HMD XR21
- X
- Xenotyro
- 3HW
- 28 Jul 2024
ItsJake95, 26 Jul 2024So a rebranded Nokia, and this one is about 100 quid more..... moreIt's the same price. Initially the was only a Made In Europe variant of the HMD XR21 so it was more expensive than the Made In China Nokia-branded version.
- C
- Claudesp33d
- NvZ
- 04 Jul 2024
Never update your phones. Hmd will intentionally slow it down annd introduce lag and stutters.
- M
- Minu
- ter
- 25 Jun 2024
IQ200, 23 Jun 2024HMD or HMD Nokia, it doesn't matter as they operate th... moreIt took me a while to go through responses to my comments, so I hope you don't mind my delay to respond to your comment.
"Value" is a subjective term. Some may think that it refers to getting more for less at the time of purchase, while others may prefer to use their product of choice for a longer time without any issues.
I find smartphones more or less a long term investment. My simple theory is all about using a product of choice for the most time, have less expectations and enjoying using it for the longest time.
Most of the people in third world countries tend to get phones that become obsolete in a flash for atrocious prices, and replace it in a couple of years. At the same time, there are people in countries with far better living standards who purchase expensive phones and replace it in a couple of years like above, leading to e-waste. We can classify all kinds of people who purchase products from their attitude towards their product of choice.
There are several reasons why I consider this a better purchase over a Samsung-branded rugged phone. There isn't a trace of bloatware and/or telemetry apps featured in this phone, the phone is relatively both rigid and lightweight, and there wouldn't be any sort of bottlenecks due to the hardware configuration provided, with the added benefit of running most ported apps with little to no bugs such as Google Camera and brand-specific apps.
Let's not forget the fact that, the target market of this phone are those who prefer to explore, or those who work under extreme physical conditions. At least, appreciate the fact that you aren't getting an obsolete Cortex-A53-based processor at an atrocious price, which is the norm with Cat phones, as well as Samsung before the XCover 7.
While the Snapdragon 695 isn't the fastest processor on the market, you're getting a better all-around experience due to the well-optimized Stock Android, the raw performance of a 2019 flagship (the comparability to Snapdragon 855 to 870 chipsets make sense in this case) and attention from app developers to optimize their apps for Snapdragon-based phones over the other chipset brands (Exynos and Mediatek).
Also, the Chinese brands have an edge over the amount of specifications they provide. But that does not mean that they are the best on the market, if they can't provide adequate software support, let alone fixing software bugs since the time of purchase by the user. Also, the inclusion of practically useless features for the end user doesn't guarantee a better purchase, either.
Let's not forget to include the hassle of getting a device repaired under warranty from an obscure brand, even with the adequate amount of resources provided.
While I understand your point, let's not forget that we can't compare this phone to a flagship by any means. At the same time, Nokia mobile/HMD is a smaller firm in comparison to Samsung. The reason why they exist is to raise the reputation of the Nokia brand, that had been tarnished by the brand liquidation from the Microsoft contract, making it more or less similar to a company that operates on a brand name license.
Apart from that, I support their philosophy of encouraging their users to stick to their phone for a longer period of use through consistent optimization through updates, within the scope of generic ODM-based phones, while almost all other brands, including Apple and Samsung, attempt to hamper their products and force them to buy another from the same brand (considering that the average buyer is entitled to believe that the brand they had purchased is the best brand they can possibly get).
Also, the reason why I've basically stopped bothering about most brands (as well as commenting on every single article/ page on this site) is the bathtub curve in identity and quality by outsourcing to ODMs, as well as the lack of innovation today. Let's be honest about the fact that the current society enjoys social media, isolation and being stuck on a time frame, over the desire to explore something new with every moment or making long term friendships with purity, honesty and transparency. You may think I'm a delusional fan for commenting positively on Nokia comment sections, while I support them for being a far smaller scale company and running an ethical business model. Also, you may not have noticed my constructive criticism towards Nokia's pricing and dependence on generic designs by ODMs. It's completely fine if you haven't. Sometimes, our opinions suffer from the limitations/scope of this comment section.
With that being said, I'm looking forward to read your opinions as well.
- I
- IQ200
- Lec
- 23 Jun 2024
Minu, 15 May 2024So I wasn't the only person disappointed with the XCov... moreHMD or HMD Nokia, it doesn't matter as they operate the same.
What matters is most of people knows for Samsung brand and know their value is in their flagship devices like basic S for compact size or going all way to Ultra. All Axx, Xxx, or whatever models they got are very similar to what was OG Nokia doing before touch screen era and it was doing because they wanted it to fill every gap in the market. There was a tone of garbage the same as now with Samsung. There are far more better devices in the rugged phones market and the usual suspects like HMD, HMD Nokia or Samsung or any other more known phone brand are equally not good and they are not representing a good value except if you really want a phone which is not made in China as HMD apparenty has not produce it in China to cut the price lile everyone else and maybe because it has a connection to OG Nokia who still have a large fan base. Exibit 1. Look over here. It's so easy to hate on Samsung, but what HMD jas better then the ones who are really specialized in the rugged market. This phone is better then what Samsung does with their almost abandoded XCover line of rugged phones, but that doesnct mean it's representing a good value. Because it's not.
There are brands that are specialised with the rugged phones production with far better value then any HMD or HMD Nokia or Samsung ever made. What do you Minu, as a hard core HMD/HMD Nokia fan(atic) thinks? Is this the best rugged phone outhere? I don't think so. But i want to hear some opinions from you. And please if you can compare it value wise with other more popular brands in rugged phone world.
In the end i would like to all to type in youtube this melody just to remember the old OG Nokia which i really miss.
"A piece of solo guitar music by Francisco Tárrega, called Gran Vals (1902)"
The famous OG Nokia phone ringtone. I really miss you OG Nokia. I miss your quirky and fun designs. Especialy in rugged models like series 5 which i was a big fan of. I've own almost every model from their series 5 even since the first one, the 5140. i was a fan of rugged phones design and now that spark im design language is gone.
Rest in peace OG Nokia.
So many good memories using OG Nokia phones♥️
Thanks!
- U
- Utility Preacher
- mVA
- 16 Jun 2024
CyberPunkSimms, 08 Jun 2024Not sure where you've been looking. Nowhere have I see... moreYes, SD778+ is only a dream for hmd and Nokia phones. LTE24 could be an extra connectivity plus overall processing power.
- M
- Minu
- ter
- 08 Jun 2024
CyberPunkSimms, 08 Jun 2024Not sure where you've been looking. Nowhere have I see... moreMy comment is regarding official websites that operate within the UK, not global marketplaces such as eBay or Amazon.
On a side note, let's not forget that the Nothing Phone has no complete form of ingress protection, whereas this phone is IP69K rated.
Your comparison would've made a little more sense if you compared it with a fully ingress-protected rugged phone with no telemetry apps or bloatware. There isn't any phone to compare this with, in the first place.
- CyberPunkSimms
- MTh
- 08 Jun 2024
Minu, 24 May 2024Even those SD695 phones from no-name brands in the UK retai... moreNot sure where you've been looking. Nowhere have I seen SD695 phones go near that price at launch of that chipset lol. This phone is pure expensive e-waste.
Even the Nothing Phone (1) that has the 778G can be found for as little as £230 - £280. The phone released with an RRP of £399, back in 2022.
- ?
- Anonymous
- a3Y
- 27 May 2024
Wait, still Android 12? Android 15 is coming and HMD is still using Android 12 and 13 on their phones.
- M
- Minu
- IWR
- 24 May 2024
Anonymous, 23 May 2024£500 here in the UK for what is basically a £150 phone with... moreEven those SD695 phones from no-name brands in the UK retail for £450 with far generic ODM designs and without the extra plastic and rubber or any form of ingress protection, lol.
Your comment would've been a little more valid in the first place, if you were from Asia.
- ?
- Anonymous
- sXV
- 23 May 2024
£500 here in the UK for what is basically a £150 phone with some extra plastic and rubber. Ridiculous.
- M
- Minu
- ter
- 20 May 2024
justasmile, 16 May 2024This phone has worse specs than the XCover 6 Pro which is f... moreXCover prices are region-dependent though, they're overpriced in Eurasian countries.
Remember the XCover FieldPro? That phone has worse specs, ancient Android 8.0 in 2021, traditional 16:9 display and zero software updates, yet it comes at an eye-watering $1500. This phone is far better in comparison, and has the added benefit of covering most user damages, which Samsung and obscure Chinese brands don't offer in the first place.
- M
- Minu
- ter
- 20 May 2024
YourLocalPhoneCritic, 15 May 2024Bruh... XR20 (2021) has: 1- Larger display 2- microSD 3-... moreAt the same time, this is far better value than Samsung's failed XCover FieldPro with a rather ancient chipset at $1500 with no software updates whatsoever, so there's that
- ?
- Anonymous
- uSV
- 18 May 2024
notReal, 18 May 2024nokia is really delayed on terms of performance and camera ... moreThey kinda dropped making flagships as they didnt sold well in the past years.
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- notReal
- IbL
- 18 May 2024
nokia is really delayed on terms of performance and camera quality, they should make atleast one very good performing phone with 4k camera quality once in a while and instead of doing that, they make keypad phones.
- ?
- Anonymous
- uSV
- 17 May 2024
They couldve atleast improved it by making the battery easy replaceable.
- m
- mc
- C9a
- 16 May 2024
We are so back.
- justasmile
- RxE
- 16 May 2024
Cpt.Power, 16 May 2024Well it is. As long as is cheaper than Cat S7xx or above,... moreThis phone has worse specs than the XCover 6 Pro which is far cheaper.
- C
- Cpt.Power
- SH3
- 16 May 2024
justasmile, 16 May 2024For them, this is definitely not the one.Well it is.
As long as is cheaper than Cat S7xx or above, cheaper than Samsung this one is a good phone.
The other one i would suggest is a Motorola Think phone.