Nokia’s spiritual successor to the 8.3 5G had a great run. But is it worth buying at this point in 2024?
Performance
With GeekBench scores of 676 (single core), 1804 (Multi-Core), the Nokia X20 is not too shabby when it comes to typical tasks, but will not strike one as a high performer when it comes to intensive tasks. The X20 will handle the basic necessities quite nicely and served well as a decent economical smartphone.
Hardware
| Display | Aspect ratio: 20:9 Cover glass: Corning® Gorilla™ Glass 5 Features: Brightness 450 nits (typ.), Sunlight brightness boost Size: 6.67 in Resolution: FHD+ (1080×2400) |
| Battery | Battery: 4,470 mAh1 Non Removable Charging: 18W fast charging compatible |
| Cameras | Features: ZEISS Optics, ZEISS Portrait, ZEISS Cinematic Effects, Dual-Sight, Night mode, Cinema mode, HDR, Beautification, Panorama, Watermark Front camera: 32 MP Rear camera: 64 MP Main + 5 MP Ultrawide + 2 MP Depth + 2 MP Macro Rear flash LED |
| Dimensions | Height: 168.94 mm Weight: 220 g Width: 79.7 mm Depth: 9.1 mm |
| Cellular | Max network speed: 5G 3 Network bands (5G NR): 5G NR sub6 TDD: n78, n41/38; 5G NR sub6 FDD: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n28, n66; 4×4 MiMo: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 66, 41, n78 Network bands (GSM): 850, 900, 1800, 1900 Network bands (LTE): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 66, 38, 39, 40, 41 (Full) Network bands (WCDMA): 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 Sim size: Nano |
| Casing | Polymer composite |
| CPU | CPU: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 480 5G Mobile Platform Features: aptX/aptX HD/aptX Adaptive |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | Internal storage: 128 GB2 MicroSD card support up to: 512 GB |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth: 5.0 Features: Google AR support, NFC (eSE supported) Headphone jack: 3.5 mm Location: GPS/AGPS, GLONASS, Galileo USB connection: USB Type-C (USB 2.0) OTG WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n/ac NFC Supported |
| Operating System | Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 13) |
| Dust/Water resistance | N/A |
Even with the basic plastic casing, the phone doesn’t feel too economical- it’s fairly light and durable feeling. The Polymer composite has a smooth texturized feeling and is not unpleasant to hold in one’s palm. It has a little bit of heft, but it’s not as long or heavy as the Nokia 8.3. Unlike the Nokia 8.3, it is not slippery and should not be prone to as many accidental drops.
The cameras can perform decently in well-lit situations, but don’t expect stellar performance during dusk and night time or in less than ideally lit rooms. Video capture is limited to only 1080p at 60FPS and in optimal lighting, can produce decent FHD content with good audio. The 64MP main lens is actually capable of taking some fantastic shots especially in well-lit situations such as outside in the sunlight. Low light situations unfortunately can become very challenging, and the 2MP macro lens seems inappropriate and honestly not even worth including.
The screen is quite surprising. The X20’s display looks great and is bright enough to use outdoors. The sunlight boost with 450 nits does work.
Final Thoughts
The Nokia X20 on sale was a decent bargain and has some features that a lot smartphones are missing these days. Being constrained to only certain regions was unfortunate, as it did offer some decent low to mid end competition with features such as FM radio, expandable storage and even the 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, a big feature that the X20 itself is missing is water and dust resistance, and with security updates ending on July 2024, I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone to buy this phone unless they want to use the device without connecting to the Internet like an iPod Touch.
A couple of years ago, this could have been a good buy as a burner smartphone or a traveling spare, or even a main phone for someone on a budget. Potential buyers for a connected modern smartphone should look elsewhere.