Nokia insists on the ultra low cost smartphone segment, improving on December’s attempt: up the performance for the new Nokia C01 Plus, not the price.
Ultra low cost smartphones are often looked at with distrust, but just as often we forget that having an ultra cheap smartphone can come in handy in certain circumstances. When you have problems with your main phone, for example, or if you need a smartphone to be used for heavy work, and do not need anything more than a smartphone that allows you to call and exchange some WhatsApp.
In short, ultra low cost smartphones like the new Nokia C01 Plus should not be snubbed a priori especially if it is a high-profile brand like Nokia that manages to offer an Android smartphone at a bargain price. To tell the truth, the subsidiary of HMD Global had already presented a smartphone with a price almost identical to this Nokia C01 Plus: we were preparing for Christmas 2020 when it became official Nokia C1 Plus, a product that compared to Nokia C01 Plus offers a little less on the technical side. So the challenge faced by Nokia in six months was to maintain the price despite the performance increase.
Technical characteristics of Nokia C01 Plus
Nokia C01 Plus has an IPS LCD display 5.45 inches diagonal – and will please those who like smartphones relatively small – in 18:9 format with HD resolution, low certainly but enough to get a good pixel density (295 ppi).
The heart of Nokia C01 Plus is an octa core CPU Unisoc SC9863A from 1.6 GHz maximum frequency, assisted by a GPU Mali-G52 MC2 and 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, expandable thanks to microSD support.
Don’t be scared by the small amount of RAM: Nokia C01 Plus integrates Android 11 Go Edition, a version of Google’s little robot developed specifically to make the most of limited hardware resources thanks to an interface very little demanding to “move”.
The cameras of Nokia C01 Plus are two, one on the front and a second on the back, both 5 megapixels with HDR, LED flash for both and the ability to record video at maximum 720p at 30 frames per second. The system speaker is mono but there is, however, the input for the 3.5mm audio jack.
Zero frills for a bargain price
Not even on the connectivity front has Nokia given in to the frills. Nokia C01 Plus doesn’t give up on the essentials though: 4G connectivity, Wi-Fi b/g/n with hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, A2DP, GPS, FM radio, sensors limited to accelerometer and proximity but you have to swallow the absence of NFC and USB-C, replaced by a microUSB input.
No fingerprint reader – too expensive for Nokia’s target audience – but the good old password unlock. Should be enough to cover the day – if not more – the lithium-ion battery of 3,000 mAh, which moreover is removable. Two colors provided for the body, which is made entirely of plastic: blue and purple. Dimensions of 148 x 71.8 x 9.3 mm and 157 grams of weight.
Straight, as mentioned, the price. Currently Nokia C01 Plus is offered in Russia for the equivalent of about 70 euros, but we still do not know if its marketing will be extended elsewhere.