HMD Global has today announced the launch of its new budget-centric smartphone, the Nokia 2.2, in India. The smartphone comes with an introductory price of Rs 6,999 for the 2GB + 16GB variant and Rs 7,999 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage option. However, the introductory price is valid until June 30. Post this, the phone will be priced at Rs 7,699 for 2GB RAM and Rs 8,699 for 3GB RAM.
The smartphone will go on sale from June 11 and it will be available from retail stores, Nokia website and Flipkart. With this, HMD Global has introduced a new contender in the entry-level segment. The smartphone comes loaded with some interesting features like Google Assistant key, Android One branding and more. We got the chance to spent some time with the device and here are our first impressions.
Design and Display
Starting with the design first, the Nokia 2.2 is equipped with a standard design language, which is now becoming a common trend in this segment. You get a glossy finish at the back, while the front sports a waterdrop notch. The smartphone is quite comfortable to hold and it is lightweight in nature. Nokia 2.2 is available in two colours, Steel and Tungsten Black. We got the latter colour option for review, but we also liked the Steel colour option.
After a while, we have seen a smartphone that comes with a removable back cover. The Nokia 2.2 features a removable panel and once you remove it, you will find two SIM slots and a microSD card slot, while at the base, you will notice the speakers. The right side of the device is equipped with volume controls and power on/off button, while the left houses a dedicated Google Assistant key. The top features a 3.5mm audio jack, while the base is loaded with a Micro USB port. That said, the phone does not feel cheap when you hold it in your hand, though the top and bottom bezels are quite thick in nature.
Coming to the display, the Nokia 2.2 is equipped with a 5.71-inch HD+ display with a screen Resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels. The display looks good in our initial testing and it is quite bright in nature. This is primarily because of the 400nits brightness, which means that you can read some texts in outdoor conditions. We will talk more about this in our upcoming review.
Hardware and Software
On the hardware front, the Nokia 2.2 is powered by a MediaTek Helio A22 Processor and it is available in 2GB3GB RAM and 16GB32GB of internal storage. The memory can be further expanded using a microSD card slot. That said, it is too early to comment on the processing power of the device, but looking at the sheer specifications, it is certain that the phone will compete with the likes of Realme C2, Xiaomi Redmi 7 and Infinix S4.
On the software front, the Nokia 2.2 runs on Android 9.0 Pie and it features a pure Android experience. This is the first smartphone in the Nokia 2 series that is a part of Android One family. The company has also promised that it is Android Q ready and once Google rolls out official Android Q operating system, Nokia 2.2 will surely get it. The user interface is clean and bloat-free. HMD Global has also added a dedicated Google Assistant key through which one can trigger the assistant with a simple tap, while a tap and long press will trigger Google Assistant in walkie-talkie mode.
Camera
On the camera front, the phone features a 13-megapixel rear camera along with a 5-megapixel selfie shooter. The camera user interface is quite simple to use and it comes with limited modes like Photo, Video, Square, Time-lapse, Panorama and Google Lens. The camera capabilities are yet to tested out in full glory, but initial testing reveals that the phone takes a noticeable amount of time to process the image. The selfie camera works fine in our testing.
Battery and Connectivity
On the battery front, the phone is equipped with a 3,000mAh battery, which is removable in nature. Considering the less power hungry processor and display, one could expect one day of battery backup from the Nokia 2.2 smartphone. Connectivity options include Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, GLONASS, FM Radio, Bluetooth 4.2 and micro USB port.