By Anurag Chawake
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for tablets has seen renewed interest. Nokia recently launched Tab T21 for Rs 16,499, its entry-level Android-powered 10-inch slate that caters to mostly students and children. I spent some weeks using the Nokia T21 and here’s my take on how the tablet competes against other offerings like the Oppo Pad Air, Realme Pad and the Redmi Pad in this price segment.
What’s changed?
The Nokia T21 is an iterative upgrade over its successor – the Tab T20. It comes with an aluminium body that makes it look and feel premium. The build quality is top-notch and although I haven’t dropped it, it feels like the device can take a few hits and survive drops from small heights. On the right side, you get volume buttons on the top and a microSD card slot. The top right side of the tablet sports the power button and two speakers, while the bottom houses the other two speakers, a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Nokia T21 has a 10.4-inch LCD with a Full HD+ resolution that is pleasing to look at. The bezels are pretty big, but I don’t mind big bezels on tablets since they make it easier to hold the tablet from the front without touching the screen. It has a peak brightness of 360 nits, which makes it hard to see anything under direct sunlight.
Performance
The tablet runs on Android 12 out of the box. Instead of the Google feed we all are used to seeing when swiping left from the home screen, you get an app that sorts content and offers recommendations from various Google services like YouTube, Books, Play Games and YouTube Music. Although the device gets Widevine L1 certification that lets users stream content from OTT platforms like Netflix in Full HD, I noticed that the YouTube app can play some videos in Full HD but many are only available in HD resolution (720p).
For photography, the device gets an 8MP rear and front camera, which can be used to take photos or attend online meetings, but don’t expect too much from them.
The Nokia T21 is powered by the Unisoc T612, a chipset launched in May 2022 that offers performance similar to the five-year-old Snapdragon 665. When I first booted up the tablet, it lagged a bit and I thought it might be the initial optimisation phase but over time, I realised that the chipset is just not powerful enough. The user interface did get a bit smoother when I installed a third-party launcher, but the majority of people who buy the tablet won’t do so.
Nokia says the T21 tablet will get three years of security patches and two Android upgrades, which sounds good on paper but unless Nokia optimises the device performance, it might end up making the tab slower in the long run since newer operating systems usually need more processing power.
Should you buy it?
Yes, a good choice if you want a tablet to browse the internet, watch videos, listen to music or read e-books. Compared to other devices in the price segment, the Nokia T21 has a premium look and feel, but the performance is not that great.
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SPECIFICATIONS
* Display: 10.4-inch LCD with a Full HD+ resolution
* Processor: Unisoc T612
* Operating system: Android 12, 2 OS upgrades
* Memory & storage: 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, MicroSD card support upto 512GB
* Cameras: 8MP Main (rear), 8MP front camera
* Battery: 8,000mAh, 18W fast charging support
* Estimated street price: Rs 16,499
