Nokia X2 goes official with 4.3-inch display, front-facing camera

BY Abhijeet Mishra

Published 24 Jun 2014

Nokia X2 goes official with 4.3-inch display, front-facing camera

Merely three months after Nokia made its Android debut with the Nokia X, the company has officially announced its successor. Meet the Nokia X2, Nokia’s second-generation Android phone that will once again attempt to woo consumers with the combination of a low price and a software experience that is vastly different (though not necessarily better) from the competition.

The Nokia X2 brings considerable improvements in terms of hardware, with everything built around a 4.3-inch display. The resolution is still 480×800, but the screen is now of Nokia’s ClearBlack variety, which should offer better colors and sunlight legibility. The phone is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 processor, and also sports 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, a front-facing camera, dual SIM slots (in select markets), and an 1,800 mAh battery.

The X2 also introduces a home button, the lack of which made for a confusing user experience on the Nokia X. On the software side, you get a heavily modified version of Android, with Google services replaced by Nokia and Microsoft’s, including apps such as HERE Maps, Skype, Outlook, OneNote, Bing Search, and more. The homescreen is still spearheaded by what Nokia terms Fastlane, but with the option to view recently used apps, another feature that was, for some inane reason, missing on the Nokia X.

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The Nokia X2 will be available immediately in select countries in glossy green, matt dark grey, orange black, yellow and white colors, with a price tag of €99 (around $134, before taxes and subsidies.) On paper, the X2 looks a major step-up from the Nokia X, and might just have what it takes to compete with the Moto E, which currently offers the best value proposition in the budget smartphone market.

Anyone looking to pick up the Nokia X2?