You really have to hand it to Nokia. After being “the” phone company for years, the introduction of the iPhone really put the kibosh on its supremacy — despite the Lumia line. But after breaking away from Microsoft and Windows Mobile, Nokia is back in the game, releasing great phone after great phone for a variety of markets.
The Nokia X5 is Nokia’s budget handset with a glass body, dual-lens camera, and a notched display, and while it’s not going to be available outside of China as the X5, it’s expected that it will come to other markets as the Nokia 5.1 Plus. Here’s everything you need to know about the potentially strong budget handset, the Nokia X5.
Design and display
The Nokia X5 may be an entry into Nokia’s budget roster, but you’d be hard pressed to tell that just from looking at it. The X5 follows the design trends started by the iPhone X with a premium-feeling glass body on a plastic frame, and notched display. There’s a headphone jack at the top, and — surprisingly for a budget phone — it also includes a USB-C port at the bottom. You’ll find a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, underneath the dual-lens camera.
The display itself is a huge 5.9-inch IPS LCD running a 1,520 x 720-pixel resolution in a 19:9 aspect ratio. That’s really long, but expect the screen to not be the sharpest you’ve ever seen, due to the low 720p resolution.
Specs and battery
Key Specs
- CPU: Mediatek Helio P60 & octa-core processor
- Memory: 3/4GB
- Storage: 32/64GB
- MicroSD storage: Up to 256GB
- Screen size: 5.9 inches
- Resolution: 1,520 x 720
- Connectivity: GSM/CDMA/LTE
- Battery: 3,060mAh
- Size: 149.5 x 72 x 8.1 mm
- Weight: 160 grams (5.64 ounces)
- Operating system: Android 8.1 Oreo (as Android One)
As you might expect from a low-cost, budget handset, the Nokia X5 has some modest specs. It’s powered by a Mediatek Helio P60 chipset and octa-core processor, and equipped with either 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. While it’s unlikely to be the most powerful handset around, it should be capable of a decent level of performance, having similar specs to the Unihertz Atom.
The whole package is powered by a 3,060mAh battery that should provide at least a day of power when paired with the modest specs and the 720p resolution. Despite the glass body there’s no wireless charging, and no specific fast charging method either — but both of these are par for the course for cheaper handsets.
Software and special features
The Nokia X5 comes with the latest version of Android 8.1 Oreo, running as Google’s lightweight Android One OS. Android One ensures that Google can deliver updates directly to the device without having to go through Nokia — meaning the Nokia X5 should stay up to date with security patches as Google pushes them out. Android One also comes with a time-based update guarantee for users, too, and the Nokia 5.1 Plus will be supported with OS updates for two years, and security patches for three years — so you can be sure the Nokia 5.1 Plus will be kept up to date.
Camera
Happily for a budget phone, the Nokia X5 is coming with a decent suite of cameras. There’s a dual-lens camera system on the back of the phone, sporting a 13-megapixel and a depth-sensing 5-megapixel lens, with an f/2.0 aperture and PDAF capabilities. There’s a decent 8-megapixel selfie camera around the front, and it’s probably fair to expect Nokia’s fun “bothie” feature to return, which will allow users to take pictures using both the front and back cameras at once.
Release date and price
The Nokia X5 is currently up for pre-order in China for just 999 yuan (roughly $150) for the 32GB model and 1,399 yuan (roughly $210) for the 64GB model.The X5 is available in black, blue, and white.
While nothing has been announced, it’s currently expected that the Nokia X5 will be coming to other markets as the Nokia 5.1 Plus.
