Nokia T20 Tablet review - Pad with LTE lasts forever
Possible competitors in comparison
Bewertung | Datum | Modell | Gewicht | Laufwerk | Groesse | Aufloesung | Preis ab |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.1 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2021 | Nokia T20 T610, Mali-G52 MP2 | 470 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 10.40" | 2000x1200 | |
| 82.9 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2021 | Realme Pad Helio G80, Mali-G52 MP2 | 440 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 10.40" | 2000x1200 | |
| 82.1 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2021 | Lenovo Tab P11 SD 662, Adreno 610 | 490 g | 128 GB UFS 2.0 Flash | 11.00" | 2000x1200 | |
| 80.3 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2021 | Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 MT8183, Mali-G72 MP3 | 465 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 10.10" | 1920x1200 |
Case and equipment - Metal and LTE
There's life in the old dog yet: While Samsung and Apple divided the tablet market among themselves, it became less and less interesting for other manufacturers due to the long lifespan of the devices. But in times of home offices, home schooling and video conferencing, tablets are experiencing an unexpected revival. Nokia is now also launching its first tablet in a long time, the T20.
The Nokia T20 has a metal case in blue for under 300 Euro (~$341). The chassis is well protected against dust and splash water according to IP52, but not completely waterproof. The tablet is stable, but can still be twisted and pressure on the screen is visible as image distortions in the liquid crystal. Overall, the T20 offers class-leading stability, but cannot stand out positively. The weight is also comparable with similarly priced tablets.
There is a WiFi and an LTE variant of the tablet and two storage options:
- Nokia T20 WiFi - 3 GB RAM / 32 GB mass storage: 209 Euros (~$238, only available from Nokia directly in the online store at the time of testing, but not in stock)
- Nokia T20 WiFi - 4 GB RAM / 64 GB mass storage: 239 Euro (~$272)
- Nokia T20 WiFi/LTE - 4 GB RAM / 64 GB mass storage: 269 Euro (~$306)
Audio can be output via a 3.5 mm port or Bluetooth 5.0.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Average of class Tablet (7.61 - 101.6, n=60, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501) | |
| Realme Pad (Angelbird V60) | |
| Nokia T20 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Software, communication and operation - Update promises and DRM problems
Nokia relies on quite pure Android 11 and promises 2 years of operating system and 3 years of security updates for its tablet. Corporate customers even get 4 years of updates as an option. However, this information is valid from the tablet's release and not from the time of purchase. Incomprehensible: The Nokia T20 only comes with a Widevine L3 certification, so it cannot play HD content on streaming portals.
Wi-Fi 5 is installed, but Nokia's tablet is a bit slower than comparable Android tablets. The speed is suitable for everyday use in our test with the reference router Netgear Nighthawk AX12, but you can get even more speed elsewhere.
There is no fingerprint sensor, but you can use facial recognition to unlock the tablet.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Realme Pad | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 | |
| Nokia T20 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Realme Pad | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 | |
| Nokia T20 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | |
Cameras - Few details and one LED flash
Nokia installs an 8-megapixel camera on the back and even provides an LED flash, which is not common for all tablets in this price range. The photos are OK as snapshots, but will not satisfy demanding photographers: The exposure strength is low, large areas look unclean and generally the image content is not really sharp in detail. In very low light in the lab, the outlines of the image content are just visible.
Videos can be recorded with 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, but the autofocus takes a long time to focus correctly and the colors look very dull.
There is a 5-megapixel lens at the front, which takes somewhat blurry selfies.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main camera PlantMain camera LandscapeMain camera Low Light
Display - Blue cast and good contrast
The display of Nokia's T20 corresponds to the class standard in terms of technology and resolution: It is an IPS display with 2000 x 1200 pixels. It cannot quite keep up with comparable devices in terms of brightness.
The color reproduction suffers from a heavy blue cast in the factory settings, but you can manually adjust the white balance in the settings. The low black value and the resulting decent contrast ratio are pleasing.
We noticed flickering at low brightness, but with such a high frequency that even very sensitive people should not notice it.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 389 cd/m²
Contrast: 1691:1 (Black: 0.23 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 8.07 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 7.9 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
90.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.063
| Nokia T20 IPS, 2000x1200, 10.4" | Realme Pad IPS, 2000x1200, 10.4" | Lenovo Tab P11 IPS, 2000x1200, 11" | Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 IPS LCD, 1920x1200, 10.1" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | -26% | 32% | 34% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 58 ? | 58 ? -0% | 48 ? 17% | 44 ? 24% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 44 ? | 40 ? 9% | 23.2 ? 47% | 24.8 ? 44% |
| PWM Frequency | 3846 ? | 532 ? -86% | ||
| Screen | -9% | -8% | -13% | |
| Brightness middle | 389 | 426 10% | 454 17% | 441 13% |
| Brightness | 368 | 429 17% | 422 15% | 366 -1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 84 | 93 11% | 83 -1% | 77 -8% |
| Black Level * | 0.23 | 0.47 -104% | 0.57 -148% | 0.6 -161% |
| Contrast | 1691 | 906 -46% | 796 -53% | 735 -57% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 8.07 | 6.29 22% | 5.1 37% | 4.1 49% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 13.81 | 10.97 21% | 8.4 39% | 8.7 37% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.9 | 8.3 -5% | 5.8 27% | 6.1 23% |
| Gamma | 2.063 107% | 2.03 108% | 1.96 112% | 2.2 100% |
| CCT | 8943 73% | 9057 72% | 7684 85% | 7575 86% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -18% /
-14% | 12% /
-0% | 11% /
-4% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 44 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 23 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 21 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 98 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 58 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 25 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 33 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 94 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 3846 Hz | ≤ 10 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 3846 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 3846 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8687 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Lame memory and good sound
With the Unisoc Tiger T610 Nokia's T20 has an unusual SoC, but it can still place itself on the class level in many benchmarks. Nokia's tablet does not break any speed records in everyday use, but it cuts a decent figure. However, the installed eMMC storage is now noticeably outdated and slow.
Even under prolonged load, the large casing can be cooled without any problems, so you do not feel any heating up.
Nokia's T20 only comes with stereo speakers, the realme Pad for example, provides even more powerful sound with four speakers. However, Nokia's T20 sounds quite clear and the trebles do not distort even at high volumes. Qualcomm's aptX HD for Bluetooth audio is on board, but the newer aptX adaptive code is not.
Nokia does not do things by halves concerning the battery and installs a massive battery with 8,200 mAh. Nokia's T20 lasted 17:23 hours in our WLAN test and left the competition behind. Thus, two days of use without charging should be possible without any problems. The tablet needs to be plugged in even less often when used sparingly.
However, you should allow for some time if it needs charging since only a 10-watt power supply is included and the tablet does not support fast charging. You can wait for 3 hours or longer until the tablet is full again.
| PCMark for Android - Work 3.0 (sort by value) | |
| Nokia T20 | |
| Realme Pad | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | |
| Average UNISOC T610 (7645 - 8504, n=2) | |
| Average of class Tablet (3195 - 20841, n=72, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia T20 | |
| Realme Pad | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | |
| Average UNISOC T610 (7.3 - 20, n=3) | |
| Average of class Tablet (3 - 120, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia T20 | |
| Realme Pad | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | |
| Average UNISOC T610 (7.8 - 11, n=3) | |
| Average of class Tablet (2.5 - 340, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia T20 | |
| Realme Pad | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | |
| Average UNISOC T610 (4.4 - 12, n=3) | |
| Average of class Tablet (1.9 - 106.4, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia T20 | |
| Realme Pad | |
| Lenovo Tab P11 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | |
| Average UNISOC T610 (2.7 - 3.7, n=3) | |
| Average of class Tablet (0.9 - 114.5, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Nokia T20 | Realme Pad | Lenovo Tab P11 | Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 | Average 64 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 213% | 244% | 85% | 72% | 537% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 159.3 | 309 94% | 506 218% | 272.5 71% | 274 ? 72% | 1053 ? 561% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 184.3 | 211.4 15% | 199 8% | 195.4 6% | 176.6 ? -4% | 696 ? 278% |
| Random Read 4KB | 16.3 | 111.6 585% | 118.2 625% | 71.6 339% | 59.4 ? 264% | 191.9 ? 1077% |
| Random Write 4KB | 58.2 | 150.2 158% | 129.6 123% | 13.74 -76% | 32.2 ? -45% | 192.6 ? 231% |
Temperature
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 32.2 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 33.7 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 21.9 °C / 71 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Speaker
Nokia T20 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.5% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 74% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 73% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 22% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.4% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 46% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 48% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 41% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 51% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Nokia T20 8200 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus 2021 6500 mAh | Realme Pad 7100 mAh | Lenovo Tab P11 7700 mAh | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | |||||
| WiFi Websurfing | 1043 | 893 -14% | 847 -19% | 957 -8% | 818 ? -22% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Not for streaming freaks
Nokia's T20 is the company's (re-)entry into the tablet market. The chic metal casing with IP52 certification and the large battery are the highlights, but the unusual SoC also performs well overall.
The speaker sound is acceptable, there is at least a few years of security with the update promise, and the tablet is even available with LTE on request.
However, some points might annoy potential buyers: There is no Widevine L1 certification, so streaming content, for example via Netflix, can only be viewed in 480p. In addition, there is the slow loading speed and the lame memory.
The buyer should also be aware that one cannot expect too much from a tablet camera in this price range. At least there is an LED flash on the back.
Nokia's T20 is a successful mid-range tablet, but it is only suitable for entertainment fans to a limited extent.
Thus, there are definitely reasons to look at the competition: You won't get longer runtimes anywhere. The Lenovo Tab P11 has 4 speakers with a powerful sound and fast WLAN. Amazon's Fire HD 10 Plus you have to live with the limited software. The realme Pad is an interesting newcomer, but it is not yet clear whether the LTE version will be available worldwide.
Price and availability
The Nokia T20 is available in all variants directly from the manufacturer. However, many Internet retailers now also offer the tablet with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage as well as WiFi or LTE. The prices have even dropped slightly at the time of testing.
For example, the tablet is available at our partners amazon.de, notebooksbilliger.de or Cyberport.
Nokia T20
- 11/22/2021 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt
Price comparison
