Nokia X review: Under cover

Unboxing the Nokia X

The Nokia X comes in the traditional blue cardboard paper box that packs a single-piece microUSB charger and a headset. There is no microUSB data cable inside, nor is there a complimentary microSD card. The pink earphones are the same thing you get with the most recent Asha phones.

There's nothing on the box to suggest this phone is in any way special, as in the first Nokia device to run Android. No mention of the Google OS whatsoever. It's the Nokia X Software Platform.

Nokia X retail package

Nokia X 360-degree spin

The Nokia X is a pleasingly compact phone. At 115.5 x 63 x 10.4mm, it weighs about 129g, which gives it a solid feel without damaging portability, which is important for an all-plastic handset. The numbers will probably fail to get across how good it feels in the hand. The clinically clean design is well familiar but by no means boring.

Design and handling

The Nokia X can be easily mistaken for one of them 500-series Ashas. The shape and feel, the bright-colored exchangeable covers, the single Back key below the screen. The latter is the capacitive kind, like on the Asha 503, the other Ashas having a proper physical button.

The big difference is size - and by the way the added height and width is more than acceptable for the screen real estate gained. The Nokia X's screen has grown a whole inch in diagonal and while there're still more than ample bezel, but that was to be expected in the price bracket. The 4" WVGA screen has an IPS matrix - a great advantage in this price range. What the Nokia X lacks is Gorilla Glass protection, which is strange considering the Asha 503 has it.

The centered touch-sensitive Back button is the only control below the screen, the earpiece symmetrically placed across. The microphone pinhole is barely visible in the bottom right corner, where the front glass meets the battery cover.

The Nokia X comes with both an ambient-light sensor for automatic brightness and a proximity sensor, which turns the screen off during a call. Both are next to the earpiece, but almost impossible to spot.

Nokia X up front

Like the Asha phones based on the same design, the Nokia X breaks down into two - the battery cover wraps firmly around the inner body. We have the black flavor of the X, which isn't as impressive as its colorful siblings. But if you get the green, red, cyan, yellow or white version, the back panel that folds around the body will give a slim frame around the screen as an accent.

The back of the Nokia X has the 3.15MP camera lens and the loudspeaker grille.

What's on the back

The plastic used is nice to the touch, with a soft matte finish that completely rules out visible fingerprints.

You bet we like the Nokia X design. Whatever the color, the matte finish has nice grip, while the compact size makes it a pleasure to handle and operate. The styling is simple and efficient, influenced by both Asha and Lumia, and the choice of colorful covers is certainly welcome.

Handling the Nokia X