The Nokia C2 was announced in 2020 and released in the country late April/beginning of May. The device is a 4G Android budget phone with the recommended retail price going for Kshs 8,199 though there are some stores like Jumia which have incredible discounts you can take advantage of.
This lightweight device took me back to my first ever phone, my dad’s Nokia 3310. I know the 3310 wasn’t light in size but the simplicity of the phone is what’s most captured in the C2, much like the 3310. The C2 however is a reliable and affordable way to upgrade to a 4G smartphone experience without hurting your wallet and worrying about carrying around a powerbank everywhere due to its long lasting battery.
Here is the full review of the device
Design and Display
It features a 5.7 inch HD+ screen with a glass front that’s proven to be scratch free during our review period, a plastic back and frame and a clear rubber cover that comes in the box. It weighs about 161 grams – told you its pretty light with a screen resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels.
Battery
Since I’d already started taking about the battery, the Nokia C2 is powered by a 2800 mAh Li-ion battery that’s removable (one of the main reasons why the phone is super light).
It however doesn’t come with fast charging capabilities or wireless charging unlike most smartphones we see today. However, it still gives you enough power to carry on through the day without worrying about having a powerbank by your side.
Processor
The phone runs on the 64-bit Unisoc chipset. The CPU is Quad-core 1,4 GHz and works alongside the GPU for graphic displays in the device
Storage
The storage space is quite minimal in the C2 at 1GB RAM with 16GB internal storage meaning you’d have to choose what you store in the phone wisely, especially when it comes to the RAM. You can however increase storage space up to 64GB with the microSD slot just below the SIM card slot at the back of the device
Software
Despite the visibly low Ram, the device comes pre-loaded with the Android Pie version of Android Go meaning you get all the Go Apps – Google Go, YouTube Go, Gmail Go etc which are smaller in size and consume less data than the original versions of the apps.
This also means that you shouldn’t be worries about the performance of the device since its been calibrated with these specific hardware configurations to your advantage
Camera
In this day and age of camera phones taking center stage, the Nokia C2 might not be the best camera phone out there. It features a 5-megapizel camera at the rear with LED flash and a selfie camera with 5-megapixels as well. Even with the HDR, panorama, portrait and beauty modes, the low camera quality don’t erase the fact that there are far superior cameras in the market. The apertures are able to produce 720p videos.
Also, since it’s a budget device don’t expect a fingerprint sensor. There is however a Face Unlock feature but people who wear glasses like me should be ready to face a bit of a challenge since the device didn’t recognize my face with glasses on. Most of the devices I’ve come across, including the one I’m currently using, don’t have an issue identifying my face with glasses.
Verdict
From the word Go (see what I did there), the Nokia C2 is an Android Go device whose main focus is the lite Android experience thus wanting to get more people online in the most affordable way possible seeing as its entry price into the market is Kshs 8,199. This week however as Jumia celebrate their 8th anniversary, you can get it at a discounted price of Kshs 7,699.
