Nokia C31 debuts with 6.7" display, T21 tablet with stylus support joins in

HMD Global unveiled the new X30 and G60 phones today, but as 5G handsets with long support, they are on the pricier side. For budget-conscious buyers there is the new Nokia C31, plus a new tablet. The company is also launching new TWS buds and a Bluetooth speaker.

Nokia C31

The Nokia C31 is quite large with a 6.75” display – not quite as large as the C30, but still a sizable phone at 169.2 x 78 x 8.6mm and 200g of weight. The display is an HD+ LCD that is covered by toughened glass (no brand name, however).

The C31 is powered by the Unisoc 9863A1, a 28nm chip with eight Cortex-A55 cores (1.6GHz) and a PowerVR GE8322 GPU. It runs full-blooded Android 12 (instead of Go edition) with a promise of 2 years of quarterly security patches (nothing on updates, though). There are three memory configurations: 3/32GB, 4/64GB and 4/128GB. Storage is expandable with microSD cards up to 256GB (dedicated slot).

Nokia C31

The phone has a fairly basic camera setup – 13MP main, 2MP macro and 2MP depth, plus a notched 5MP selfie camera on the front. The phone comes with the Google-developed camera app from Android Go plus the GoPro Quick App for quick and easy photo and video editing. The front camera supports face unlocking even if you are wearing a mask or you could use the fingerprint reader on the back.

This large phone packs a fairly large 5,050mAh battery that unfortunately supports only basic 10W charging and worse, it uses microUSB to do it. The phone is rated IP52 for resistance against dust and dripping water.

Nokia C31 in Charcoal, Cyan and Mint

The C31 is a 4G phone (LTE Cat. 4) with a dual nanoSIM slot (plus an extra spot for a microSD). There is a 3.5mm headphone jack and an FM radio receiver. Also, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.2.

The Nokia C31 starts at €130 ($130/₹10,500) for the base 3/32GB model and is launching globally today. You can pick between Charcoal, Cyan and Mint.

Nokia T21

The Nokia T21 is a light refresh on the T20. It has a 10.4” LCD with 2,000 x 1,200px resolution (15:9). It supports an active stylus (Wacom WGP and Wacom Active ES 2.0), plus it can be used as a secondary display for a Windows PC.

The tablet runs Android 12 on a Unisoc T612 chipset (12nm, 2x Cortex-A75 + 6x Cortex-A55, Mali-G52) with 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB storage, which can be expanded with a microSD card by up to 512GB. HMD is promising 2 OS updates for the tablet and three years of monthly security patches.

The tablet can be used on the go thanks to the optional 4G connectivity, which also supports voice calls and texting. Interestingly enough, this tablet has a hybrid slot so you can have two nanoSIMs (or SIM+microSD).

You can also use it to stream videos (it has a Netflix HD certification) or do video calls thanks to the 8MP front-facing camera (there is another 8MP module on the back). And you shouldn’t worry too much about damaging it, the aluminum body is pretty tough (and there is a 50% recycled plastic cover over the antennas for better reception), the tablet itself is rated IP52.

Nokia T21

The T21 runs on an 8,200mAh battery (rated for 800 cycles) and it charges at up to 18W over USB-C 2.0 (PD 3.0). There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack (and stereo speakers). Depending on the market you may get a basic 10W charger and a protective case in the retail package.

The Nokia T21 tablet is launching today for €240 ($240/₹19,000) for a Wi-Fi unit with 4/64GB memory and again there is a version with 4G LTE as well.

TWS buds and wireless speaker

While the C31 and T31 have 3.5mm jacks, the Nokia X30 and C60 do not. You may want to grab the Nokia Clarity Earbuds 2 Pro, a TWS headset with hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint connectivity and Fast Pair.

Nokia Clarity Earbuds 2 Pro TWS buds

The buds have 13mm neodymium drivers and are have IPX4 water protection. Alone they can last up to 7 hours of play time (9 hours without ANC), the case brings the total up to 28 hours (36h without ANC). The buds need under 2 hour to fully recharge their 60mAh battery, the charging case’s 500mAh battery takes around 2 hours (over USB-C). The case, by the way, is made out of 100% post-consumer recycled materials, the packaging is also made out of recycled materials.

The Nokia Portable Wireless Speaker 2 uses Bluetooth 5.1 and you can connect two at a time for stereo playback. It’s a rugged little speaker with an IPX7 rating and it is eco-friendly too - the casing is made out of 100% post-consumer waste material, the mesh is 100% recycled aluminum.

Nokia Portable Wireless Speaker 2

The speaker has a single 5W driver (45mm) and a 1,200mAh battery, enough for 22 hours of continuous playback. Recharging is done over USB-C. The speaker measures 90 x 90 x 74mm and weighs 225g.

The Nokia Clarity Earbuds 2 Pro and the Portable Wireless Speaker 2 will launch in select markets later this month. You will be able to pick up the buds for €100 ($100/₹8,000), the speaker will be €55 ($55/₹4,400).