Rumours were right. We have been hearing about Nokia’s Android phones for years now but it is only now that they’re official. The three phones under the ‘X’ banner, the X, X+ and XL all run on open-source Android project version 4.1.2. This is an approach similar to the one used by Amazon for its Kindle tablets.
Nokia said that major apps will be available at launch for the Nokia X family of devices, including Facebook, LINE Free Voice and Messages, LINE Camera, LINE Bubble, Picsart, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Real Football 2014, Skype, Spotify, Swiftkey, Twitter, Viber, Vine and WeChat, among others.
Moreover, a first for Nokia customers around the world, BBM will also be available on the Nokia X family of devices in addition to Windows Phone.
It’s quite remarkable that the company has announced three phones, since all the leaks indicated a single, starter-range model.
Nokia Experience with Microsoft Services and Google’s Apps
The OS comes with a Windows Phone-like looks on its interface. The phone comes pre-loaded with Microsoft’s services like Skype and Outlook, as well as other applications such as Facebook.
Google has been deliberately side-lined from the entire experience.
Why Android then? That’s because of the apps, of course. Buyers will be able to side-load any Android APK on the phone, not just games and apps but also launchers.
Nokia’s Fastlane is also built-in into the phone’s interface. In case you don’t know, it gives you a track of everything going on in the background and your history.
Based on from what we’ve seen, the interface isn’t too smooth, which might’ve been due to the fact that the OS running is Android Jelly Bean, rather than the newer, more customized Android.
Nokia X and X+
The first phones of the line-up are the X and X+. Both are virtually the same, except that the latter has more internal, and expandable storage.The design of the phones is undeniably Asha-inspired. Those vivid colours and replaceable backs clearly indicate the price-point and the target audience. Dual-sim connectivity further clarifies that.
Under the hood, you get a 1Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor, along with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. The X+ will have expandable memory and 768 MB RAM. At the back is a sole 3 megapixel fixed-focus camera.
The phones are also quite compact, being 1 cm thick and weighing 129g, meaning they’ll fit in your palm quite comfortably. The 1,500 mAh battery will allow up to 10.3 hours of 3G talk time.
The price of the Nokia X and X+ are 89 Euros (12,800 PKR) and 99 Euros (14,200 PKR) respectively.
As expected, the phone will be released only in developing markets such as Asia including Pakistan, Nokia has told, in Q2.
Nokia XL
The XL is certainly a phone we weren’t expecting. It is the top-end smartphone which also runs on forked Android 4.1.2 but sits one slot above the Nokia X+, in the territory of the Lumia 520.Coming with a substantially larger 5″ display with the same WVGA resolution, the Nokia XL features the same capacitive key at the bottom of the display.
Under the hood, you get the same 1Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor with 4 GB internal storage but 768 MB RAM this time. At the back lies a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED Flash, along with a 2 megapixel camera at the front.
The phone will hit emerging markets in Q2 of this year for 109 Euros or about 15,700 PKR.
With the X series, Nokia is giving its fan-base yet another option to join the family. Whether it will be successful remains a matter of debate and we can’t say anything for sure until we’ve tried it out for ourselves.
Here are specs for Nokia X Series Smartphones:
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