Nokia XL Unboxing and Initial Review: Better Than the X But Still Kinda Weird

Nokia XL in the Flesh!

Nokia’s first foray in the Android space was with the highly Windows customized (but Android powered) Nokia X. While it was priced quite low, it still raised a few eyebrows due to the mediocre specifications and the somewhat sluggish performance. It was definitely a step in the right direction but after the review we really hoped that the next models would be much better.

Fast forward to today we have with us at the Unbox HQ the Nokia XL, the big brother of the Nokia X! The device features a bigger 5.0-inch display with almost the same internals. We’re going to put this through the paces in the next few days but for now we’d like to share with you guys our initial review and unboxing.

For starters here’s the complete specifications sheet.

Nokia XL Spec Sheet

1Ghz 8225 Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor
768MB RAM
4GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB
5 – inch capacitive LCD display, 800 x 480 pixels
5-megapixel auto focus camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera
3G, HSPA
Dual- SIM
WiFi, Bluetooth
2000mAh battery
Php 8,990

New Packaging for the X Series

Say goodbye to the tried and tested blue hard boxes that Nokia has used for almost all of their Lumia series. Just like the Nokia X, the Nokia XL comes in a white carton box (a bit softer, feels less premium) but that’s acceptable since this is supposed to be an entry-mid level offering.

We slipped the sleeve off the box and popped it open. We were immediately greeted by the Nokia XL. First thing that came to mind? Well it definitely looked like a Lumia device. The monocolor polycarbonate shell was a dead giveaway and brought back memories of all the Lumia phones we reviewed in the past.

The smartphone was wrapped in a plastic with printed icons of the major apps available and pre-installed in the device. Other than the phone we also found the usual charger, USB cable, earphones, and manuals inside the box.

Initial Impressions on Hardware and Software

Like what we mentioned earlier, the hardware and build of the Nokia XL is very similar to what we’ve seen with Nokia’s Lumia offerings. Just like the 1020 and the 920, the solid rectangular mono-color shaped block of polycarbonate of the Nokia XL is very reassuring when held in the hand.

It’s still minimalist with only the essentials found along the sides like the earphone jack, volume rocker, sleep wake button, and the micro USB port. At the back we have the speakers and the removable back plate. The 5MP shooter with LED flash is also located at the back near the top of the phone.

The 5.0-inch display was bright but the resolution definitely needed improvement. 800 x 480 pixels on a 5.0-inch LCD display just can’t cut it especially with the high quality screens being shipped in even more affordable phones (mostly local brands). At Php8,990 we should be getting at least qHD for a 5.0-incher. Some would even argue it should be at least HD.

Let's turn this bad boy on! — Let’s turn this bad boy on!

For the software we get the custom Android ROM of Nokia which is basically like Android trying to be a Windows Phone. It feels more like a Windows Phone than an Android especially with the user interface and how you can’t customize it as much (which is the hallmark of Android devices). The good thing is that we have a bunch of pre-installed apps on the device from the Google Play Store. If you wanna get more though that’s not in the Nokia store you’ll have to sideload them via your PC.

This brings us to our main pain point with the Nokia X series — it’s watered down version of both Android and Windows Phone. We would actually recommend a real Lumia device with Windows running on it because that offers more value because the over-all user interface is cleaner and smoother compared to what we have here.

As far as initial impressions go with the XL, we feel that if Nokia wants to go into Android they should jump into it 100% and embrace all the things that the platform offers and not make it restrictive and limiting. That would make so much more sense and they’d sell much more.