Nokia 2.3 Launched in Nepal, Priced Rs. 11,999: The Best Budget Smartphone?

Nokia has firmly established itself back in the whole smartphone game. With the recently launches of Nokia 6.2 and 7.2, it’s set a standard for itself in the mid-range segment. Now, in order to capture more attention from the budget segment, Nokia has finally brought in the Nokia 2.3.

I did mention about this phone around 2 weeks ago and in the article, I’d predicted it would be launched sometime within this month. Well, that day has finally arrived. HMD has launched the Nokia 2.3 in Nepal today and the Nokia 2.3 price in Nepal is set Rs 11,999. For a price of Rs 11,999, the Nokia 2.3 packs in a larger display and an improved battery life when compared to its predecessor.

But what else is new? And, is the Nokia 2.3 worth considering as a perfect budget replacement ? Let’s check it out in this quick analysis of the 2.3,

Nokia 2.3 Overview

Basically, the Nokia 2.3 is a lot like its predecessor. It has the same plain design to the rear with the vertical dual camera setup at the center. The Nokia logo and dew-drop notch has still managed to retain its position to the front of the phone. The twist here is that all of this has been fitted into a slightly larger display.

The Nokia 2.3 this time features a 6.2” display with an IPS LCD panel at HD resolution. Just the size has changed not the actual display itself. Besides that, underneath we have the MediaTek A22 SoC which sadly isn’t any different from the one from its predecessor. Sad in the sense that, this processor isn’t the best in line. It’s good for normal day to day tasks but nothing much apart from that.

It looks as though the 3/32GB variant is gone this time and the phone is only available in 2/32GB model. The processor I can understand but the removal of 3GB variant is a little absurd, don’t you think so? Well, setting that aside, the 2.3 will be shipping in with Android One. The light, smooth and Stock Android is the shining ray of light that does manage to fill the void left by processor.

The newly launched smartphone runs on Android 9 Pie and Nokia says that it is ‘Android 10 ready’ and that the company will deliver three years of security updates and two years of software updates to the phone. 

For camera, HMD has managed to include a dual rear camera module. The primary module is a 13MP f/2.2 sensor and revolving it is a 2MP depth sensor. The 2MP sensor is specifically for portrait shots and if it’s like the others in this segment, some decent portrait shots can be expected. The frontal 5MP sensor does not seem to have been upgraded at all.

The phone has managed to hide a 4000mAh battery life under the rear. Unlike the 3000mAh battery in Nokia 2.2, this is non-removable. What I don’t like about the Nokia 2.3, is that there’s the same standard slow charger in the box. Which means, charging this hunk of a battery is going to take a long time.

Nokia 2.3 Price in Nepal, Impression and Availability

In summary, the Nokia 2.3 is like taking apart most components of the Nokia 2.2 and fitting it in a slightly larger box. Aside from the 2MP depth sensor, and hefty battery every other component seems to have been xeroxed into a bigger shell. I’m not saying it’s that bad. It’s just that I expected some minor improvements in each segment. Still, considering the upgrade on size, battery and camera I think it’s just worthy of the Rs 11,999 price tag.

But hey, what about the competitions? Well, undoubtedly the major rival for this price point is Redmi 8A. From design all the way up to battery, Redmi 8A is the absolute winner. Besides, when it comes to the camera, a splash resistant body, and overall better hardware, Redmi 8A is still the best. However, I don’t mean to say that the Nokia 2.3 is an inferior device, it’s just that I feel that Redmi 8A is just a little better.

Nokia 2.3 is currently available in various offline stores across the country and will go on sale on the popular ecommerce platforms in Nepal very soon.

So, those are my thoughts on the Nokia 2.3. Which one would you rather prefer, the Redmi 8A or the Nokia 2.3? Don’t forget to share it with us.