Nokia 2.2

The Nokia 2.2 was launched in June 2019. It features a 5.71-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio. A quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 processor clocked at 2GHz powers the phone. It runs on stock Android (v9.0 (Pie). 

The phone offers 2GB RAM along with 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 400GB via microSD card. It uses a 3000mAh battery. As for the cameras, the Nokia 2.2 features a 13MP camera (f/2.2 aperture) at the back and a 5MP front camera. It has dual-SIM support. There are sensors on the phone, including Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, and Proximity Sensor. It also supports Face Unlock.

There are two colour variants for the Nokia 2.2 – Steel and Tungsten Black colours. In India, it costs Rs. Rs. 6,999.

The Nokia 2.2 features a polycarbonate body with a glossy finish. In terms of look and feel, the phone feels like an entry-level budget player with a very simple design. Although the build quality is excellent, the glossy back panel is a fingerprint and smudge magnet. Being a budget phone, the Nokia 2.2 has only one modest rear camera with an LED flash. Though there’s no fingerprint sensor on the back panel, Nokia has compensated for it with a biometric Face Unlock feature that, according to HMD Global, has a ‘liveliness detection’ feature. This feature prevents the phone from being unlocked via photos or printout.

The top portion of the frame holds a 3.5mm headphone jack. Too bad that you don’t get a secondary microphone. On the left, you get a dedicated Google Assistant key that can trigger up the virtual assistant by default even when the screen is turned off. The right side houses the power and volume buttons. In the lower portion of the right side, there’s a tint tab that allows you to open the removable back panel. At the bottom lies the primary microphone and a micro USB port. 

Unlike the Nokia 2.1, the front display of the Nokia 2.2 has minimalist bezels. While the top portion has a drop notch, there’s a small chin at the bottom. 

As we mentioned earlier, the Nokia 2.2 has a 5.7-inch HD+ with a screen resolution of 720×1520 display with a pixel density of 295 PPI. Though the screen seems similar to that of the Nokia 4.2, you can tell the quality difference between the two. The display bears a maximum brightness of 400 nits. While the colours do look bright and vivid, they border on the slightly darker side. The brightness and contrast levels are perfect for indoor viewing. However, under sunlight, you will face problems in viewing the display content even at maximum brightness. Due to the low-res and pixel density, there’s a visible pixelation while playing games or watching videos. The good thing is that owing to Android 9’s native support for notch-display, bundled apps like YouTube play smoothly even with the little projection on top. Just like the back panel, the screen is also super glossy. 

The Nokia 2.2’s is equipped with a quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 SoC that’s slightly faster than the Snapdragon 425 chipset that was seen in the Nokia 2.1. Plus, now you get 2GB/3GB RAM instead of 1GB. The internal storage options are 16GB or 32GB, depending upon the RAM option. Another major upgrade is that the Nokia 2.2 gets Android One from Android Go, which means the stock Android experience all the way through!

Coming to the phone performance, the Helio A22 delivers mediocre performance – neither too slow nor very fast. While performing routine tasks on the phone is smooth for the most part, you might notice some sluggishness from time to time, thanks to the limited 2GB RAM. Also, it takes time for apps to load, and multitasking isn’t exactly a seamless experience. As for gaming, it is safe to say that Nokia 2.2 isn’t the phone for it. 

Android One is the saving grace of the Nokia 2.2. You get a full array of stock Android Pie features including Pie navigation gestures, Adaptive Display, Adaptive Battery, and Digital Wellbeing, among other things. Needless to say, there’s also the assurance that you will get a minimum of two major software updates along with three years of monthly security patches. The stock Android experience is all about a neat and clean interface, free from any bloatware. 

Turning to the back, you can see a 13MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.2. An LED flash accompanies it. The camera app comes with features like Autofocus, HDR, Time Lapse, Panorama, Low-light Enhancement, Beautification, and Google Lens. There’s no Portrait mode. Surprisingly enough, in the Nokia 2.2, HMD Global has incorporated AI-powered low-light photography. Apparently, this feature is supposed to kick in automatically in low-light conditions. However, in a real-world scenario, this hardly seems to work. Low-light shots depict a lot of noise and end up looking blurry. Even in daylight, the captures images look washed out and lacking in detail. 

As for the front camera, you cannot expect much from the 5MP camera. Selfies taken in favourable light conditions appear sharp, though the colour reproduction could have been better. And low-light photography is the same as the rear camera – photos look washed out, grainy, and lacking in detail. 

The Nokia 2.2 comes with a 3000mAh removable battery rather unique. Having a removable battery is excellent since you get the option to change the battery if it wears out. Given the low-res display and the power-efficient chipset, the 3000mAh battery seems good enough for the Nokia 2.2. Like we already said earlier, the phone isn’t a gaming phone, so all you can do is use it for everyday routine tasks like calling, messaging, social media browsing, video streaming, etc. You get a 5W charger bundled in the box, and it takes about 3 hours for the phone to get fully-charged from 0 to 100%. 

Connectivity options in the phone include – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.2, micro USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack, FM Radio, dual-SIM, GPS with A-GPS and Glonass, and 2G/3G/4G support.

To conclude, Nokia 2.2 is a budget device with nothing much to boast about. The biggest attraction of the phone is that it promises to deliver a stock Android experience, which means a clutter-free interface. It is one of the most affordable Android One phones in the market. While the poor camera and display quality might be a deal breaker, the phone does have stellar battery life. So, in case you are on a tight budget, the Nokia 2.2 is just the phone for you!