Nokia T21 Review: A Premium-looking Budget Android Tablet

Worth When Reviewed

Not accessible within the US

Nokia returned to the pill world in late 2021 with the discharge of the T20, a finances 10-inch pill with a classy design. Now, the corporate has adopted it up with a successor.  

The Nokia T21 carries over related appears to the T20, reviewed, however has had a couple of upgrades. Nonetheless, is it a better option than the Oppo Pad Air, the Amazon Fireplace HD 10 or Samsung Galaxy Tab A8? That’s what we’ll discover out on this evaluate.

Design & construct 

• Charcoal gray aluminium end
• IP52 score
• MicroSD slot for increasing storage

The Nokia T21 lives as much as the design commonplace set by its predecessor, with a slim construct and a premium-feeling aluminium physique. Nokia has traded the blue color for a extra understated charcoal gray shade.  

The pill is 7.5mm thick and weighs 471g, so it’s excellent for slipping within a bag and doesn’t really feel heavy within the hand. No case is included within the field, however Nokia does promote a variety of equipment to maintain it protected from knocks and bumps. It does include an IP52 score, so it’s protected towards mild mud and water spray.  

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

On the underside, there’s a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack within the right-hand nook. The facility button is positioned on the highest edge, and the quantity controls are on the right-hand facet, together with a detachable tray which might settle for each a SIM card (on LTE fashions) and a microSD card.

The pill doesn’t embrace a stylus or keyboard, and there are not any official Nokia variations of those for the T21. You need to nonetheless be capable to use third-party Bluetooth keyboards – and probably a stylus too. 

Display screen & audio system 

• 10.36in show
• 2K display screen with 5:3 facet ratio
• Stereo audio system with OZO software program

Nokia has as soon as once more opted for a ten.36in display screen in 5:3 facet ratio. Most tablets have a 4:3 display screen, so that is barely wider, however not ‘widescreen’ like a TV.

The 2K IPS show is protected by toughened glass, which has some scratch resistance. Being a finances system, it’s a 60Hz display screen which suggests no excessive or variable refresh charge. The height brightness is 360 nits, a downgrade from the earlier mannequin.

Objectively, that is sufficient for indoor use, however underneath vivid daylight it may be troublesome to see what’s on the display screen, not least as a result of the glass is so reflective, like most tablets.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Colors are respectable, and you’ll go for pure, boosted or adaptive relying in your choice. The standard is extra spectacular than what you’ll discover on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, which solely has a FHD panel.

The pill could be unlocked by way of a sample/passcode, or by way of face unlock. I discovered the latter labored persistently, even when sporting glasses. Sadly, there’s no fingerprint scanner, which is a safer possibility than face unlock, which merely makes use of the digital camera.

There are two audio system on both finish of the Nokia T21, together with OZO Spatial Audio software program. Playback is punchy and loud, however not fairly as spectacular as what you’ll find on extra premium tablets. Nonetheless, it’s advantageous for Netflix, podcasts and the odd little bit of music.  

Specs & efficiency 

• 4GB RAM
• 64GB or 128GB storage
• Unisoc T612 CPU

The T21 contains a Unisoc T612 CPU, a slight improve from the earlier mannequin. That is paired with 4GB RAM, and both 64GB or 128GB value of storage, however the microSD slot permits as much as an extra 512GB. It’s accessible each in Wi-Fi and LTE variations.  

Total, efficiency isn’t as laggy because the T20, however it’s nonetheless very a lot what you’d count on from a fundamental pill. It copes advantageous for streaming, taking notes, studying e-books and searching the net, however is typically sluggish to launch and swap between apps.  

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Nonetheless, there are tablets accessible for the same worth (or not much more) that carry out noticeably higher. In benchmarks, the T21 carried out higher than the Samsung Tab A8 and S6 Lite in Geekbench 5 – a CPU check – however fell in need of the scores set by the T10 in GFXBench graphics checks. That is considerably moot, although, as a result of neither pill is de facto highly effective sufficient for gaming – besides informal video games that don’t require a lot of 3D grunt.

This isn’t actually the gadget for gaming on, however the T21 was capable of run the likes of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp with minimal points. For any extra highly effective gaming or inventive software program, it’s value contemplating a extra high-end pill.  

Digital camera 

• 8Mp entrance digital camera
• 8Mp rear digital camera

Pill cameras aren’t normally as vital as they’re on smartphones. Nonetheless, Nokia has made an enchancment on the T21’s set-up in comparison with the earlier era.  

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The entrance selfie digital camera has been upgraded to 8Mp from 5Mp. Colors are barely higher, however textures are a bit tender or blurry, and indoor pictures look way more washed out than when there’s loads of mild accessible outside. Most individuals will use this digital camera for video calls, for which it’s completely advantageous. 

The rear 8Mp digital camera stays unchanged from the T20. And once more, in good mild you may get some satisfactory snaps on the T21. Nonetheless, colors could be on the insipid facet, and there’s a noticeable lack of sharpness to textures.

The digital camera is able to as much as 8X zoom, however as you’ll see on the check photographs, it isn’t value utilizing something previous 2X as a result of it turns photographs right into a blurry mess. Each cameras have auto-focus, and embrace portrait mode and filters for fundamental enhancing.

Battery life & charging 

• 8200mAh battery
• 18W charging supported, however no brick included

The Nokia T21 has a 8200mAh battery, which Nokia claims can last as long as three days. In fact, that isn’t underneath common utilization. On common, I used to be in a position to make use of this system to stream, browse social media and browse for round two days in between work.  

Three days utilization could be probably in case you had been utilizing the pill extra conservatively, making use of the battery-saving mode and having the brightness turned down low. In our battery check, the T21 managed a good 9 hours and 23 minutes.  

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The Nokia T21 helps 18W charging however doesn’t embrace a charger within the field, solely a USB-C cable. It is a dedication to the corporate’s effort to scale back waste within the packaging. Nonetheless, it is going to be irritating in case you don’t have a charger, and Nokia’s particular 18W one will set you again £19.99.  

Happily, I had an 18W charger handy and located the T21 went from flat to 14% in half-hour. Nokia’s personal charger could possibly do higher, however it’s finest to contemplate charging this pill in a single day. 

Software program 

• Android 12
• Can be utilized as a second display screen with Home windows units

One of many greatest benefits of going for a Nokia system is that its software program is basically pure Android, so there aren’t any main UI variations for Google customers.

All of the apps are laid out clearly, with hardly any bloatware like what you’d discover on rivals from the likes of Xiaomi. It additionally has a wider vary of apps than what the Amazon Fireplace HD 10 provides.

The pill has Android 12 out of the field. This isn’t the most recent Google OS, however Nokia has assured two OS updates and three years of month-to-month safety updates, so it is going to ultimately obtain Android 13.  

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

All the usual Google apps come pre-installed, and also you get each Google Leisure Area and Youngsters Area. The previous recommends movies from platforms you’re subscribed to, while the latter makes the Android expertise extra appropriate for youthful customers with instructional app ideas and customisable content material filters.

The T21 can be utilized as a second display screen with Home windows units, offering that they’re each linked to the identical Wi-Fi community. This characteristic is obtainable within the drop-down menu, after which you may solid your display screen to the T21 through the use of the Home windows and Okay keys in your laptop computer/PC.  

It offers the pill an edge on the subject of productiveness, and will show helpful for anybody who doesn’t have the area for a big second monitor of their dwelling workplace.  

Worth & availability 

You should purchase a Nokia T21 from £199 for the Wi-Fi model, and £239 for the LTE model.

On the time of writing, the pill wasn’t but accessible within the US market, but when it does go on sale, we count on it to be across the $250 mark.

You should purchase the pill with Nokia’s month-to-month Round subscription. This covers substitute components for the T21 whether it is broken or stolen, encouraging you to carry onto the system for longer. It additionally permits customers to earn credit which go in the direction of environmental causes.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Verdict 

The Nokia T21 takes every little thing we preferred concerning the T20 and improves on among the areas that we didn’t. It combines a premium-looking design with succesful efficiency for a finances purchase, and the battery life can be spectacular.  

The shortage of a charger within the field implies that speeds shall be sluggish for many customers, and the show isn’t as dazzling because the earlier era. Nonetheless, these are minor gripes for what’s an excellent inexpensive pill from Nokia.  

The issue – for Nokia – is that for roughly identical worth, the Oppo Pad Air provides higher efficiency and comes with a charger within the field, making it the higher purchase until you discover it’s costlier while you learn this.

For extra options, see our roundup of the most effective finances tablets, as nicely the most effective Android tablets and finest tablets total.  

Nokia T21: Specs 

• OS: Android 12 
• Processor: Unisoc T612 octa-core processor 
• Reminiscence: 4GB 
• Storage: 64GB/128GB + microSD as much as 512GB 
• Cameras: 8Mp rear, 8Mp entrance 
• Ports: USB-C, 3.5mm Headphone Jack, SIM, MicroSD
• Accelerometer 
• GPS 
• Ambient mild sensor 
• Corridor sensor
• Twin-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, 4G (on LTE fashions)
• Stereo audio system with twin microphones 
• 8200mAh battery, 18W charging supported 
• Dimensions: 157.3 x 247.5 x 7.5 mm 
• Weight: 471g 
• IP52 score 
• Charcoal Gray end 
• 10.36in 2K IPS show