HMD Global – the company behind Nokia brand has pulled wraps-off the latest Nokia C1 Plus handset which had been teased online in the course of last week. The company appears to prioritize functionality over form in the new device with some features that have since disappeared on handsets compared to the days of yore. For instance, users will have the opportunity to easily slide-off the rear panel and replace a removable battery without having to remove any screws or melt glue, something that was common back in the days but have since disappeared on current devices.
The handset is an effective replacement to last year’s Nokia C1, coming exactly one year after the original C1 was unveiled in December of 2019. Loaded with some interesting upgrades – unfortunately except on the display panel which remains at 5.45-inch with same resolution 480×960 pixels, the device is clearly targeting the entry-level segment looking for something that works. We now get 4G connectivity on a device that costs €69 (Ksh. 9,000), a worthy upgrade over last year’s which could only support 3G frequencies.
Nokia C1 Plus Specifications and Upgrades over the predecessor;
Display Screen and Selfie Camera
It’s not clear why HMD settled on the “Plus” moniker for this handset considering the screen size and resolution remains the same at 5.45-inch (480×960 pixels). Nokia C1 Plus still features the same-old chunky bezels and in fact has a slightly lower screen-to-body ratio compared to its elder sibling at 72.2 percent compared to 72.6 percent. The lower-end of the front panel features Nokia branding, which has been moved down from the top bezel on the previous model. The selfie camera housed within the top bezel still features same 5MP sensor we had on the older model.
Removable Battery and Primary Camera;
Turning the device back, you’ll get a 5MP rear sensor which was featured on the older device, we really expected some upgrade hear; but nevertheless, you still have a removable panel that allows users to easily swap batteries without any technical skills. Having a price tag that low, much of these compromises were expected, except for some noteworthy upgrades that are minimal over last year’s model. It packs a 2,500mAh battery, that should perform averagely with of course daily charging.
Everything else under the hood;
The most noteworthy upgrade over the C1 is actually the android version, which is now version 10 instead of last year’s 9. It is powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, coupled with 1GB RAM and 16GB built-in storage, these are the same configurations we got on the older model. The storage is expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card.
In terms of connectivity, there’s a 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB port for charging, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (supports only 2.4GHz), and Bluetooth 4.2. as expected, the network has been upgraded from 3G to 4G LTE out-of-the-box. As the device goes on sale starting this December, we’re unsure when exactly Kenyans can have a chance to buy it. But when it does come, it’ll be available in two variants of Blue and Red.