Nokia X Phones: Specs and Features

The Finnish technology firm Nokia, whose devices and services arm is owned by Microsoft, released three new Android phones – the Nokia X, X+ and XL – on February 24. This debut of Android devices is indeed tremendous since Nokia formerly manufactured only Windows-based phones.  The X series are colorful devices and are worth looking into. Here’s what the new Nokia X, X+ and XL have to offer.

 

Hardware and Design

Nokia devices typically display exceptional build quality and cutting edge design. The recently released Nokia X series of smartphones is no exception. Available in 6 colors, these Nokia’s monobody architecture is very attractive and sleek. The Nokia X and X+, which possess 4-inch displays, are almost identical in form and features. However, the 5-inch Nokia XL offers several capabilities that are not available on the two other Nokia X series phones.

 

Nokia X

 

Nokia X

Even though the Nokia X operates on an Android platform, it’s not the typical Android operating system (OS) that you’re accustomed to. Though the device’s OS is based on Android open source software, it still resembles a Windows phone with more modification options. The 4-inch device features a dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage space and a 1500mAh battery. The body of the Nokia X is moderately thick and is made from polycarbonate material. It carries a headphone jack, a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a microSD card slot that’s expandable up to 32GB. The user interface is sleek and the cost of the device is low.

 

Nokia X+

Much like the Nokia X, the Nokia X+ is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and offers a 4-inch display. It has a maximum talk time (3G) of 10.5h and a display resolution of WVGA (800 X 480). With the main camera at 3 megapixels and the resolution at 2048 x 1536 pixels, the Nokia X+ takes pretty decent web quality shots. While 4GB of RAM seems easily exhaustible, an expandable memory (MicroSD) with the capacity to store a maximum of 32GB of information can be used to boost internal storage. The device has Internet browsing capabilities and supports HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and Opera. For accessing social networking sites seamlessly, you can conveniently use social apps such as Twitter, Facebook and even communicate with friends through Viber, WeChat and Skype. Use the X+ as a Wi-Fi hotspot and connect up to 8 devices with its Wi-Fi capabilities.

 

Nokia XL

The Nokia XL is widely recognized as the ‘daddy’ of the bunch because it packs more power than the other two models. It too, comes with a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and 4GB of internal storage capacity. However, its 768MB of RAM is an upgrade over that possessed by both the X and X+ models. It also comes with a more powerful 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. This is ideal for capturing significant moments and for making video calls. Since the smart device was designed with a microSD slot, the user can opt for more memory by using one. This device can also be used with two different carriers since it was designed with dual-SIM capabilities.

 

The Nokia XL uses the Nokia X software platform 1.0.1 which, though not as appealing and clear as the Android KitKat or iOS platform, is highly compatible with a wide range of apps. However, despite being based on an Android platform, the Nokia XL will not use Google Play store as a source for obtaining apps. Instead, the XL smartphone will use Nokia’s own app store. If users want an app that is not available in this store, they can always use third party stores to obtain all their choice applications.

 

Nokia XL

 

While the appeal of the Nokia XL lies in the operating system, an open source Android platform, the device remains unrecognizable with Google affiliates. This is evident in the manner in which the device obtains its apps. Even though the device was developed on the Android platform, Nokia opted to use Microsoft’s services instead of Google’s cloud technology. While you can benefit from Microsoft’s services, you’ll also be restricted in the number of apps you are able to download. This is due to the fact that Windows app store is not as broad as Google Play Store.

 

Similarities Between the X series and Windows Phone

 

The following are some of the ways in which the Nokia X series devices are similar to the Windows Phone.

 

• The home screen of the X series is made up of tiles


• Tiles can be customized or moved around by simply holding and dragging a specific one


• Users can increase the size of each tile


• Home app tiles dance around as an app tile is being moved


• Provides Here Maps and Here Drive instead of Google Maps


• Uses Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage platform

 

With Nokia manufacturing devices for both Android (Google) and Windows (Microsoft) phones, the smartphone market might see more advanced devices that are able to provide a greater outlook for the industry.

Nokia X Phones: Specs and Features