Professional’s Ranking
Professionals
- Smooth design
- Lengthy battery life
- Close to-stock Android
Cons
- Efficiency isn’t nice
- Show dimmer than earlier technology
- Charger not included
Our Verdict
The Nokia T21 is a premium wanting pill for a finances worth which affords good worth. However there are different tablets that are even higher worth.
Value When Reviewed
Not obtainable 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 seems to be to the T20, reviewed, however has had a couple of upgrades. Nonetheless, is it a more sensible choice than the Oppo Pad Air, the Amazon Hearth HD 10 or Samsung Galaxy Tab A8? That’s what we’ll discover out on this evaluation.
Design & construct
- Charcoal gray aluminium end
- IP52 ranking
- 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 inside a bag and doesn’t really feel heavy within the hand. No case is included within the field, however Nokia does promote a spread of equipment to maintain it secure from knocks and bumps. It does include an IP52 ranking, 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 ability button is positioned on the highest edge, and the amount controls are on the right-hand aspect, together with a detachable tray which may 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 must nonetheless be capable of 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 gadget, it’s a 60Hz display screen which suggests no excessive or variable refresh fee. The height brightness is 360 nits, a downgrade from the earlier mannequin.
Objectively, that is sufficient for indoor use, however below 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.
Colors are respectable, and you’ll go for pure, boosted or adaptive relying in your desire. The standard is extra spectacular than what you’ll discover on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, which solely has a FHD panel.
The pill might be unlocked by way of a sample/passcode, or by way of face unlock. I discovered the latter labored constantly, even when carrying 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 discover on extra premium tablets. Nonetheless, it’s effective for Netflix, podcasts and the odd little bit of music.
Specs & efficiency
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB or 128GB storage
- Unisoc T612 CPU
The T21 encompasses 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 obtainable each in Wi-Fi and LTE variations.
General, 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 effective for streaming, taking notes, studying e-books and searching the net, however is usually sluggish to launch and change between apps.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Nonetheless, there are tablets obtainable 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 take a look at – 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 absolutely 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 in a position to 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.
Digicam
- 8Mp entrance digital camera
- 8Mp rear digital camera
Pill cameras aren’t often as essential as they’re on smartphones. Nonetheless, Nokia has made an enchancment on the T21’s set-up in comparison with the earlier technology.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The entrance selfie digital camera has been upgraded to 8Mp from 5Mp. Colors are barely higher, however textures are a bit gentle or blurry, and indoor pictures look way more washed out than when there’s loads of mild obtainable open air. Most individuals will use this digital camera for video calls, for which it’s completely effective.
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 might be on the insipid aspect, 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 take a look at 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. After all, that isn’t below common utilization. On common, I used to be in a position to make use of this gadget to stream, browse social media and skim for round two days in between work.
Three days utilization could be probably in the event 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 take a look at, 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 cut back waste within the packaging. Nonetheless, will probably be irritating in the event you don’t have a charger, and Nokia’s particular 18W one will set you again £19.99.
Fortuitously, I had an 18W charger at hand 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 gadgets
One of many greatest benefits of going for a Nokia gadget 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 Hearth HD 10 affords.
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’ll finally obtain Android 13.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
All the usual Google apps come pre-installed, and also you get each Google Leisure Area and Children Area. The previous recommends movies from platforms you’re subscribed to, while the latter makes the Android expertise extra appropriate for youthful customers with academic app ideas and customisable content material filters.
The T21 can be utilized as a second display screen with Home windows gadgets, offering that they’re each related to the identical Wi-Fi community. This function is on the market within the drop-down menu, after which you possibly can solid your display screen to the T21 by utilizing the Home windows and Okay keys in your laptop computer/PC.
It provides 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 house workplace.
Value & availability
You should buy 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 obtainable within the US market, but when it does go on sale, we count on it to be across the $250 mark.
You should buy 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 gadget 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 thing we preferred in regards to the T20 and improves on a number of the areas that we didn’t. It combines a premium-looking design with succesful efficiency for a finances purchase, and the battery life can also be spectacular.
The shortage of a charger within the field implies that speeds can be sluggish for many customers, and the show isn’t as dazzling because the earlier technology. 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 affords higher efficiency and comes with a charger within the field, making it the higher purchase until you discover it’s costlier once you learn this.
For extra options, see our roundup of the very best finances tablets, as nicely the very best 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 ranking
- Charcoal Gray end
- 10.36in 2K IPS show