Nokia 2.2 Full Review: The basic bang for your buck

The Nokia 2.2 prides itself with it being the first 2-series Nokia smartphone to be part of the Android One family. Unlike the regular Android OS, Android One is a pure version of Android outfitted for entry-level devices to keep prices down. It promises two years of OS upgrades and three years of monthly security updates.

User friendly

Coming pre-installed only with Google apps, the user interface is clean and easy to navigate. If you’re a fan of Google Assistant, the Nokia 2.2 has a dedicated Google Assistant button on its left side, this can be found in various other Nokia models as well. A click will bring up your assistant from any screen.

The only downside to it is that the button is directly across the power button, so that was a bit bothersome, especially if you meant to turn the screen off and get the Google Assistant instead. But don’t worry, you can easily turn off the assistant in the settings if you won’t be using it.

Expect only the essentials

My test unit was the 3 GB RAM/32 GB ROM version but a 2 GB RAM/16 GB ROM is also available, both expandable up to 400 GB via micro SD. The back is detachable plastic and has a micro SIM or SD slot and a nano SIM slot. It’s also got something a lot of high-end phones now don’t (which I love)—a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Inside is a MediaTek Helio A22 processor—not the speediest out there, but acceptable. It can perform basic tasks easily but don’t expect to execute demanding apps and processes quickly or lag-free here. So, while well aware that playing a demanding game like PUBG on this phone was only going frustrate me, that didn’t stop me from trying.

Surprisingly, it was able to keep up pretty well, albeit on the lowest settings. It didn’t lag significantly which is good on my book. Response could be better, but again, acceptable for a phone of its class. It did suck to have the controls freeze on you at a tense moment, but no crashing or anything majorly frustrating. No points lost for this, though.

Playing on the phone’s 5.71” HD+ edge-to-edge display was comfortable. It also has good brightness even under direct sunlight and responds accurately. Since its front camera is set in a dewdrop notch, it allows for a fuller display.

Sound-wise, it has back-firing speakers which have pros and cons: they are gamer-friendly (as your hand wouldn’t block the sound when playing in landscape mode) but when you just want to listen to music, placing the phone screen-side up would muffle the sound. Considering this phone isn’t exactly built for gaming, I would’ve preferred to have the usual bottom-firing speakers instead.

There is also no fingerprint scanner on the phone. It does have face unlock, though. However, I find it incredibly slow—you’d have to hold the phone up longer than you’d spend just doing the usual passcode unlock. Face unlock is already hit or miss at this point, so using it in low light is an obvious no.

Picture this

The Nokia 2.2 is fitted with a 13MP rear camera with a single LED flash and a 5MP front camera. The camera menu is very limited, there are no manual settings here, but it does have a panorama and time-lapse mode. It is also AI optimized in low light, meaning it reduces noise by taking multiple images and stitching them together. There is also a ‘beautify’ mode for poreless selfies, if you’re into that.

Overall, it takes decent pictures and videos but nothing glamorous. What particularly bothered me was the very visible lag in the screen during and while taking a photo. Fast moving subjects will give you blurred, noisy shots, as with low-light shots. Videos are the same, but are tolerable.

Test Shots:

Work and Play all day?

The phone has a 3,000mAh removable (practically unheard of these days, I know) battery. It can last all day if you only do basic things on it but you might want to bring a powerbank or charge out with you if you plan to stream or play.

Our Opinion:

In the world of entry-level devices, the Nokia 2.2 isn’t the cheapest option out there. It’s got the basics in place but that’s about it. You can go a little it lower or higher and give or take certain specs and features. Ultimately, it depends on what you need in a phone and what you’re content on settling down with.

Specs:

Display: 5.71” HD+,19:9 aspect ratio, 400 nits
SIM: Hybrid Dual (nano, dual sim) 
Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie, Android One
Processor: MediaTek Helio A22
GPU: PowerVR GE8320
Memory: 3GB RAM 
Storage: 32GB internal, expandable up to 400GB via microSD 
Cameras: Rear- 13MP, AF 1/3”, 1.12um, f/2.2, single led flash Front: 5MP
Connectivity & I/O ports: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ 2.4GHz; Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE, aptX; GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS; Micro USB, USB on-the-go
Security: Passcode, Face Unlock 
Other features: Dedicated Google Assistant Button  
Battery: 3,000mAh, removable  
Dimensions & weight: 145.96 x 70.56 x 9.3mm, 153g 
Price: P5,990