HMD Global has officially launched their newest entry-level smartphones in the Philippines, the Nokia 2.1 and Nokia 3.1. Available in the market starting August 29, 2018, both smartphones aims to bolster Nokia’s presence in the budget market.
Nokia 3.1
Despite its budget nature, the Nokia 3.1 touts an anodized machined metal frame and sculpted glass to deliver better looks and build quality to its users. The smartphones also comes with an updated 18:9 5.2-inch screen with a damage resistant 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Inside the Nokia 3.1 is a MediaTek 6750 SoC with up to 3GB of RAM running on vanilla Android 8.0. The smartphone is also part of Google’s Android One program that ensures that it will have security and feature updates for at least three years. Powering the Nokia 3.1 is a 2990mAh battery that promises a standby time of up to 30 days and a talk time of up to 18 hours.
On the imaging front, the Nokia 3.1 has a 13MP f/2.0 rear camera with LED flash while selfies are taken with an 8MP f/2.0 camera with an 84.6 FOV. Photos and other files are stored in 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via the microSD slot.
Nokia 2.1
Another new budget smartphone from Nokia, the Nokia 2.1 is for those who like their smartphones to be no-nonsense and to last more than day. Inside the smartphone is a 4,000mAh battery powering a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 with 1GB of RAM.
In order for the battery to last even longer, the Nokia 2.1 runs on Android Go, which is essentially an optimized version of Android for lower-end smartphones. This means that the smartphone runs more efficiently with what little it has compared to if it had a full-blown Android distro.
The display on the Nokia 2.1 is a more traditional 16:9 5.5-inch 720p display with 2D cover glass for protection. Cinema experience has also been improved on the Nokia 2.1 with the smartphone having dual speakers at the front of the smartphone to provide stronger stereo sound.
As for its cameras, the Nokia 2.1 has an 8MP rear shooter with LED flash while selfies are taken with a 5MP fixed focus selfie camera at the front.
If you want to store your content offline, the Nokia 2.1 has 8GB of internal storage, however, the packaging will have a free 16GB microSD card for further storage expansion. Of course, users can also use their own microSD cards if they desire.
| Nokia 2.1 | Nokia 3.1 | |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 | MediaTek 6750 |
| Screen | 5.5-inch, 16:9, 2D Cover Glass | 5.2-inch, 18:9, 2.5D Cover Glass, Corning Gorilla Glass |
| RAM | 1GB | 3GB |
| OS | Android Go | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Rear Camera | 8MP, LED Flash | 13MP f/2.0, AF, LED Flash |
| Front Camera | 5MP fixed focus | 8MP f/2.0, 84.6 FOV |
| Storage | 8GB expandable up to 128GB via microSD slot | 32GB expandable via microSD slot |
| Network | 4G, LTE Cat. 4, Dual-SIM | 4G, LTE Cat. 4, Dual-SIM |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth, MicroUSB | WiFi, Bluetooth, MicroUSB |
| Others | Dual Speakers with Stereo Sound, 3.5mm audio jack | OTG, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Battery | 4,000mAh | 2,990mAh |
| Colors | Blue, Copper, Silver | Blue, Copper Black, Chrome White, Iron |
The Nokia 3.1 and the Nokia 2.1 will be available in stores on August 29, 2018 for PhP 9,990 and PhP 5,990, respectively. The Nokia 3.1, however, is already up for pre-order via Abenson, Argomall, MemoXpress, and on Lazada.
Those who will order either the Nokia 3.1 or Nokia 2.1 in any authorized Nokia reseller including MemoXpress, Argomall, and Lazada can also get a free Kingston 16GB SD card to expand their storage as needed.
