HMD Global out of nowhere has launched a budget smartphone, the Nokia C3 in China and it’s nothing like the ancient Nokia C3 with a QWERTY keyboard from 2010. Starting at just $100, the design is not the only part that raises our eyebrows as the company is believed to have used China’s Unisoc SoC onboard.
Before we get to the SoC part, the design really takes us two years back in time as there are thick bezels on the top and bottom of the display. The rear panel is made of polycarbonate material and has a single camera along with LED flashlight and fingerprint sensor at the center.
While the build is understandable considering the price, the display is square without notches and has a 5.99-inch HD+ screen with a resolution of 1440x720 pixels and 400 nits of brightness. We also have a selfie shooter and speaker grill housed at the top of the display.
- Nokia, Flipkart launch a 65-inch 4K Android TV
- Nokia to launch an Android TV Box via Flipkart in India
However, the interesting part lies underneath and has a 1.20GHz Octa-core CPU. While the exact details of it are a mystery, early benchmarks reveal that the processor could be from UNISOC SoC code-named ‘GamoraPlus’. The device is also paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.
As for the optics, there is a single 8MP sensor with an f/2.0 lens and an LED flash. On the front, there is a 5MP selfie shooter. Other connectivity options include DualSIM 4G, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD slot for expansion upto 128GB and a micro-USB port for charging.
All this is backed up by a 3,040mAh battery which the company says will last 31 hours of audio and 7hrs of video playback on a single charge. It has support for 5W charging.
Coming in Nordic Blue and Sand Gold colors, the Nokia C3 is up for pre-orders on Jingdong and is priced at CNY699 ($100) but will be available at a discounted price of CNY669 ($95) for those who prebook the device.
