Nokia G21 review

9 March 2022


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For less than 200 euro a very capable device.

    • S
    • Swaraj
    • uvU
    • 15 Mar 2022

    SShreyas, 14 Mar 2022I'd rather spend my life trying to minimise the damage... moreYeah that's all true , but at least if i find Google spying on me,
    i can sue them . Good luck trying that in China . I have only Google spying on me . You got Google and china both spying on you . So I'll take another nokia after this one dies fr 😉

    Guys like you shamed windows Phone for "cheap specs" . That is the reason Google is spying on everyone right now

      • A
      • Anonymous
      • vGN
      • 15 Mar 2022

      Anonymous, 14 Mar 2022Number 3 is actually what keeps HMD afloat. First, not ... moreWell, let us agree to a point that HMD Global isn't doing well. In a first, they do not reveal the actual numbers, which in turn does not show the true nature of their business. Secondly, their overall sales has been at par compared to that of the previous years with just slight improvements. Thirdly, they may have sold a lot many feature phones but do remember the feature phone units that are being shipped has been on a steady decline over the years.
      Also, I did mention that it would be better for HMD Global to have at least 3-5 models to cater the feature phone market. Having 8-10 models would just be stupidity on their part.
      The allocation and planning by HMD Global has certainly been a disaster and it is just another organization in the fading. HMD Global holds the license to manufacture and sell phones under the Nokia branding until 2027, pretty sure they would pull out the plugs before 2025 (or) stop sales post 2027.

        Anonymous, 13 Mar 2022While there are various aspects one could point at why HMD ... moreah man now I know why nokia didn't going well since 2018... your good to be GSMarena staff with your knowlegde and tell us more in flashback or something like it article.

          Swaraj, 14 Mar 2022If your secondary phone has 6000mah battery , you need to g... moreI'd rather spend my life trying to minimise the damage you fandogs cause by helping these sort of "startups" scam innocent people than to pay a heed to your advice

          That brings me to this "startup" rant of you fandogs.
          I've seen startups exactly like this one (except scamming people in the name of nostalgia) taking off and seriously compete with others rather than hiring jobless 2 cent army to influence innocent people into scams.

          P.S: I can't think why a "business class" person would buy €100 worth of trash for €300 with cheapest possible parts in the name of nostalgia.
          "Regular" security updates? 😂 Lol. Why would one with a slightest of wit would need"security" from the company that's based on business model of collecting, manipulating and selling the user data? Anyways, all of the brands are updating the devices nowadays, especially the ones that are favoured by "business class people"

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • wrq
            • 14 Mar 2022

            Anonymous, 13 Mar 2022While there are various aspects one could point at why HMD ... moreNumber 3 is actually what keeps HMD afloat.

            First, not many companies make feature phones, so people wanting to buy them will buy a Nokia branded one.

            Second, the number of people buying Nokia branded feature phones are actually massive. HMD recent sales report indicates that their feature phones are selling 3 times more than their smartphones counterpart (15 millions VS 5 millions)

            Third, the profit margins on those feature phones are huge. Building them cost perhaps less than 10 USD, yet HMD can sell them for 4-5 times more. HMD can't have that kind of margin on their smartphone.

              • S
              • Swaraj
              • DkC
              • 14 Mar 2022

              SShreyas, 13 Mar 2022I wonder not many people in this world use their phones to ... moreIf your secondary phone has 6000mah battery , you need to get a life bro . Don't gaf what trash companies are doing . Live your life , buy what you love , don't troll a start up doing their best to make a difference . Nokia phones are just not for you . It's for business class people who just need a phone to stay in the touch , and get security updates regularly .

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                • Anonymous
                • vGL
                • 13 Mar 2022

                While there are various aspects one could point at why HMD Global is failing at a much faster pace, the core issue lies with the incompetent management which is to be blamed. Let's rewind the clock to a couple of years ago, In 2016 when HMD Global was incorporated with Arto Nummela running the show HMD Global did manage to introduce phones that seemed promising like the Nokia 5, 6, 7, 8, 8.1 and the 9PV. The performance of the phones were decent enough, the designs were unique and the built was just unmatchable. A year later, Florian went to become the CEO of HMD Global. He was remarkably well known for having to sunk HTC back in 2013. Florian, lacked thoughts, lacked knowledge about the handset market and lacked knowledge on the business part too.

                Further, by 2020 the sales of Nokia had dropped to a record low and the core issue was identified as the naming of the handsets such as X.1 ; X.2 ; X.3 ; X.4 causing enough confusion for the buyers. Hence, in 2021 they decided to change the name of their handsets.

                1. They launched the X10, X20, XR20, G50, G300 and X100. Apart from the XR20 which was a tough phone, all the other 5 handsets had similar specification and design. This was completely a stupid move by HMD Global for having to release more and more handsets of the same specifications. A complete waste of allocation of finance, resource and time. If licensing and certification was a concern they could have filed the same depending on the region to cater.

                2. Delayed updates, ever since 2019 HMD Global has been having a real hard time in keeping up with the updates for it's already existing handsets. Most of the X.3 and X.4 lineup were behind schedule for the updates and also, the updates for the flagship device of 9PV was pulled out all of a sudden. While on one end the updates were behind schedule, on the other end HMD Global was introducing more and more phones of the same specifications. They seemingly made things more and more complicated for themselves.

                3. It's 2022 and HMD Global is still launching feature phones. Also, HMD Global must probably be the only company doing so. A feature phone costs between $50-70 while their C series starts from prices as low as $85/90. Why would someone buy a feature phone when they could spend $15/20 more to purchase the C series handset which can literally do everything. Even if Nokia had to cater the feature phone market, I presume 3 models of feature phones would have been more than enough. Once again it's simply a complete waste of allocation of finance, resource and time.

                4. Market targeting, since 2020 HMD Global has moved their focus to cater more of the western market than the asian market considering the stiff competition from the eastern companies. They managed to launch just 3 good handsets in last 2 years. The XR20 was introduced in the Indian market at a whooping rupee 47,000 which works out to $610. With the extreme competition in a market like India who would pay $610 for a phone which specifications just decent enough and par to a mid ranger. Selling the G50, G300 (or) X100 for somewhere between rupee 15,000 - 17,000 which works out to $195-220 would have been a better option.

                With more and more of the stupid decisions by the management, it has only hurt the company to an extent that it is now cash strapped and lacks finances. Which is why they are pushing more and more products with cheap unisoc chipsets and have completely pulled out of the flagship series. Do not expect flagships (or) premium handset's from HMG Global. At this point it would be even hard to guess if HMD Global would launch phones with the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets (or) would continue with Mediatek (or) with cheap unisoc chipsets. It's just another doomed story for Nokia unless HMD Global really goes ahead and change their management installing the people who once handled Nokia with designers from the Lumia series. (or) the entire strategy needs a big overhaul.

                  AnonD-785804, 11 Mar 2022This 30W 65W is all bs. If a phone can last you for 3 days ... moreI wonder not many people in this world use their phones to defend a brand like this. So, naturally, 5000 mAh battery with no software optimisation (as is the case with most HMD models) combined with entry level power hungry processor won't even last 2 days, forget 3.
                  Even my secondary phone with 6000 mAh battery, and a much power efficient processor than this don't last more than 2 days (with absolutely no gaming/streaming and 8 hours of SOT).
                  I can't believe people blindly believe the adverts and starts convincing other, too.

                    Mark, 13 Mar 2022Let's be realistic, they don't have the resources... moreLol. I like how fandogs keep defending brands (even a fraudulent brand like HMD).
                    *Take a screenshot of the below statement and set it as your wallpaper or do whatever you can to save it*

                    trasHMD will never have "resources" to do anything other than producing e-wastes and fandogs like you will keep defending it even after a decade from now.

                    P.S: Calling your logic baseless or useless would be an understatement. There are brands that provide "clean" software (if that's what you like to call useless, featureless UI). Motorola, for example (it is launching great phones since past 2 years). Then there are homegrown brands (Lava, Micromax) in my country that are shipping the phones with stock UI while offering the same specifications as Xiaomi or Realme (G85 for €120: Micromax In Note 1), which is way better than this €150 crap.
                    So, stop fooling others around and rather join trasHMD's marketing team to scam and roh people of their money

                      klv12gcn, 13 Mar 2022Why do all phone makers nowadays make phone with screen cut... moreNah. HMD never made anything other than garbage and hence never quite provided mid-range features like OLED display to reduce the "chin". They have always made such trashes.
                      It's only that other manufacturers have started using that technique of making phone look garbage, too

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • tZk
                        • 13 Mar 2022

                        klv12gcn, 13 Mar 2022Why do all phone makers nowadays make phone with screen cut... moreBudget phones have thick chin because they are using cheap LCD and AMOLED panels. Thin chin like those on Iphones and Samsung flagships can only be achieved by display panel with bendable screen showcase that is very expensive.

                          Why do all phone makers nowadays make phone with screen cutout then add an ugly thick chin at the bottom?

                          Why don't just make it symmetrical?

                          Why must it be accompanied by such an ugly front?

                          Are the designers alright with their eyes?

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                            • Menuchim
                            • XBA
                            • 13 Mar 2022

                            Looks adequately specces this time unlike the G10 and G20 which sacrificed performance too much.

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                              • Mark
                              • XBA
                              • 13 Mar 2022

                              Anonymous, 12 Mar 2022Nokia is dead. They don't cater for highend S888, but... moreLet's be realistic, they don't have the resources to create phones with high end specs right now, keep in mind that the Nokia mobile brand is actually run by hmd global which is very small when compared with Samsung and Apple and don't make money from ads like xaiomi, Tecno infinix etc, while also providing software updates to Thier phones (tho this one is lackluster).
                              What they aim to do is to provide the best balance of software and hardware experience at a given price point, if they added sd888 or 8gen 1, they would either have to raise the price to like $800-1000 or seriously cut down on a spec like the screen or put ads in their software or not provide any software updates.
                              In my opinion this phone should be mostly compared to the Samsung galaxy A13 and A23 as they are the most similar in phone philosophy, not a xaiomi or realme etc( best bang for buck).

                                Remember Nokia was market leading from 1998 till 2011 they were ahead of any other company and the ban killed this company and now when they start again in 2019 they are not using high end material and I Know if they work with QUALCOMM and other latest stuffs they can beat Sam One plus Xiomi they can take the higher level .if they do these stuffs
                                Using latest chips of Snapdragon
                                Working with Karl Zeiss for cinematic or real camera experience.
                                Using Samsung's latest Oled Panels with high refresh rates. Ip rating NFC fast chargers
                                Gorilla glasses USB 3.2 Wi-Fi 6 umm i think they can do these things around 800 to 900$.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • mXr
                                  • 12 Mar 2022

                                  Ajbumpben, 11 Mar 2022& Nokia is not dying, all they need is timeNokia is dead. They don't cater for highend S888, but for the poor.

                                    Korin.D, 10 Mar 2022Who's buying that with a shitty chipset and a 4GB RAM ... moreWorth 250? Well are you one lucky person! It goes for 197 euro, congratulations!

                                      Pasco360, 10 Mar 2022Nice one, Nokia is trying as far as hmd is concerned but th... moreI couldn't agree more with you. We all know the power of marketing and bringing targeted advertising. Luckily I read somewhere that they are finally aware of their poor marketing and commit to do better. Let's hope.

                                        mawlki, 11 Mar 2022So in relatively short time you own(ed) g20, x20 and also p... moreThe XR20 not yet but that one is still on my wishlist...
                                        Indeed I do spend money on devices but as it is my only hobby I don't mind and after having used for a few months I sell them on on second hand sites or to friends in need of a device. Let's say I spend the amount of one premium device on yearly basis but that is not every year as I'm not Rockefeller, far from it. I don't care for fancy clothing or exotic travel destinations.

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