With a suggested retail price of 309 euros, the Nokia X10 is quite affordable and will receive software updates for three years. However, the question is whether you want to walk around with this device for that long. In our Nokia X10 review we explain why it is better to look further.
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This is our Nokia X10 review
The Nokia X10 is the cheaper brother of the Nokia X20. Both smartphones are very similar and especially have an excellent update policy. The X10 will receive monthly security patches and three new Android versions for three years. The device spins out of the box on Android 11 and will be updated to in the future Android 12, 13 at 14.
Many other phones in this price range can only dream of that. However, you have to put a lot of value on software updates to overlook the serious downsides. You can read all about it in our review of the Nokia X10.
Solid design
Given the generous update policy, Nokia wants the X10 to last a long time. We also notice this in the housing. Although it is made of plastic, it feels very sturdy. The camera island protrudes from the housing like a round hill. That looks neat and tidy.
There is a large bezel under the screen. Nokia even found space to put its old-fashioned logo on it. Because the X10 also has a large screen of 6.67 inches, it is a big boy. In comparison: at 168.94 millimeters, the smartphone is more than 8 millimeters longer than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. And that is certainly not a compact device.
You can hardly operate the Nokia X10 with one hand. Fortunately, the fingerprint scanner in the on-off button is quite low, so that you can easily reach it. The scanner works fine and fast. You only have to touch it for a moment and the device unlocks.
Blurred screen
We are much less pleased with the quality of the screen. The resolution is fine with 2400 by 1080 pixels, but the colors of the LCD panel are quite faded. Also the maximum brightness does not last.
In addition, the refresh rate is only 60Hz, which means that the images refresh 60 times per second. There are plenty of alternatives in this price range, such as the Little F3, who do that 90 or 120 times. That looks much smoother. In addition, they often have an OLED panel, which provides better contrast.
The biggest downside is the uniformity. On our copy, the corners are clearly darker than the rest of the screen. A gray haze is also visible around the selfie camera. That might have been acceptable a few years ago, but not anymore.
Carry hardware
The heart of the Nokia X10 is the Snapdragon 480. That is a modest processor that we often find in cheaper smartphones. Apps load reasonably smoothly, but if you multitask, the X10 stutters immediately despite 6GB of RAM. We would therefore not recommend the device if you like to game or if you are easily annoyed by hitches. During the test period, we noticed that even videos in the NPO app stutter a lot.
The Nokia X10 does have 5G, so you can use the fastest mobile network. Personally, we would have preferred a somewhat faster processor instead, but it is nice that 5G support is present. This makes the X10 completely ready for the future.
You can choose from variants with 64 or 128 GB of storage, which you can expand with a micro-SD memory card. In addition, there is a headphone jack, so you can use your wired headset.
Four lenses, only one usable camera
The Nokia X10 is also not a great choice for photographers. Actually, only the primary camera is interesting. It has a resolution of 48 megapixels, but normally spits out images of 12 megapixels. Merging pixels should improve quality. In daylight, this camera does indeed deliver good pictures. You shouldn’t print them in poster size, but photos look sharp on smaller screens.
That certainly does not apply to snapshots that you shoot with the 5-megapixel wide-angle lens. That resolution is simply too low, especially because there is a lot to see because of the large viewing angle. The photos resemble watercolor drawings and contain hardly any detail.
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Primary -
Ultragroothoek
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Primary -
Ultragroothoek
The Nokia X10 has a night mode, which you can only use with the primary camera. If you activate this mode, shadows are highlighted and colors are turned on more firmly. That can’t prevent photos you take in the dark from still having too much noise. Fortunately, the mode ensures that snapshots look a bit better.
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With night mode
With the 2 megapixel macro camera you can capture flowers or insects up close. Handy, but unfortunately these photos are not very impressive due to the low resolution. The fourth lens is a depth sensor. This helps the primary camera to shoot portraits with a nice blur in the background.
That can produce beautiful plates, but the sensor is also sometimes wrong. For example, in the photo on the right you see errors in the posts under the board.
Software: lots of updates
The big plus of the Nokia X10 is the software. The device runs on a bare version of Android 11 without bells and whistles. Many other manufacturers add all kinds of features that consumers usually do not want. Fortunately, Nokia does not do this and we are very happy about that.
As mentioned, Nokia’s update policy is also excellent. You can expect a security update every month for three years that keeps hackers out. In addition, the device is updated to Android 12, 13 and 14. That is very nice and in this price range smartphones often get updates for much less time. Nokia therefore deserves compliments in this area.
Large battery, no charger
The battery of the Nokia X10 has a capacity of 4470 mAh. That gave us a screen time of 6 hours and 15 minutes, spread over two full days. An excellent result. Even heavy users will always make it to the end of the day.
You can charge the smartphone with a maximum of 18 Watts, which is fairly fast. You have to take care of the charger yourself, because Nokia left it out of the box. As a saving grace, the manufacturer provides an (environmentally friendly manufactured) cover. We wouldn’t call it beautiful, but it is sturdy. In addition, Nokia already sticks a screen protector on the screen at the factory.
Conclusion Buy Nokia X10
What good is a smartphone that is supported for a long time, but is not pleasant to use? Very little in our opinion. The Nokia X10 is slow, has a very mediocre screen and disappointing cameras. The update policy may be excellent, but it cannot compensate for all those negatives.
Yet that long software support is the only reason to consider the Nokia X10. Do you do little with your smartphone and do you want a device that you can use safely for a long time? Then you are making a reasonable purchase with this X10. If you expect more from your phone, we advise you to look a little further.
Buy Nokia X10
Do you want to get the Nokia X10 after reading this review? The smartphone has a suggested retail price of 309 euros. In our price comparison you will find the best deal for a single Nokia X10. You can de Nokia X10 also in combination with a subscription purchase.
Find your best Nokia X10 deal
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