At a look
Skilled’s Ranking
Professionals
- Fashionable, strong design
- Spectacular digicam efficiency
- Attractive show
- Three-year guarantee
Cons
- Efficiency is missing for the value
- No true stand-out characteristic in comparison with the competitors
Our Verdict
The Nokia X30 represents a change in path, with a extra fashionable design, massively improved specs and a lift to digicam efficiency regardless of no Leica partnership. It doesn’t do something terribly higher than different good mid-rangers, however for the primary time in ages Nokia has an opportunity of competing.
Worth When Reviewed
Unavailable within the US
The Nokia X30 5G is a direct improve to final 12 months’s Nokia X20, and it’s clear there was a shift in path for producer HMD not solely by way of general design however efficiency too. This 12 months’s mannequin boasts a greater show, a faster processor, sooner charging and though a downgrade on paper, there’s a lift to digicam efficiency too.
In comparison with the Nokia X20 that we discovered arduous to advocate to anyone however probably the most die-hard Nokia followers, huge adjustments are on supply.
The catch? It’s now £100/€100 dearer with a £399/€499 price ticket, placing it up towards huge hitters within the mid-range house just like the Google Pixel 6a, Nothing Telephone (1), and OnePlus Nord 2T. The query is, does the Nokia X30 5G do sufficient to problem these telephones? The reply would possibly shock you.
Design & construct
- Overhauled design language
- Thinner and lighter than the X20
- Comprised of recycled supplies
It’s clear that the Nokia X30 5G represents a reboot for Nokia’s top-end mid-range line, and that’s most evident from the refreshed design. Gone is the large, cumbersome, simplistic (learn: uninteresting) X20 design, changed by one thing that’s extra slender, compact and all-around extra premium.
The Nokia X30 is a smaller smartphone than its 6.7in predecessor in virtually each manner. It sports activities a barely smaller 6.43in show and a a lot thinner physique that measures in at a svelte 8mm, a 1.1mm discount, and it’s a whopping 35g lighter at 185g. The 2 telephones couldn’t be extra completely different, representing a critical change in Nokia’s design philosophy that makes for a a lot nicer in-hand really feel.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Extra typically, the smartphone boasts a mix of an aluminium body and a plastic rear, with chamfered edges that make the telephone appear and feel extra premium. It’s obtainable in two finishes – Cloudy Blue and Ice White – with the latter photographed for this evaluation.
Some would possibly scoff on the inclusion of plastic but it surely’s pretty commonplace on the mid-range worth level, and whereas it may possibly nonetheless get scratched, it received’t shatter like glass will when dropped. It doesn’t really feel low-cost both, due to the frosted glass end that additionally helps to cover fingerprints.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
The rear digicam housing has additionally been utterly redesigned. Gone is the massive centrally positioned round cut-out, changed by a way more compact, stylised rectangular digicam housing on the top-left with matching chamfered edges and a vertical dip serving to elevate the general design. It truly is a a lot cleaner, extra premium-looking rear than its predecessor.
It’s not simply fashionable both, with Nokia utilizing 100% recycled supplies for the aluminium body and 65% recycled plastic for its rear cowl – one thing I whole-heartedly welcome at a time when customers have gotten extra environmentally acutely aware.
Show & audio
- OLED show is a big bounce ahead
- Easy 90Hz refresh fee
- Nokia eliminated the three.5mm audio jack
As alluded to, the Nokia X30 5G has a barely smaller show than its predecessor, however that’s not a nasty factor in my e book. At 6.43in, the X30 feels snug to make use of in on a regular basis use whereas nonetheless remaining fairly pocketable, one thing that may’t be mentioned for a lot of 6.7in options.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
It’s not fairly in small telephone territory – these searching for a compact Android telephone ought to have a look at the 5.9in Asus Zenfone 9 – but it surely strikes a steadiness between portability and nonetheless providing a good expertise when watching TikToks, YouTube movies and the like.
Apart from, the trade-off for a smaller show is each improved show tech and a boosted refresh fee – two options I fortunately take over a barely bigger show.
The AMOLED show is an enormous enchancment on the outdated IPS LCD show, with way more vivid colors, deeper blacks and higher dynamic vary, although it’s not formally a HDR show, whereas the boosted 90Hz refresh fee is an enormous deal for making animations and scrolling really feel smoother and extra responsive. Some might lament the dearth of 120Hz, however I’d argue that the bounce from 60- to 90Hz is way more noticeable and vital.
It’s additionally greater than vibrant sufficient to be used in direct daylight, with a claimed most 750nits, although we may solely attain a most of 454nits in assessments.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
HMD additionally moved the fingerprint reader to beneath the show, which supplied only a few false readings throughout my time with the telephone.
The audio expertise, then again, is missing.
There’s a mono speaker on the smartphone that received’t do a lot to blow your thoughts, providing no sort of stereo output, and the removing of the three.5mm headphone jack can even disappoint these but to make the bounce to wi-fi earbuds. Contemplating its removing, it will’ve been good for HMD to improve to a dual-speaker system to compensate.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Options & efficiency
- Improved efficiency in comparison with Nokia X20
- Nonetheless lagging behind equally priced telephones
- First rate on a regular basis efficiency
The Nokia X30 5G provides an enormous step ahead in efficiency in comparison with final 12 months’s X20 which featured the budget-focused Snapdragon 480. This 12 months, it has had a significant improve to the Snapdragon 695, full with both 6- or 8GB of RAM and both 128GB or 256GB of storage relying on the variant you go for.
That’s the excellent news. The unhealthy information is that, for the £399 asking worth, there are many extra highly effective choices on the market, and a few are even cheaper than Nokia’s newest smartphone.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
The MediaTek Dimensity 1300 inside the OnePlus Nord 2T boasts noticeable beneficial properties over the Snapdragon 695, and the telephones that do supply the Snapdragon 695 – just like the Motorola Edge 30 Neo and Poco X4 Professional 5G – can be found for as a lot as £140 lower than Nokia’s possibility.
That’s largely mirrored in our benchmarks. Although it’s an enormous increase in comparison with the Nokia X20, the X30 struggles to maintain up with the equally priced competitors, and the telephones it falls consistent with price a lot lower than the asking worth.
That’s all numbers and assessments although; in on a regular basis use, the Nokia X20 5G feels speedy and responsive with nary a stutter when scrolling via Fb, replying to WhatsApps or watching TikToks. That’s little question partially due to the boosted 90Hz refresh fee obtainable this 12 months that helps clean out the animations and scrolling in media-heavy apps, making all the things really feel extra fluid.
I seen that there may be an occasional wait when initially opening the Digital camera app, however this solely occurs each every now and then, making me ponder whether it’s extra software program than {hardware} that’s at fault. If it’s the previous, I’d anticipate a repair to roll out within the close to future.
On the subject of gaming, you shouldn’t anticipate to run AAA titles like Genshin Impression or Name of Responsibility Cell on the most graphical settings, however in the event you drop the standard down, it’s nonetheless potential to recreation on the telephone, and it doesn’t get too heat over lengthy durations of use. It’s not fairly a gaming telephone for die-hard avid gamers that need 60fps+, however in the event you play the occasional little bit of Sweet Crush, it’s completely high-quality.
Different standout options of the telephone embody 5G connectivity alongside Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, in addition to NFC for cellular funds. There’s additionally eSIM assist for these seeking to ditch the bodily SIM card.
Cameras & pictures
- Enormous leap ahead in digicam high quality regardless of no Leica partnership
- 50Mp is succesful each in well- and low-lit situations
- Ditches ineffective low-res cameras for a good 13Mp ultrawide
On paper, it looks as if the Nokia X30 has had a downgrade within the digicam division. It not boasts the Leica branding following the top of Nokia’s relationship with the digicam producer, and with a major 50Mp snapper, it’s 14Mp fewer than the X20. Nevertheless, in actuality, it couldn’t be farther from the reality.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Regardless of assumptions that increased megapixel counts imply increased high quality (which everyone knows is a lie), the 50Mp snapper of the Nokia X30 far outpaces that of its predecessor in virtually each division. Pictures are typically well-lit with an aperture of f/1.9 letting in loads of mild, colors are pretty correct, and the element is spectacular for a smartphone at this worth. That efficiency is constant too, in contrast to the X20 the place you’d should take just a few snaps to seek out the ‘one’.
It’s within the low-light division that the X30 sees actual beneficial properties, and that’s a little bit of a shock contemplating most mid-range smartphones are a bit naff on the subject of low-light pictures. Nokia credit its Night time Mode 2.0 tech for a lot of the developments, although the broader aperture can’t harm both. Both manner, night-time photographs taken on the X30 are of surprisingly good high quality, delivering pictures with balanced mild and loads of element in low-light situations like a streetlamp-lit avenue.
Nokia has excessive low mild coated with its Darkish Imaginative and prescient mode, an extra night time mode operate enabled by tapping the icon within the top-right of the Night time capturing mode. This sucks in as a lot mild as potential to seize extra mild than I may see in some situations. In fact, the standard isn’t up there with commonplace night time mode pictures with some supply of sunshine, but it surely’s nonetheless pretty spectacular.
The one draw back is that, with the dearth of a laser-based autofocus system, significantly darkish night time photographs can come out just a little comfortable because the telephone struggles to set a spotlight level.
Total although, the principle 50Mp lens isn’t only a good snapper for a mid-ranger, it’s an excellent snapper full cease.
Whereas the X20 got here with a trio of low-quality accompanying lenses together with a 5Mp ultrawide, 2Mp macro and 2Mp depth sensor, the X30 ditches the unnecessary digicam rely for a better high quality 13Mp 123-degree ultrawide lens. If different funds and mid-range producers may comply with swimsuit, that’d be nice!
Although not fairly as distinctive as the principle 50Mp snapper in low-light situations, the ultrawide lens does an incredible job at capturing wide-angle photographs, and correct color matching means there’s no actual distinction in color in photographs throughout the 2 rear lenses.
Flip the telephone over and also you’ll discover a 16Mp front-facing digicam that, just like the 50Mp lens, provides a downgrade in pixel rely whereas boosting the standard of photographs taken. Pictures are typically well-lit and of first rate high quality, and also you’ve acquired the choice of utilizing Night time Selfie mode when mild ranges start to drop. The expertise is enhanced additional by an AI Portrait mode with pretty first rate edge detection. It’ll nonetheless miss wispy hairs, but it surely does an excellent job general.
Battery life & charging
- Smaller battery than the X20
- Comfy all-day battery life
- Improved 33W quick charging
Although the Nokia X30 has a smaller show than its predecessor, the battery capability nonetheless is available in at a good 4200mAh, simply 270mAh much less. Nevertheless, whereas a smaller show often means higher battery life, the bounce to 90Hz muddies the water considerably.
We discovered the Nokia X20 may final round a day and a half on a single cost with the opportunity of squeezing two days with extra conservative use. The Nokia X30, then again, is extra of a one-day system. It’s a snug all-day expertise, don’t get me mistaken, often ending the day across the 30% mark with a wholesome quantity of texting, scrolling and TikToking, however extra power-hungry customers fare just a little worse.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
That’s largely backed up by our battery benchmark that noticed the Nokia X30 final a good, however actually not industry-leading, 11 hours and 10 minutes earlier than needing a top-up.
To compensate for this, the Nokia X30 cranks up the fast-charging expertise to 33W. Although it’s not fairly as much as the usual of the Redmi Word 12 Explorer Version and its 210W charging, it’s an enormous enchancment on the 18W of the X20 that matches that of the Nothing Telephone (1).
Regardless, it ought to assist scale back the period of time you’ll must cost the telephone. In my expertise, I discovered the Nokia X30 may go from flat to 39% in quarter-hour, leaping as much as 75% in half an hour and a full cost in round an hour.
The catch? Nokia is considered one of a rising variety of manufacturers to not ship a charging brick with the smartphone, which means you’ll should supply your personal 33W USB-C charging brick if you wish to benefit from the sooner charging on supply from the X30.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Software program & upgrades
- Close to-stock Android 12
- Some pre-installed apps, however not many
- Three years of OS and safety updates
One of many greatest attracts of the Nokia X30 5G, like most different Nokias within the present vary, is the software program expertise. In contrast to many budget- and mid-range options, the Nokia X30 5G ships with a near-stock Android expertise with Android 12 supported out of the field.
Which means you’ll be getting an expertise near how Google initially envisioned it, although with no handful of Pixel options like Materials You. Every part is the place you’d anticipate it to be, significantly within the Settings app the place some producers make odd menu choices, sporting a fluid UI that’s arduous to complain about.
The Nokia X30 doesn’t boast wherever close to the extent of bloatware of some options, but it surely does include some apps pre-installed – although these are, unusually, apps you’d truly use on a day-to-day foundation. This consists of Netflix, ExpressVPN, Amazon and LinkedIn, together with the Nokia My Machine app for service and guarantee data and the GoPro Quik app for on-the-fly automated video modifying.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Although LinkedIn is an odd addition, I’m not overly dissatisfied with the pre-installed apps as they’re apps I have a tendency to make use of and never random video games or social networks I’ve not heard of. In fact, some might really feel completely different, however you’ve at all times acquired the choice of uninstalling them.
On the subject of updates, Nokia is up there with the most effective, with three OS upgrades taking customers all the best way to Android 15. Although it’s consistent with the Nothing Telephone (1), it’s significantly better than the OnePlus Nord 2T’s two years and lack of any replace promise in any respect for cheaper options just like the Poco X4 Professional 5G.
Pricing & availability
The worth is the sticking level for the Nokia X30, with a £100 enhance in comparison with its predecessor with a beginning worth of £399 for the 6GB/128GB mannequin, leaping as much as £439 if you wish to max out the RAM and storage at 8GB and 256GB respectively. It’s just a little dearer in Europe, beginning at €499 for the 128GB mannequin and leaping as much as €549 if you’d like the 256GB mannequin.
It’s a aggressive worth level that places the Nokia X30 immediately in competitors with the Google 6a, OnePlus Nord 2T and Nothing Telephone (1), however for the primary time, there’s sufficient on supply for Nokia to carry its personal towards the large hitters.
The larger plus is the flexibility to get the telephone on subscription through Nokia’s Round plan within the UK, beginning at simply £22 monthly. If you happen to do wish to purchase it outright, you are able to do so from Nokia itself in each the UK and Europe together with native retailers like Argos.
As you would possibly assume contemplating we’ve not talked about US pricing all through this evaluation, the Nokia X30 isn’t at present slated for launch within the US.
For extra mid-range inspiration, check out our choice of the most effective mid-range telephones.
Lewis Painter / Foundry
Verdict
The Nokia X30 is an entire reimagining of final 12 months’s X20 in nearly each regard. It has a way more fashionable design whereas being each thinner and lighter, it has an upgraded show with a sooner refresh fee, efficiency has seen a lift and regardless of no Leica branding, the cameras are really distinctive this 12 months. These are all welcome upgrades that nearly negate the £100 worth bump to Nokia’s top-end mid-ranger.
It could not do a lot to outshine the favored mid-rangers just like the Nothing Telephone (1)’s IP53 water resistance and wi-fi charging and OnePlus Nord 2T’s extraordinary efficiency, however for the primary time, Nokia has a preventing likelihood at securing its place within the mid-range market.