the body is disassembled.

Another feature that is typical only for Nokia smartphones is a wide variety of color options. While most companies try not to present many different body colors, Nokia, on the contrary, considers this a plus. Thanks to this, the user always has the opportunity to choose exactly the color that he likes.

The Nokia XL smartphone cannot be called compact. It has dimensions of 77.72x141.35x10.87 mm and weighs 190 g. The smartphone feels quite wide, and the sharp corners make it not very comfortable in the hand. If you convey the sensations in words, the device can be described as a “heavy brick.” However, Nokia XL was created specifically for lovers of large smartphones, so the buyer will certainly be prepared for such dimensions of the device.

As for ergonomics, everything is familiar here. On the right side of the smartphone there is a paired volume key, and just below is the on/off button.

At the top end there is a 3.5 mm jack.

The microUSB connector is located at the bottom end. The left side of the smartphone is completely empty. There are no buttons on it.

The back surface of the smartphone is made quite simply. It has a speaker hole, a 5-megapixel camera lens and a flash, as well as the Nokia inscription. On the front panel there is a front camera for video calls and a single button under the screen, which plays a dual role: a short press - step back, a long press - return to the home screen. The solution is ambiguous. Some will like it, some won't. Matter of habit.

The build quality of the smartphone does not cause any complaints. A matte body is used; when pressed, it does not play or stick together. For a budget device, the quality of the materials from which the case is made is excellent.

Under the back cover there is a battery, as well as two slots for microSIM cards and a slot for a microSD memory card.

Display

The smartphone uses a 5-inch screen. An IPS matrix with a resolution of 800x480 pixels and a color depth of 24 bits is installed. In most situations, the picture looks good. However, given the screen size, the resolution is a bit low. Nevertheless, if you don’t demand anything special from the device, most users should like the screen. The display brightness is quite high, there is automatic adjustment. In bright light, the image dims but remains readable.

The display of the Nokia XL smartphone has good viewing angles; when tilted, the image is not distorted.

I didn’t like the fact that the fonts don’t have anti-aliasing; in most situations they don’t look very good. Any Android smartphone from any other manufacturer does not have the same problem with fonts as the Nokia XL. The same situation applies to menu icons. They are not very well adapted to screen resolution and operating system. I hope the company will fix this flaw in future operating system updates. In the screen settings, you can specify the display of the clock in standby mode. This feature has been used in Nokia phones and smartphones for quite some time and will be very useful if the user does not wear a watch. The Nokia XL smartphone also has a proximity sensor; the screen is locked during a call.

Technical features

The Nokia XL smartphone is built on a Qualcomm chipset; on the Nokia website it is designated as Snapdragon S4 Play MSM8225. This is already a fairly outdated type of chipset. Even the not new Nokia Lumia 520 uses the MSM8227 chipset, which is slightly more powerful. The frequency of the Nokia XL dual-core processor is 1 GHz. The device uses an Adreno 203 graphics coprocessor, and its performance is also quite low. Among “budget” devices, Nokia XL is not the most productive solution. The reason is the use of inexpensive components from Qualcomm, which are inferior to analogues from other manufacturers. However, if you do not intend to run resource-intensive 3D games and heavy applications on the Nokia XL, the device's performance will be enough for you.

Nokia XL has 4 GB of internal memory, as well as 768 MB of RAM. Unfortunately, all devices built on the Qualcomm platform are more demanding on RAM than their MediaTek counterparts. After downloading, about 326 MB of RAM is free. Android's memory management is quite good so that applications are given the right amount of memory and use as much of it as possible.

1.29 GB of phone memory is allocated for data storage, 1.17 GB is shown as a memory card, plus the user can install their own memory card up to 32 GB. The main disadvantage of the Nokia XL operating system is that all applications are installed in the phone’s memory, that is, the user is limited to exactly 1.29 GB in size and this cannot be avoided. Installing applications on a memory card is not yet supported. Perhaps this will be fixed in future versions of the operating system.

In all other respects, Nokia XL is a typical Android smartphone. There is the ability to transfer files via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi is present, and there is a USB Mass Storage mode when connected to a PC.

The Nokia XL smartphone supports working with two SIM cards, but there is only one radio module in the device, so only one SIM card can be active at a time. This is a cheaper option for implementing two SIM cards, which is most common on the market today and in devices in this price segment. The smartphone supports WCDMA networks: 900 MHz, 2100 MHz and GSM networks: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz. In the settings, you can select one card for SMS/MMS/calls or specify them as standalone, that is, working independently. The call list indicates which card you called from.

Interface

The Nokia XL interface is a combination of elements from the Windows Phone, Android and Asha operating systems. The smartphone is awakened using the side key or by tapping on the end. We see the lock screen, which can display the latest events - mail, SMS, calls, programs, and so on. You can swipe in one direction or another to get to the selected program or remove this reminder.

Unlike regular Android OS, there are only two options for locking the device - PIN code or password. The interface in Nokia XL has been redesigned so much that it is difficult to recognize regular Android. The entire Android ideology was forgotten, and instead Nokia came up with the Fastlane concept.

If you move the home screen to the side, a menu will open, which is called Fastlane. The menu is copied from budget Nokia Asha phones. Fastlane is a hybrid of a news feed, a notification bar, and a list of recently launched programs. By clicking on an entry in Fastlane, the user is taken to the program that sent this entry. Unfortunately, by default there is no task manager in the phone, nor is there multitasking. You can switch between applications via Fastlane, but whether they were unloaded from memory or not is impossible to know.

The main menu is tiles similar to those used in the Windows Phone OS: Phone, Contacts, SMS, Internet, Store, Email, and so on. All installed programs are displayed on one screen. It is possible to create folders and save icons within folders.

Icons can be swapped, the desired ones can be displayed at the top, and the color of the tile for the icons can be changed. You can use search to find the application. To do this, you need to pull the entire page down, then a search will appear in which you can type the name of the program.

Like regular versions of Android, the Nokia XL operating system has a drop-down curtain that has 4 quick shortcuts, the ability to switch between SIM cards, and a quick access to settings.

The settings menu looks like regular Android.

All modern Android smartphones have such a feature as voice typing. In Nokia XL, the Pico TTS engine, which is familiar from many models from different manufacturers, is responsible for speech synthesis; it is quite primitive and does not have a Russian language. Therefore, in terms of voice dialing, Nokia needs to improve its new smartphones.

Things are much better with the keyboard. It's called Nokia Keyboard. You can enter words without lifting your finger, and they are predicted.

In the advertisement, Nokia says that this is a smartphone for Android applications, without specifying whether all of them will be supported. Nokia's branded store has a small number of programs; it can never come close to the branded Play Store. There are few applications yet. For example, Whatsapp is missing, as is Google's Chrome browser. When you search for a program in the store and don't find it, you are offered five more application stores to choose from, including the Yandex Store.

However, many Nokia XL users have already found an easy way to install applications. They take a regular Android smartphone, find and download the APK file of the application, then transfer it via Bluetooth and install it on the Nokia XL. Not the simplest, but a really working option.

Nokia does not guarantee that all Android applications will work on its device. Many applications require registration in the Play Store, which is not and will not be here, just as there is no support for Google services. There is support only for Yandex services.

When purchasing an Android smartphone, a user can usually easily sync their contacts with their Google account and transfer them to the new device in a matter of seconds. This is standard functionality for Android and for any smartphone. However, Nokia XL does not allow you to get contacts from the cloud. There are only two ways to transfer contacts. One is to use the Yandex service, the second way is to save all contacts to a microSD card, then insert it into the Nokia X and try to read it. It is unclear why Nokia refused to synchronize contacts with the cloud in its new smartphone.

The built-in applications in general do not cause any complaints. Calculator, alarm clock, browser - everything works.

I liked the navigation. Here Maps allows you to download files for countries and regions onto your memory card, which is great. The main memory will be free, and the number of maps of different countries and cities you will load onto the memory card will depend only on its capacity. The usual and familiar navigation interface is used, including for offline navigation.

The music player is ordinary, the FM radio only works with a headset.

Camera

The Nokia XL smartphone has a 5-megapixel main and 2-megapixel front camera. Main camera resolution: 2592 x 1944 pixels. There is an LED flash and auto focus. Camera Features: Auto and Manual White Balance, Active Toolbar, Photo Editor, Face Detection, Auto Exposure, Center Weighted Auto Exposure. The camera has a “panoramic shooting” function. Available color modes: sepia, solarization, normal, negative. White balance modes: cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent, daylight, auto. The camera can shoot video in FWVGA format (864 x 480) at a frame rate of 30 fps.

Additional camera resolution: 1600 x 1200 pixels. A wide-angle lens is used.

In the daytime, with good lighting, the photographs turn out quite good. Under artificial lighting, things are a little worse. Examples of photos taken with the Nokia XL camera:

Battery

The smartphone uses a removable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2000 mAh. According to the manufacturer, the maximum talk time in 2G networks is 16 hours, the standby time in 2G networks is 720 hours. The maximum talk time in 3G networks is 13 hours, the standby time in 3G networks is 720 hours. With frequent use, the smartphone, of course, like other Android devices, will survive daylight hours, but in general the battery life of the smartphone is quite good.

Conclusion

Nokia XL has a large number of both pros and cons. The smartphone has a good call volume, a high-quality body with bright colors, and a nice-looking screen. I didn’t like the stripped-down Android with an unusual interface, but perhaps this is a matter of habit. "Iron" is rather weak. The smartphone does not support resource-intensive applications and HD videos. The camera is average, although in good lighting the photos are quite good. The main buyers of the new product will be young people who want to get a bright, stylish smartphone with support for Android applications for little money. Nokia has made a new, unique product. If the company manages to maintain a reasonable price, the smartphone should become popular.

Since the advent of the “smartphone” concept, all major mobile phone manufacturers that had the appropriate resources began searching for or creating an optimal operating system for a new class of devices. During this period, operating systems such as iOS, Symbian, Bada, MeeGo, Nokia Asha, BlackBerry OS and, of course, Android were developed. The latter currently leads the list of the most widely used mobile OS in the world. Many analysts believe that Nokia could avoid selling its shares and, to a certain extent, losing its market position if it switched to Android in a timely manner. However, the Finnish manufacturer relied on its own software developments, which ultimately could not compete with the software giant Google, with its Play Market and hundreds of thousands of applications.

A kind of way out of the situation was the Windows Phone operating system, which is currently the main shell of smartphones under the Nokia brand. Despite this, many fans of Android OS and Nokia products have been waiting for the moment of their joint collaboration, so today we can confidently say that such a moment has come.

Specifications

Delivery and configuration

Smartphone NokiaXLDualSIM comes in a relatively small box made of thick cardboard, which has a very pleasant and colorful design. The packaging design does not contain unnecessary elements, and the color scheme used is very good in terms of perception. The entire front side of the box is occupied by a collage depicting three of the six color options for the new product’s body: yellow, orange and green. In addition, the image shows joyful users of the Skype application, which is pre-installed in the smartphone’s memory by default.

On the back there is a small list of the main characteristics of the phone and several icons, under which there is a small string of multi-colored dots. The colors of the six circles reflect the full range of possible colors for the smartphone’s body, which, in addition to the three mentioned above, also include white, black, and blue options. The box opens sideways, not up, which is traditional for Nokia products. Due to the absence of a sticker (in our case), the inside of the box easily falls out under the device’s own weight.

The Nokia XL Dual SIM package includes: a Nokia BN-02 battery with a capacity of 2000 mAh, a user manual, a charger with a fixed micro-USB cable, as well as a simple Nokia WH-108 headset with in-ear headphones. It is worth noting that there is no USB ↔ micro-USB cable, which is used to connect the smartphone to the PC (it must be purchased separately), which for some is a drawback.

Appearance and arrangement of elements

There is a positive stereotype among mobile phone users regarding Nokia phones: they are always of high quality and original design, well assembled, and the percentage of defective models is extremely small. Over the years, this approach has remained unchanged, so the Nokia XL Dual SIM smartphone can primarily be described as a reliable device that feels solid. Its design continues the tradition of the Nokia Lumia line, which still offers the user a wide choice of body colors. This approach can be called a simple but very effective way to increase the popularity of devices among young people, especially against the backdrop of standard black and white all-in-one PCs.

The new product has a very attractive appearance, with a pleasant light green color scheme. The body of the device is made of polycarbonate with excellent tactile characteristics and build quality: we have not recorded any design defects or other shortcomings. We also note the good rigidity of the case: the smartphone does not bend or change its geometry with moderate torsion. The corners of the phone and the side edges on the back are rounded, which, subjectively, has a positive effect on the ergonomics of the device. The dimensions of the 5-inch Nokia XL Dual SIM are 141.4 x 77.7 x 10.9 mm and weighs 190 grams. What stands out from these values ​​is the rather small thickness of the case, which still does not smooth out the feeling of bulkiness of the device.

The entire front side of the smartphone is covered with tempered glass (the manufacturer does not specify which one, but probably one of the versions of Corning Gorilla Glass), which is not pressed through and, accordingly, does not allow distortion of the display image. In addition, the screen is protected by a fairly good factory film. It is thin and provides optimal tactile sensations, as well as quite decent protection against minor scratches.

Along the contour of the front panel, between the glass and the sides, there is a small plastic insert that rises above the level of the glass and thereby protects the screen when the smartphone is lying with its back side up.

Above the display are: the manufacturer's logo, earpiece holes, front camera, light and proximity sensor. The mesh of the speaker quickly becomes clogged with dust, which over time can lead to a deterioration in the audibility of the interlocutor. The new product is not equipped with an event indicator.

At the bottom of the front panel there is only one touch button, which when pressed executes the [Back] command, and when held - [Home]. Subjectively, this button configuration does not create any discomfort when using a smartphone.

The back side of the device is represented by the cover, or rather the base, in which the main part of the Nokia XL Dual SIM is located. In terms of material and tactile sensations, it has the characteristics described above. At the top of the frame there is a peephole for the main camera and an LED flash, and at the bottom there is a slot for a multimedia speaker, which is covered with a fine-grained mesh.

To remove the cover, you need to press on the protruding corners on the front side of the case. In general, the two parts of the phone’s structure can be separated quite easily, but once assembled everything holds together just fine, and there are no gaps at all. As a result, when you first get acquainted with the new product, you might think that the phone is solid and not at all collapsible. The smartphone buttons are part of the base (cover), which in some devices leads to poor tactile feedback, however, in our case they are well defined and easy to press. Removing the cover reveals access to two Micro-SIM slots (one supporting 2G and 3G, the other only 2G), a microSD slot, and a removable battery.

On the right side of the smartphone there is a volume rocker and a power/lock button, and on top there is a mini-jack audio jack. The left side edge is solid and does not contain controls. The micro-USB port is located on the bottom edge of the phone. It is not covered with a plug, like the audio jack. In general, the smartphone is quite convenient, but you have to get used to the large and angular dimensions. However, the relatively thin body significantly smoothes out the impression of the dimensions of the 5-inch device. The buttons are conveniently located for right and left hands, so they are easy to reach.

Nokia XL Dual SIM is equipped with a 5-inch capacitive display based on an IPS matrix with a resolution of only 800 x 480 pixels, which with such a diagonal provides a pixel density of 187 ppi. In general, this value is quite enough to display a detailed picture. Firstly, due to the fact that the proprietary shell is practically devoid of particularly small elements, and secondly, you can look at a 5-inch screen from a greater distance than at a screen with a smaller diagonal. In any case, if you set this goal, then distinguishing individual pixels is not difficult.

The display is not without a standard drawback of IPS matrices: there is a color field shift to yellow and purple shades. However, it would be incorrect to consider this feature as a disadvantage of the new product. The screen has a good reserve of brightness, the level of which is automatically adjusted based on the readings of the corresponding sensor.

Pleasant color rendering and a good level of contrast complement the overall positive impression of viewing information on the smartphone display. In addition, thanks to optimal viewing angles, it is quite comfortable to view multimedia on a large screen without image distortion. It is also worth noting the presence of an air gap between the matrix and the protective glass, which slightly degrades the image. However, this parameter is subtle and very subjective.

The touch pad has good sensitivity and supports up to 5 simultaneous touches. There is also support for double tapping to unlock the smartphone. The main drawback of the display is fingerprints, which appear instantly and in large numbers. The reason for this effect is the lack of an oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating. But there is a fairly good anti-reflective coating, which, together with a good reserve of display brightness, allows you to clearly distinguish information under sunlight.

The new product is equipped with one main mono speaker, which is located at the bottom of the back of the phone. It can be called quite loud, and the sound it produces is of quite high quality, like for a smartphone. If we disassemble this direction into its components, we will note very weak low frequencies (barely noticeable “buzz”), midranges cut in the lower range, as well as quite good and detailed high frequencies. As a result, the speaker can be described as a fairly loud beeper that copes well with tasks such as playing multimedia, gaming applications, notifications and more.

The included headset provides fairly good sound quality, but the isolation from external noise is naturally insufficient. Subjectively, in this regard, it is better to use in-ear (vacuum) headphones.

The earpiece copes well with voice transmission: the sound is pleasantly detailed and moderately loud.

The Nokia XL Dual SIM smartphone is equipped with a budget but very good main camera module with a resolution of 5 megapixels, autofocus support, an LED flash and an HDR function. In addition to the mentioned characteristics, the manufacturer provided more in-depth parameters of the camera module, namely: aperture value - f/2.8; camera focal length - 32 mm; The minimum focusing range of the camera is 50 cm. Naturally, the numbers do not allow us to objectively assess the capabilities of the camera, so let’s move on to describing the shooting results.

The resulting images are saved with an aspect ratio of 2592 x 1944 pixels. Photo quality and detail are generally quite good for a 5-megapixel camera. However, in low light, the footage deteriorates slightly because automatic does not raise the ISO level above 400. On the other hand, you can use a flash, but then you should expect an extremely incorrect determination of the white balance with a strong bias towards warm shades. The only drawback of the camera in photo mode is the low dynamic range of the module, which is why frames often overlap during HDR shooting.

We expected even more positive results from video shooting, because... Nokia phones have always stood out among their competitors in this regard. However, the videos we shot in .3gp format are far from ideal: the video quality at 30 fps is not good enough even with high detail settings and maximum resolution (864 x 480 pixels), as is the sound quality. In addition, attentive users may notice a certain image distortion effect that accompanies moving objects in the example video below.

A front camera with a resolution of 2 MP will be more than enough for video calling and self-portraits. It provides quite acceptable image quality and an optimal viewing angle for video communication. The secondary camera module with an f/2.8 aperture records video in 720p format (1280 x 720 pixels), which is somewhat puzzling when compared to the recording parameters of the rear camera.

The first thing we'll look at in the "modified" Android OS is the camera app. Unfortunately, the operating system prohibits the creation of “screenshots” of this application, so we will limit ourselves to only a verbal description.

The camera app interface is quite simple but intuitive. Quick access icons are located on the left side of the screen as standard. These include settings for the LED flash, white balance, exposure value, and camera. By clicking on the last icon, the user is presented with an impressive list of additional options, such as adjusting sharpness levels, autoexposure, noise reduction, saturation, sharpness, etc. At the top there is a slider for setting the required digital zoom value (the maximum possible is x4).

In the video recording items, you can select one of three codecs for recorded videos, the duration of which, by the way, cannot exceed 30 minutes, as well as a codec for the audio track and several other options.

In general, and in terms of settings, the Nokia X shell has introduced a lot of interesting things, but as a result, the user receives pictures that are not much better in quality than in 5-megapixel Nokia Lumia smartphones. As for shooting video, only very undemanding users can rely on a smartphone in this regard. It is likely that due to the budget orientation of the new product, the video mode capabilities of the main camera are somewhat limited, or these are shortcomings of the shell itself.

Examples of photography

Video examples

An example of daytime shooting from a smartphone in maximum quality 864 x 480 at 30 fps

User interface

Now it's time to introduce you to the main highlight of the smartphone - its new operating system. Yes, exactly new, because hardly anyone would have thought that the Finnish manufacturer would simply take a “clean” version of the Android OS and install it on their smartphone. Although many users wanted just such an implementation of the new product. In fact, Nokia XL Dual SIM comes with not the latest version of Android OS - Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, but with the proprietary Nokia X version 1.1.1.0 shell installed on top of it, transforming the operating system we are familiar with completely beyond recognition. As a result, it becomes as similar as possible to Windows Phone 8: the same “tiles”, the same functions, the same rather small set of applications, available only from the company store.

Various types of notifications may appear at the bottom of the lock screen. To easily unlock your phone, you need to slide your finger (“swipe”) across a free area of ​​the screen. A similar action, but to the left on the notification, will remove it from the screen. If the notification is relevant at the moment, the user can quickly go to this application by swiping to the right, which is very convenient. You can also unlock your smartphone by lightly tapping the device twice.

The desktop resembles that of Windows Phone, which, again, can be perceived in different ways. The user must clearly determine which option is better: some people like large elements, i.e. "tiles", while others prefer five or six desktops with separate groups of small icons. The desktop, in fact, is the main menu in which all application icons are collected. The user can arrange them to his liking, as well as move individual elements into created folders. The right “swipe” on the desktop flips the screen to the “Recent” page, which displays the actions performed by the user. This menu is called “Fastlane” by the manufacturer. To configure it, there are the necessary options that allow you to choose which actions should be displayed in the feed. The smartphone comes pre-installed with a good set of important programs, such as Skype, social applications. networks, Opera browser, gaming programs and others. By the way, the manufacturer, as a gift, provides the buyer of a Nokia XL Dual SIM with one month of free calls to any country in the world, which explains the joyful faces of people on the front side of the device’s packaging.

The notification panel has standard capabilities that are visually modified by the graphical shell. Here you can enable/disable wireless network modules and view system messages or go to the device settings.

The main disadvantage of the new shell is the complete absence of absolutely all Google services (Google Play store, maps, etc.). For this reason, the “Phone” application has very limited capabilities for synchronizing with a Google account (only data and contacts from Google+, although in our case they were not loaded). If, for example, all contacts are stored in Gmail, then they will not be automatically loaded into the Nokia XL Dual SIM: all data will have to be entered manually.

Instead of the missing Google Play application store, there are Nokia and Yandex branded stores. However, some users have reported cases of errors when installing some applications or the inability to update them. In this case, the new version of the program can be installed only after downloading the apk file from your computer. However, such cases are the exception rather than the rule. You can see the interface of standard applications such as “Alarm Clock”, “Music Player”, “FM Radio” and the smartphone browser in the “screenshots” provided.

To navigate the user on the ground, the mapping application HERE Maps and the car HERE Drive are preinstalled. As for supporting the territory of our country, the situation is the same: many maps are somewhat outdated, and there is no information about the transport system of many cities.

The Nokia XL Dual SIM settings menu already in some outlines resembles the previous appearance of the Android OS. The menu items are mostly standard, so we won’t go into detail about them. Let us only note the changed appearance of icons and fonts.

As a short afterword, I would like to add that the Nokia X shell is in its early version and some of the above-mentioned nuances will be difficult for a certain number of users to come to terms with. The situation could be changed by the release of a new version, but according to the manufacturer, the update will not affect this model. On the other hand, experienced users in this area have found third-party methods for installing Google services, which, of course, cannot be called a simple solution to the problem. If we assume who will like this shell, then most likely it will be fans of the Windows Phone OS, Nokia, or users who want to learn something new. It will be quite difficult for supporters of the original version of Android to adapt to the changed interface.

Hardware platform and performance

Smartphone built on the basis of a budget processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play (MSM8225), 2 cores of which operate at a frequency of 1 GHz. The processor is made using a 45nm process technology, based on the ARM Cortex-A5 microarchitecture. The L2 cache capacity is 512 KB. Graphics processing is performed by the built-in Qualcomm Adreno 203 graphics core with an operating clock frequency of 245 MHz. The graphics subsystem supports technologies such as OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenVG 1.1 and Direct3D Mobile. The amount of RAM is only 768 MB, and the built-in memory is 4 GB. The internal storage memory can be expanded using a microSD memory card up to 32 GB.

The main disadvantage of the smartphone, or rather its proprietary shell, is the inability to install applications directly onto the memory card. Instead, installation is only available on internal storage. At the same time, only 1.29 GB of phone memory is allocated for data storage. In other words, the user can install applications with a capacity of no more than 1.29 GB, which is why it is not possible to install, for example, the game Asphalt 8, because it takes up 1.35 GB of free space. This drawback could be mitigated by updating the OS, but we are unlikely to see it for this model.

The test results, considering the price of the smartphone, are quite expected: the hardware platform does not show the best performance. However, its capabilities are more than enough for fast operation of the OS, applications, browser, Full HD video playback and smooth display of simple gaming tasks. During the testing period, no slowdowns of the smartphone were noticed, which indicates good optimization of the software to the power of the hardware components.

Communications

The new product is equipped with two slots for installing SIM cards in micro-SIM format. The first of them can operate in 2G and 3G modes, the second - only 2G. Cards are easy to remove: no need to use tweezers. The phone's hardware platform supports GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and WCDMA (900/2100 MHz) mobile operator networks. During testing of the smartphone, we did not find any shortcomings in the operation of the communication modules, such as spontaneous drops or poor voice quality. In this regard, Nokia phones have always been at their best.

The communication capabilities of the new product are represented by Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi modules with support for 802.11 b/g/n protocols. Provided the smartphone was connected to a home network with a bandwidth of 100 Mbit/s, we recorded the following data transfer speeds: about 5 Mbit/s for receiving and 12 Mbit/s for sending information. Apparently, the Wi-Fi module has extremely weak throughput. However, it is quite enough for watching multimedia online, especially considering the good stability of the signal and the fast connection of the smartphone to the network.

The GPS module works correctly and allows you to quickly navigate the area using the HERE Maps and HERE Drive applications. In an open area, the device identified 9 satellites and was able to connect to all of them. The connection itself is quite fast and takes no more than 5-10 seconds.

Nokia XL Dual SIM is equipped with a removable lithium-ion battery Nokia BN-02 with a capacity of 2000 mAh, which, despite the rather modest performance of the smartphone, allows it to show good battery life in different usage scenarios. In particular, in normal operating mode, which involves several hours of listening to music, about an hour of mobile Internet and 30 minutes of calls, the phone confidently holds the battery charge for a day or two. To get more specific indicators, we conducted several standard tests.

As a result, watching HD video at 50% display brightness and Wi-Fi and GPS modules turned on drains the battery of the new product in a little more than 4 hours. A gaming simulation using the Epic Citadel application (Guided Tour mode) with 100% display brightness and Wi-Fi and GPS modules turned on on a single charge played for a little over 3 hours before the battery was completely discharged. In general, the “survivability” of the phone can be described as standard. In this regard, the redesigned operating system did not introduce revolutionary energy-saving technologies.

Charging the battery from the included AC-20 device with a power of 3.75 W (5 V at 0.75 A) lasts about 3 hours. It is worth noting once again that contrary to the common and very convenient way of connecting a smartphone to a computer using a detachable charging cable, which is usually made in the USB ↔ micro-USB format, the Nokia charger uses a fixed cable with a micro-USB connector. This approach is not very universal, because in this case, the user must additionally purchase a cable to connect the smartphone to the PC, since it is not included in the package.

Smartphone NokiaXLDualSIM can definitely be called a kind of leader, entrusted with the task of “testing” a new vision of the Android operating system. Indeed, Nokia specialists changed the popular OS beyond recognition by installing their own Nokia X shell on top of it. How did the latter affect the ease of use of the smartphone and its main parameters? We think it's positive. The phone is very interesting in everything, from its beautiful appearance with a wide selection of body color options and excellent build quality, to its “fresh” software component. In this case, the bulk of users will most likely be divided into two groups: those who were waiting for the basic and already familiar shell, and those who will happily rush to explore the new features and options of the updated software.

However, it is worth considering that usually in the history of the development of any software product, its full potential is revealed over time. Therefore, the Nokia X shell also has some shortcomings. The main disadvantage of the smartphone is the inability to install applications on a memory card. As a result, the user has only 1.29 GB of free space on the phone's internal memory available for these purposes. Typically, such nuances were corrected in subsequent versions of the OS, but according to the manufacturer, this model will not be updated. In any case, the software platform from Nokia is worth the user’s attention, as is the phone itself, especially at a very reasonable price, which is about 1900 UAH. or $160.

Advantages:

• pleasant and stylish appearance;
• excellent build quality;
• two slots for SIM cards;
• Nokia X proprietary shell;
• large OS interface elements that will be convenient for many users;
• pre-installed HERE Maps and HERE Drive apps;
• support for microSD memory cards up to 32 GB;
• good photo quality in daylight;
• relatively low cost;
• high-quality 5-inch IPS screen;
• loud speaker.

Peculiarities:

• The changed OS interface takes some getting used to.

Flaws:

• only 1.29 GB of memory is available to the user for installing applications;
• no USB cable ↔micro-USB included;
• no oleophobic screen coating;
• absence of absolutely all Google services (Google Play store, maps, etc.);
• the video quality is not good enough;
• shellNokia Xwill not receive updates in this model.

We express our gratitude Ukrainian representative office companiesNokia for the smartphone provided for testing.

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Remember, I said that Rostislav should write a review about our today's hero - Nokia XL Dual SIM. So, Rostislav is still on a drinking binge, and the review went to me - as the most responsible (of the two of us).
Before us is one of the heroes of the Nokia line, running on the Android system. What is unique about the Nokia XL Dual SIM, what are the pros and cons of the smartphone - you can find out about this in our review.

Yes, this is a review of an “old” device, and we understand and know that.

Specifications

• Type, form factor: Smartphone, monoblock
• Communication standards: 2G (GSM), 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, 3G (WCDMA), 900 / 2100 MHz, GPRS (up to 85.6 kbit/s), EDGE (236.8 kbit/s), HSUPA ( up to 5.76 Mbit/s), HSDPA (up to 7.2 Mbit/s)
• Number of SIM cards: 2
• SIM card type: Micro-SIM
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Play (MSM8225): 2 Cortex A5 cores (ARMv5), 1 GHz, L2 cache - 512 KB, 45 nm process technology
• Graphics adapter: Qualcomm Adreno 203: up to 245 MHz, support OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenVG 1.1 and Direct3D Mobile
• Display: 5", 800 x 480 pixels (187 ppi), LCD IPS, 16.78 million colors, touch (capacitive), multi-touch up to 5 touches, scratch-resistant protective glass with anti-reflective coating
• RAM: 768 MB
• Memory: 4 GB
• Memory card support: microSD (up to 32 GB)
• Connectors: 1 x micro-USB 2.0, 1 x mini-jack 3.5 mm audio jack
• Camera: 5 MP, autofocus, HDR, flash, video recording with a resolution of 864 x 480 pixels at 30 fps, Front: 2 MP
• Communication capabilities: Wi-Fi, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V3.0
• Navigation: A-GPS, HERE Drive, HERE Maps
• Sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, light and proximity sensors
• Battery: Li-ion, removable: 2000 mAh, 7.4 Wh, 3.7 V
• Dimensions: 141.4 x 77.7 x 10.9 mm
• Weight: 190 g
• Operating system: Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

Equipment

The smartphone arrived to us in a small box made of thick cardboard, with a consistent Nokia style: yellow-orange-green color.

The package includes a smartphone, charger, headset and accompanying documentation; unfortunately, there is no microUSB cable.

Appearance

The polycarbonate body is made in the bright colors typical of the Nokia Lumia series, the corners are slightly rounded.

For its dimensions: 141.4 x 77.7 x 10.9, the smartphone weighs quite a lot - 190 grams. And although the case cannot be called thick, the gadget itself seems quite bulky.

The front side of the smartphone is completely covered with protective glass. In addition, the screen is protected from scratches by the case, which extends slightly beyond the edges, thereby preventing the display from touching the surface on which it can be placed.

Above the display is the Nokia logo, speaker, front camera lens and light/proximity sensor.

At the bottom of the screen there is one touch button: tap on it - “Back”, hold - “Home”.

On the back panel there is a main camera lens and an LED flash on top, and a speaker at the bottom.

Under the removable panel there is a removable battery, slots for microSIM cards and microSD.

On the right side of the smartphone there is a power button and a volume rocker. On top there is an audio jack for headphones, on the bottom there is a connector for microUSB.

The build quality is excellent, the body does not creak or bend, there are no gaps, and at first it even seems that the smartphone is monolithic.

Display

The smartphone has a 5-inch display with a small (even for a budget) resolution of 800x480 and a pixel density of 187 ppi.

The IPS matrix provides wide viewing angles, but also conveys its inherent flaws, namely small shades of yellow and purple. In addition, the display has a small air gap between the matrix and the protective glass, which causes the picture to deteriorate slightly, but this is not so critical and is almost unnoticeable.

But the significant and main disadvantage is the lack of an oleophobic coating. Fingerprints remain instantly and are difficult to erase.

Among the advantages of the screen, it is worth noting the high level of brightness, sufficient for reading information from the screen in bright sunlight; and comfortable reading in the dark at the minimum level.

Excellent color rendition, high contrast, good sensor sensitivity, multi-touch technology that supports up to 5 simultaneous touches - all this complements the positive impression of working with the display.

Sound

Nokia XL Dual SIM uses only a mono speaker located on the back of the smartphone. The sound is not bad, quite loud, but you can't expect much from a mono speaker. You definitely won't miss the call.

The sound is a little better with headphones, so I recommend using them for watching videos or playing games.

As for the earpiece speaker, there are no complaints here. You can hear your interlocutor loudly and clearly, even when talking in a noisy place.

Camera

Nokia XL Dual SIM received two cameras at once - a main 5 MP with autofocus and flash, and a front 2 MP. Let's look at each separately.

Pictures taken with the main camera are of average quality, but when shooting outdoors they look quite good. You can use the HDR function, set white balance and ISO in the settings.

The video is shot in 864x480 resolution.

The front camera is best used for video calling only.

As mentioned earlier, the Camera app's settings are quite extensive. In addition to white balance and ISO, you can choose the level of sharpness, autoexposure, noise reduction, saturation, etc.

Interface

Working with the interface is quite simple and intuitive: notifications are displayed at the bottom of the lock screen.
To unlock the screen, swipe across a free area of ​​the screen or double swipe across the screen. To go to the current notification, swipe to the right.
In order to go to the “Recent” page, which displays recent actions, you need to swipe to the right on the desktop.

In the notification panel you can perform standard actions: turn on/off wireless networks, go to settings, etc.

The strangest and most inconvenient thing about the Nokia XL Dual SIM interface is that it lacks Google services. Instead of Google Play, you are offered to work with Nokia and Yandex stores.

There are quite a few pre-installed applications: HERE Maps, HERE Drive, Alarm Clock, Music Player, FM Radio, etc.

Iron

The main disadvantage of the Nokia XL Dual SIM hardware platform is the inability to install an application on a memory card. That is, you automatically cannot download a heavy application or game to your smartphone. This is upsetting.