Nokia XR21
Specifications
Secondary Camera: 16 MPix (OC16A1Q, fixfocus, f/2.5)
Price comparison
Average of 9 scores (from 11 reviews)
Reviews for the Nokia XR21
The Nokia XR21 aims to be a smartphone that emphasizes sustainability and a long battery life. Not only is it water, dust, and shock proof, but it is also provided with updates for a long time and even gets an expanded warranty. Find out in our test, whether the XR21 keeps its promises. Update: Android 13 rollout is now in full swing.
Source: Tech Advisor
It doesn’t have the performance to compete with other mid-range phones, and the screen, cameras and systems leave plenty to be desired. But that’s the price you pay for an extra-tough mobile that’s still comfortable to use. Battery life is another key strength.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/13/2024
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Techradar
Where the majority of rugged phone designs are hefty items that would constitute a blunt instrument if referenced in an assault case, the Nokia XR21 has taken an entirely less bludgeoning approach. What customers get with the XR21 is a large but modestly weighted phone that has the rugged specification that enables it to cope with being dropped, used in the rain and in generally inhospitable environments. We’ve seen the same approach previously from Lenovo with its Motorola-made ThinkPhone concept, and the XR21 bears an uncanny resemblance to that design. That’s not to say that the Snapdragon 695 5G is weak, but it is not the fastest SoC made by Qualcomm. Disappointingly, the XR21 storage can’t be augmented because the SIM tray has no MicroSD card option. That’s annoying, and the camera, while workable, isn’t at the level we’d expect at this price point. Overall, this design ticks all the rugged boxes nicely and is a practical phone to use as a daily driver, but it has more of a challenge justifying its price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/18/2024
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 60% performance: 60% features: 80% workmanship: 80%
Source: Ausdroid
My honest feeling after almost a month with this in my pocket and on my desk is that it’s a good buy. While a few bits of polish are missing compared to more expensive and generational devices like the Pixel, iPhone and Find X range, nothing is missing that is critical to the functionality, and you save quite a bit of money. Like many devices in the current age, you won’t get a power brick in the box. So, if you want one or need another one around your home or workplace, make sure you grab one at a retailer near you. The Nokia XR21 lives up to the moniker of rugged without the bulk and typical aesthetic of a rugged device. It’s higher rated than your typical consumer device (IP68/IP69K) and has some, but not massive, sacrifice in daily functionality. So that brings me to the conclusion of whether or not I would buy one.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/01/2023
Source: OI Spice Tech News
The Nokia XR21 doesn’t have any exceptional features that give a fit to appear in the flagship killer price point. It only got high-grade protection with an IP rating, which makes this phone stand out from the rest of the options. But, logically thinking, it’s just another mid-range phone except for one great feature. Overall, the phone is a pretty mediocre choice. To give you an example, a properly rugged phone got better-built quality, higher battery capacity, and s sturdy body covered with elastic material. From this instance, the Ulefone Power Armor 18T is a perfect sample of the armored smartphone. But at the same time, the Nokia XR21 is neither a decent rugged phone nor a proper flagship killer device. We won’t recommend you purchase this phone right now. Wait till, the price drops to a certain extent.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/25/2023
Foreign Reviews
Source: Tech Stage DE→EN
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/24/2023
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Computerbild DE→EN
Positive: Beautiful display; great cameras; powerful hardware. Negative: Relatively high price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/02/2023
Source: Charles Tech FR→EN
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 02/07/2024
Rating: Total score: 78% price: 80% performance: 80% display: 70% mobility: 80%
Source: DGL.ru RU→EN
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 05/27/2024
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: M3 PC för alla SV→EN
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 05/07/2024
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: Arena IT →EN
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/24/2023
Rating: Total score: 72% price: 80% performance: 80% features: 50% mobility: 90% workmanship: 80%
Comment
Qualcomm Adreno 619: Integrated (in the Snapdragon 750G) graphics card based on the Adreno 600 architecture. The performance is a lot better than the old Adreno 612.
Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
SD 695 5G: Fast mid-range ARM SoC with 8 CPU Kryo 660 cores (two fast 2.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A78 based cores in a cluster and six power saving ARM Cortex-A55 based cores at 1.7 GHz) and a lower mid range Adreno 619 GPU. Supports only Wi-Fi 5 and is manufactured in the 6 nm.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
6.49":
It is a small display format for smartphones. You shouldn't be severely defective in vision, and you won't see much detail on the screen and only have a small resolution available. For that, the device should be small and handy, easy to transport.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Nokia: Nokia is a Finnish company founded in 1865 and headquartered in Finland. The company is known for its telecommunications equipment and cell phones. Nokia was one of the leading manufacturers of cell phones in the 1990s and has expanded its business into networking and technology solutions in recent years.
In 2011, Nokia partnered with Microsoft on Windows-based cell phones and sold the entire cell phone division to Microsoft in 2014, which limited the Nokia brand name to basic cell phones. In 2016, Finnish electronics manufacturer HMD Global entered into a licensing agreement with Nokia, bought the remaining Nokia name rights from Microsoft Mobile, and since 2017 has exclusively offered Nokia cell phones worldwide, which are based on Android, among other things, and are produced by Foxconn.
70.81%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.