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The Nokia X7 handset looks superb. It’s
edgy with the corners angling inwards giving it quite a futuristic look. The
sides are also at an angle – curved inwards towards the rear panel. It seems
like there are speakers hidden away on all four angled corners, but actually,
there are only two – the other two are evidently for uniformity. The mixture of
plastic and aluminium does give the phone a classy look.
Carrying forward from the trend set by
Nokia N8, the SIM card slot is on the left side, and so is the microSD card
slot. Push them in from one side, and once the other end emerges, pull it out!
This mechanism isn’t very smooth to operate. What we don’t really understand is
the point of such a design.
There really is no other way of putting
this – the X7 isn’t a performance phone at all. A 680MHz processor with 256MB
of RAM is a bit of a disappointment. While some may argue that the Anna update
has changed things, the reality is that this change has only happened up to a
certain extent.
Moving beyond this disappointment, the
4-inch AMOLED display is quite good. Colours are appreciably distinct, but do
lack a bit of punch in terms of vividness. The crispness is quite good, and
shows in the clarity of the next – reading text on websites, for example is a
pretty good experience. The brightness is quite solid, so much so that turning
it up too much may lead to the display becoming uncomfortable to use.
The updated web browser is one of the
really good things to come out of the Anna update. Web pages render quicker and
smoother. Pinch to zoom works in a smoother fashion and the text generally fits
continues from the Nokia E6!
The X7 does tend to become a bit hot when
browsing the web, or while chatting on the phone for a long time. And the metal
back does induce some sweat on ones palms.
Battery backup is very good, and full marks
to Nokia here. The X7 offers two full days of usage, more than what we
bargained for.
Symbian Anna is like a completely new OS,
in bringing it closer to Android. The performance has improved appreciably.
However, Nokia’s Social app needs a complete overhaul – poor design, literally
no configurable features and no integration with the contacts.
The Nokia X7 is quite a unique looking
phone, and kudos to Nokia for finally getting aesthetics right, at least for
the most part. At 20,000 bucks, it lands slam bang in the hottest price bracket
in the smartphone market – and therefore also has to contend with the most
competition.
Unfortunately it doesn’t stand out in its
price segment. Symbian Anna gives the X7 an edge over the N8, (in terms of
performance), which while part of a different series could be called a
spiritual predecessor. It is strictly for those who find its looks appealing,
or Symbian/Nokia aficionados.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Platform: Symbian Anna;
Processor: ARM 11 680MHz with Broadcom
BCM2727 GPU;
RAM: 256 MB;
Display: 4.0 inches AMOLED capacitive
touchscreen, 640 x 360 pixel resolution;
Memory: microSD slot up to 32 GB;
Camera: 8 MP with 720p HD video, dual LED
flash;
Battery: 1200 mAh
Price: Rs 22,829