Nokia unveils its Quasi Android Line up – The X Series
Nokia has been at the receiving end from the last decade for keeping Android at bay. In the recent times Nokia created flutters when it announced that for the first time it’s going to embrace Android. The Nokia X code named Normandy has been fueling the rumor mills for the past year. Nokia did the right thing by embracing Android and shaping it such that it becomes a hybrid between Windows and Android.
Nokia released numerous teasers including a treasure map with X mark hidden cleverly giving subtle signs. Stephen Elop unveiled the Nokia X series consisting of Nokia X, X+ and XL recently in the MWC. These devices have the Android core OS wrapped with a Nokia custom UI. Android in these devices are differentiated by the factor that they don’t have access to Google services which translates into no access to the Playstore. The Finnish giant is hell bent in optimizing the Nokia store to accommodate all the Android apps it’s also in talks with third party app markets. Let’s have a closer look at these -
1. Nokia X - It all started with this. Nokia earlier had plans to release Nokia X as a standalone device but envisaged to unveil an entire lineup instead of squeezing it into the Asha series. Nokia X is poised at the lower budget smartphone market which is currently dominated by the local brands. This device has a basic 3.15 MP and a 4inch touch screen. In my personal view Nokia has hit the bull’s eye with the Nokia X as there are no other devices in this price range that can match it. Nokia X has a 1GHz Dual core processor which surprisingly powers its elder Lumia siblings. Nokia X price in India is Rs 6000 which will definitely make a dent in the lower budget smartphone market.
2.Nokia X+ - It’s a grown up version of the Nokia X with similar looks and not much difference. It has a 756MB RAM as compared to the 512 MB in the X. It borrows the same 3 MP unit from the Nokia X and the screen is identical to the one in the X. Nokia X+ is a good choice for people who are little bit more intense in multitasking and need the RAM numbers high enough to set a tone of assurance.
3. Nokia XL – This is a device for people who are looking for a powerful phone. Nokia has bestowed XL with a bigger 5 inch screen and a 5MP camera with LED flash which is the same camera incorporated in the Asha 503. The phone is powered by the 1GHz processor and 786MB of RAM. Nokia XL has a 2MP secondary camera which makes the deal more sumptuous.
The Final Word
Nokia faced debacle in the early 2008 because they had wrongly charted out their plans and made it future phone centric instead of smartphone centric. This resulted in a big void in the lower budget price range which proved to be an instant opportunity for local brands like Micromax and Lava.It can be observed even today that the feature devices in the sub 8K price category are dominated by the local brands. Nokia is propelling the same strategy that took them down and further chiseled it perfectly to capture the budget smartphone market. It would be delightful to watch the Finnish giant top the sales chart with their X series. Buyers would definitely go for Nokia phones as compared to their Micromax and Lava competitors given the brand value and thin price difference the latter commands.
