I am writing review on a mobile after a long time. I came across this mobile during my last visit to my hometown. My younger brother was using this mobile (Nokia X1-01) and I got interested in it mainly because of two features- dual-SIM and loudspeaker. So am just trying to share my views on it.
Specifications
Dual-SIM connectivity (dual-standby)
1.8" 65K-color 128x160 TFT display
Symbian S30 UI
Multi-phonebook feature of 5 separate phonebooks
MP3 player with dedicated music keys and powerful loudspeaker
16 GB microSD card support
Stereo FM radio
3.5mm audio jack
43 days standby battery backup, 13 hours talk time
Flashlight
Design
The phone is available in Red, Dark Grey, Ocean Blue, Orange and White. But remember that the front of this phone is black (common in all colors) and the option of colors is only for the back cover. The back cover has glossy finish that surely will get scratches with time.
The keyboard is just a flat pad made up of single plastic sheet. Though it gives an additional feature of dust-proof keypad, it may create initial problems in messaging (if you are used to of island type keys).
The image quality and display is just ok as expected from a cheap mobile phone. The display is rarely visible in direct sunlight and it has got restricted viewing angle, but that’s all because of the cheap prices.
The navigation D-button may confuse you initially as it is four-way key and have no central key. You have to use the soft-keys to confirm an option.
There are three dedicated music keys on it’s left- previous, play/pause and next, which are easier to press. On the right there is a microSD card slot and is hot swappable (card can be removed without removing the battery). On the top there is a flashlight and 3.5mm audio jack and the charger plug. On the backside of this phone is a powerful loudspeaker, never seen such huge one in any mobile.
The handset is very lightweight (just 91gms) and is very comfortable to hold and carry. You may face problem if you are used to of latest multimedia touchscreen phones with bigger dimensions.
Features
The best feature of this handset is it’s dual-SIM capability. We can toggle between the three options (Dual-SIM, SIM 1, and SIM 2) by pressing ‘*’ on the keypad. When choosing Dual-SIM, the phone prompts to select the SIM we want to use before every call. There’s also an "Always ask" option, which is preferable when we equally use both the SIM for making outgoing calls.
Always remember that this is a dual-standby phone, not dual-active. That means if you are on a call on one SIM card, incoming calls to the second SIM will get a message that your phone is switched off. Also you will not get to know that someone is trying to call you on second SIM.
Another important feature of this handset is its capability to store 5 phonebooks (this feature is available in many mobiles nowadays). Each separate phonebook can be named and can have different set of contacts. Even a single contact can be shared in all phonebooks. We can access all the phonebooks by choosing "Shared contacts" as the current phonebook. This feature is very important when two or more family members use the same mobile. The phonebook has the capacity of 500 contacts, each contacts having maximum of three numbers.
This handset can remember up to 5 SIMs - each SIM can have a name and an icon. This is handy and useful when we are having many SIMs and we got bored of the typical SIM1 or SIM2 indication.
The handset has got all the basic features available in other mobiles such as calendar, alarm clock, countdown timer, stopwatch, composer, calculator and converter. There is a new application called ‘Spreadsheet’, which can be used to record and tally daily/ monthly expenses.
There is no ‘Gallery’ in the phone as it is just a basic phone without data connection. It comes with 6 preloaded games – Snake (feel nostalgic while playing it), Sudoku, Beach Rally and three music themed games.
There is a feature of radio clock (found in many mobiles nowadays) where the phone will wake you up at the set time by tuning into the selected station.
Battery
The phone comes with a 1320mAh Li-Ion battery that is quoted at up to 43 days of stand-by or up to 13 hours of talk-time. It sounds interesting considering it’s dual standby feature. Music playback time is quoted at 36 hours. I am not much sure about the battery life but it run easily for 5-7 days with basic usage.
Multimedia
The call quality is very clear just like any other Nokia phone. The sound quality of music player is just average but it is very loud. For long run the voice may irritate you (depends on your listening habits) but by far it is the loudest loudspeaker from Nokia.
The handset is equipped with basic music player and FM radio. Don’t expect much from it considering the rock bottom prices. Its music player supports folders and playlists so you can organize and browse your collection easily. There is no search function or filtering option to organize tracks based on artists/ albums/ genre. There are dedicated music control keys that can be used to control the music player but you can’t fast forward or rewind the tracks.
The major drawback of the phone is that it only supports MP3 formats. But still there is no problem as all the songs are available in MP3 formats only.
There is provision for background music playback but it has major limitation that you cannot control the volume, as there is no dedicated volume control key.
It has got stereo FM radio and the phone can save up to 30 channels. It is just a basic radio with out any advanced feature and you need to plug in the headset before using it.
Verdict
This phone is basic phone and the pricing is also done accordingly. It has got some positive features such as excellent battery backup, dual-SIM feature and loud MP3 player. Though it lacks number of features but it can be considered over Chinese or Indian phones considering the durability and reliability of Nokia. It is available at around Rs.1800, you can even bargain for less.
It is recommended for
1.People living in areas where there is less electricity supply.
2.Those who want to curtail their bills by using separate SIMs to avail benefits of cheap call rates and message rates.
3.People who are in need of an additional phone for some or other purpose.
4.Those who travel a lot and not sure of getting a plug point while on move.
5.Families who want to have a common phone, as it’s 5-phonebook feature can be useful in that case.