The Nokia 2.3 arrived a few weeks ago to review and it has really been a minute since I have had a Nokia phone in my possession. It brought back memories of the countless Nokias I used to own when I was 14/15. But then I got hooked on Android and the rest is history. But now Nokia devices run Android so I should give this device a chance…
There are many budget smartphones in the market at around the same price and all pretty much have the same specs, so when it comes to choosing one, its design, performance and features will make the final decision-maker. Looking at the Nokia 2.3, which is the succeeder of the Nokia 2.2, I see a device that has a sleek design, a big battery, stock android and some decent features, all for a very affordable price.
Let’s find out more about the Nokia 2.3 and see if it is a good budget phone.
The Design:
The Nokia 2.3 comes in a sleek body made of plastic with a diecast metal chassis. The phone sits nicely in the hand. The back of the device has a non-removable cover with a 3D nano-textured cover. The front has a 6.2-inch display with a notch camera. At the right side of the device, you get a volume rocker and power button while on the left side you get the Google Assistant Button and the shared sim and Micro SD card slot. All the buttons are nicely placed for one-handed operation. On the bottom of the device, you get a Micro USB Port and (speaker) while the top has a headphone jack!
The Nokia 2.3 comes in a choice of two colours: Cyan Green and Charcoal. The review unit was the green version and I think it looks great. Gren is my favourite colour though 😉
Processor/Ram:
The Nokia 2.3 runs a Quad-core 2.0 Processor with 2 GB of RAM. Apps open pretty quickly but I did find that this was a bit sluggish when trying to run a few apps at the same time. If you stick to one or two apps at a time, you should be fine.
Display:
The 6.2” HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio is crisp, has nice rich tones + colour and overall is nice to look at. It also can go pretty bright, which is great when the screen is being hit by the sun. There is a selfie notch at the top with thin bezels on the sides, giving a large amount of usable screen space. The touch screen is very responsive which makes operating the phone easy.
Camera:
The Nokia 2.3 comes with a 13 MP and 2 MP dual-sensor rear camera and a 5 MP front-facing camera.
The rear camera produces decent images, as long as there is adequate light. I did find at night, that the photos were a bit grainy. The dynamic range could do with some improvement as I found when it was bright, the camera struggled to show darker areas, which looked dull with not so much detail. Here are some sample images in the daytime and at night:
Even though there is no macro lens, I was able to get pretty close to objects, but you do need to keep the camera steady as you snap away and play with the focus.
The camera also comes with exclusive bokeh effects such as butterfly, heart or star-shaped blurred backgrounds and AI imaging to assist in capturing the best images. With the motion photo mode, you can capture images before and after you hit the shutter, to get the best shot!
Thanks to the dual rear camera, you get focus adjustment which lets you focus on the subject and blur the background.
Storage:
With 32 GB of internal storage and support of a MicroSD card up to 512GB, there should be enough space for photos, videos and music.
Software:
The Nokia 2.3 runs stock Android 10 which gives a really nice UI and overall look and feel. By Nokia sticking with stock Android, you also get 2 years of software upgrades and 3 years of monthly security updates.
Battery:
With a 4000 mAh non-removable battery, Nokia claims you can get a 2-day battery life from a single charge… and I just about got this. Even with lots of photos being taken, emails sent, some music listened to, I made it through nearly 2 days! The AI-assisted Adaptive Battery technology ensures that apps learn what you use most and then prioritized power for them to ensure that your battery lasts longer. The Nokia 2.3 is also 5V/1A compatible charger for a quicker charge.
Security:
To keep the device secure, the Nokia 2.3 has Biometric face recognition to allow you to quickly and securely unlock the device. There is also pattern and pin code as an option to unlock but no fingerprint unlock options, unfortunately.
What’s in the box:
- Nokia 2.3
- Quick start guide
- Safety booklet
- Charger
- Micro USB cable
- SIM tray tool
Price:
At R1999, the Nokia is really affordable. It is well priced in the market of entry-level phones.
Verdict:
The Nokia 2.3 may not be the quickest or best phone out there but for R1999, it surely is affordable. It is the perfect phone for those that just want a smartphone without paying an exorbitant amount for features they won’t use. I think where the Nokia 2.3 wins over other phones in the price range is its stock Android and the guarantee of 2 years of software upgrades.
