While companies like Apple are dominating the premium tablet market, the budget tablet category is led by Samsung, Lenovo, and more. With Nokia now offering a lot of Android smartphones, HMD Global enters the budget Android tablet market with the release of the Nokia T20. Here are our thoughts about the new device.
Design
While the new Nokia T20 is HMD Global’s first attempt to introduce an Android tablet, the stylish and slim design of the device does resemble most of the Nokia smartphones released by the company. The tablet may not be the best in terms of dimensions but it is 7.8mm thick and weighs 465g. It does feel a bit heavy when holding the tablet from the sides for a tablet that sports a 10.4-inch IPS display. The screen has very good viewing angles and the screen resolution is 1200 x 2000 pixels with 224-pixel density.
And if you’re planning to use the tablet outdoors, the maximum brightness of the screen is only 400 nits. The screen is also low blue light certified so it’s easy on the eyes while watching content for longer sessions. The display of the tablet features a scratch-resistant coating and the device also offers splash resistance if you happen to be near a swimming pool or exposed to some light drizzle, and this is assured with the IP52 certification. However, it’s not a fully waterproof device as one would hope.
The tablet features the Deep Ocean blue color that we like a lot and we have seen a similar color with other Nokia smartphones from HMD Global. Looking at it from a horizontal point of view, the power button is located on the upper left side and the volume buttons on the top portion. There are also a pair of stereo speakers seen on either side of the tablet. The speakers come with OZO Playback audio enhancements for an immersive listening experience.
As a part of the design, the tablet features curved corners. And on the rear side, you have the Nokia insignia in the middle and the camera module on the top right side of the device.
While the USB-C port is on the right side of the tablet, the headphone jack is located on the left curved corner where the port resides. It’s not every day that we see the headphone jack in an unusual place, and to be honest, many may not even notice that there is a headphone jack on the corners.
Specs & Performance
The Nokia T20 is classified as a mid-range budget Android tablet, featuring the Unisoc T610 8-core processor and the device comes with 32GB of eMMC 5.1 storage and 3GB of RAM. There is also a MicroSD card slot for those who want more storage. And like other Nokia smartphones, HMD Global has programmed the Nokia T20 tablet with pure Android 11 OS out of the box. While I really expected smooth transitions and user experience, the user interface felt sluggish when I used the device for web surfing and switching between other programs and it was kind of disappointing. It gave out the impression that I was using a tablet that was released some years ago.
It may not be a dealbreaker for many users looking for a budget tablet since the device is mainly used to simply watch videos or pass them to their children. But when Nokia devices are known for the pure Android experience, then the user interface should be smooth at the least. The 3GB RAM and the slow eMMC storage may be also contributing to the sluggish UI experience.
That said, if you don’t care about the smooth user interface, then the tablet does a decent job of loading apps, playing some lightweight games, watching videos, and good enough web surfing performance for the normal crowd. HMD Global also mentions that the Nokia T20 will also receive two years of Android upgrades so we can expect to see the company roll out Android 12 and above for the tablet. HMD Global also promises to roll out monthly security updates for the next three years and the fourth year too if the device is used by enterprises.
While the tablet features Face Unlock capability, it’s a bit disappointing that the device does not come with a fingerprint scanner. The tablet also features a modest 5MP camera on the front side with decent video quality for online meetings and an 8MP shooter on the rear side with LED flash. Other features of the device include Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi. For those who want to buy the tablet for their kids, the device comes with the Google Kids Space application preinstalled so you can control the type of content that your kids can get access to while they use it- something many parents will love to have on their tablets.
We ran some benchmarks on the Nokia T20 and below are the results.
Battery
When it comes to battery life, the Nokia T20 houses a large 8200 mAh powerhouse that is able to last almost a day of use. HMD Global claims that the tablet is capable of lasting up to 7 hours for online meetings, up to 10 hours for movies, and up to 15 hours of web surfing. However, all these depend on how you use the tablet and the applications involved. We tested the tablet using the PC Mark Work 3.0 Battery life test that lasted the device from a full charge to zero in 5 hours and 47 minutes. The benchmark involves a mix of processing like online meetings, web surfing, image edits, word and excel sheets, and more. We also noticed that the Nokia T20 has an impressive standby time that easily lasts for several days without any serious dip in the battery percentage. This will be a major selling point as users will not need to worry about battery life even after using it after a couple of days of being idle. The tablet also supports 15W fast chargers and the device already comes bundled with a 10W charger out of the box.
Verdict
HMD Global’s first foray into the tablet space certainly caught the attention of many since there is always demand for budget Android tablets. The Nokia T20 features a good design-build, something that isn’t seen on many competing budget models, and the 10.4-inch IPS display features good colors and viewing angles. The screen offers sharp visuals of images and videos, thanks to the 2K resolution. While the performance may not be top-notch, the tablet is set to receive the latest Android OS updates for the next two to three years.
The processor and memory combo may not be something impressive but the tablet is capable of performing daily tasks. The cameras on the front and the back sides are just modest. The tablet offers impressive standby battery life that can last for many days, and the device can last for almost a day for regular usage. The Nokia T20 tablet also comes preloaded with Google Kids Space for those who want to keep a tab on the kind of content that their children get to access.
