Nokia XR20 preview – Rugged, Drop-Resistant Mid-Ranger

When Nokia outlined their three-tiered smartphone startegy a number of months in the past, we had been promised some experimental or wild designs of their X-line of merchandise. Nokia XR20 is the primary that really lives as much as that intention. A delightfully overengineered robust smartphone that in testing has taken a blast from the left foot of Roberto Carlos (sure, that left foot) and been juggled by freestyle world champion Lisa Zimouche. You need to give credit score to their advertising and marketing staff on this one.

Drier Information About Sturdiness

Together with surviving being punted by one of many lovely sport’s legends, Nokia are calling their XR20 “probably the most sturdy smartphone” that the Finnish firm has ever made. In truth, they provide a one-year display screen guarantee to place their cash the place their mouths are.

The show’s hardiness comes from its Gorilla Glass Victus display screen. Drop-rated for 2 metres (6.5ft) on to strong concrete and twice as scratch resistant as their very own subsequent hardest glass, Victus is sort of a step ahead by way of supplies know-how.

Nokia XR20 can also be IP68-rated and can survive for an hour beneath 1.5 metres of water. The system conforms to the MIL-STD-810H spec.

And the sense of safety isn’t simply case-deep. Nokia XR20 comes with 4 years of Android safety updates – an additional yr on their class-leading three yr years of updates. Nokia XR20 additionally comes with three years of OS upgrades.

In line with Nokia’s personal analysis, 42% of their customers selected their units on the promise of their smartphone lasting three years. Sturdiness is what the model is understood for – why not provide one thing to those that require one thing extraordinarily robust.

Those that work or play outside need one thing that may survive their world of tough and tumble. These in enterprise need a system that may final, each bodily and by way of digital safety.

Taking it Mainstream

Ruggedised units are likely to price a premium. Equally, units with longer-term software program assist often come at a value. Nokia XR20 is keenly priced at €499 making it a distinctly mid-range system.

XR20 runs on the Snapdragon SD480 platfrom. Whereas there are higher chipsets accessible in units at and even under 5 hundred quid, none will survive a drop in your rest room flooring.

It may be simple to miss different elements of a telephone’s design in an period when uncooked energy comparisons for each system are available. Peace of thoughts simply isn’t as simple to elucidate to folks.

Or as Dave Mustaine as soon as stated ‘Peace (of thoughts) sells… however Who’s Shopping for?’.

Fortunately, Nokia XR20 stands out as a gorgeous system. It solely barely chunky at 10.8mm thick and each colors characteristic a wonderful pinstripe that solely leaps out when the rear catches the sunshine. This shy indirect pinstripe is a present Nokia styling that I recognize not simply because it’s visually arresting however as a result of it’s not an imitation of costlier units.

There’s a fetching ‘X’ design housing the 2 digicam lenses and the twin flash LEDs. The double LED association is a pleasant contact for these taking work photographs beneath darkish circumstances.

One other neat productiveness element is the extra-loud speaker (96db) so customers can hear their telephone ring on a busy constructing website or take a name hands-free outside.

Specs

Nokia XR20 hits cabinets in August 2021 at an RRP of round €499. For extra info, together with data on Nokia’s one-year free display screen alternative, click on right here… For a evaluate, come again to us in a number of weeks 🙂