Nokia T21 Review: A Premium-looking Budget Android Tablet

Price at time of review

Not available in US

Nokia will return to the tablet world in late 2021 with the release of the T20, an affordable 10-inch tablet with a stylish design. Now the company is following it up with its successor.

The Nokia T21 inherits a similar look from the reviewed T20, but with some upgrades. Is it a better choice than the Oppo Pad Air, Amazon Fire HD 10 or Samsung Galaxy Tab A8? That’s what this review will tell you.

design and build

• Charcoal gray aluminum finish
• IP52 rated
• MicroSD slot for expanding storage

The Nokia T21 meets the design standards set by its predecessor with its slim build and premium aluminum body. Nokia has traded the blue color for a more subdued shade of charcoal gray.

The tablet is 7.5mm thick and weighs 471g, so it won’t slip easily in your bag and you won’t feel the weight when you hold it in your hand. No case is included in the box, but Nokia sells a range of accessories for impact protection. It’s IP52 rated, so it’s protected against light dust and splashes.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The bottom has a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5 mm headphone jack in the right corner. The power button is on the top edge and the volume controls are on the right side. It has a removable tray that can accept both a SIM card (for LTE models) and a microSD card.

The tablet does not include a stylus or keyboard and there is no official Nokia version of these for the T21. You should still be able to use third-party Bluetooth keyboards. A stylus may also be used.

screen & speaker

• 10.36 inch display
• 2K screen with 5:3 aspect ratio
• Stereo speakers with OZO software

Nokia has again opted for a 10.36-inch screen with a 5:3 aspect ratio. Most tablets have 4:3 screens, so this is a bit wider, but it’s not “widescreen” like a TV.

The 2K IPS display is protected by scratch-resistant tempered glass. Being a budget device, it has a 60Hz screen and does not have high or fluctuating refresh rates. Peak brightness is 360nit, downgraded from the previous model.

Objectively, this is good enough for indoor use, but in bright sunlight it can be difficult to see what’s on the screen, especially since the glass is very reflective like most tablets.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Colors are decent, and you can choose between natural, boosted, or adaptive depending on your preference.Quality is more impressive than the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, which only has an FHD panel.

The tablet can be unlocked with a pattern/passcode or face recognition. I’ve found the latter to work consistently, even when wearing glasses.

Along with the OZO Spatial Audio software, there are two speakers on each end of the Nokia T21. Playback is punchy and loud, but not as impressive as more expensive tablets.

Specs & Performance

• 4GB of RAM
• 64GB or 128GB storage
• Unisock T612 CPU

The T21 features the Unisoc T612 CPU, a slight upgrade from its predecessor. This he is paired with 4GB RAM, and 64GB or 128GB worth of storage, but a microSD slot allows you to add up to 512GB. Available in both Wi-Fi and LTE versions.

Overall, performance isn’t as slow as the T20, but it’s definitely not what you’d expect from a basic tablet. Streaming, note-taking, e-book reading, and web browsing work just fine, but launching and switching between apps can be slow.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

However, there are tablets with significantly better performance for comparable prices (or not more). In benchmarks, the T21 outperformed the Samsung Tab A8 and S6 Lite in Geekbench 5 (CPU test), but fell short of the score set by the T10 in the GFXBench graphics test. However, this is somewhat debatable as neither tablet is powerful enough for gaming.

It’s not really a gaming gadget, but the T21 was able to run things like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp with minimal problems. It’s worth considering a high-end tablet.

camera

• 8Mp front camera
• 8MP rear camera

A tablet’s camera is usually not as important as a smartphone’s. Nonetheless, Nokia has improved his T21 setup compared to the previous generation.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The front selfie camera has been upgraded from 5Mp to 8Mp. Colors are slightly better, but textures are a bit softer or fuzzier, and indoor shots look more washed out than outdoors when enough light is available. I use it and it’s perfectly fine.

The 8Mp camera on the back is unchanged from the T20. Again, in good light you can get passable snaps with the T21. However, colors can be on the bland side, and textures lack sharpness noticeably.

The camera is capable of zooming up to 8x, but as you can see in our test photos, it’s not worth using anything more than 2x. Because the photos will be blurry and confusing. Both cameras have autofocus and include portrait mode and filters for basic editing.

Battery life and charging

• 8200mAh battery
• Supports 18W charging, but brick not included

The Nokia T21 has an 8200mAh battery, which Nokia claims will last up to 3 days. Of course, that’s not normal use. On average, I was able to stream, browse social media, and read for about two days with this device between work.

Three days of use is possible if you use the battery saving mode, lower brightness, and use the tablet more conservatively. In our battery test, the T21 managed a respectable 9 hours and 23 minutes of his.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The Nokia T21 supports 18W charging, but the box does not include a charger, only a USB-C cable. This is the company’s commitment to reducing packaging waste. However, you’ll be frustrated if you don’t have a charger, and Nokia’s specific 18W charger will set you back £19.99.

Luckily, I had an 18W charger on hand and found that the T21 went from flat to 14% in 30 minutes. Nokia’s own charger may be better, but I’d recommend considering charging this tablet overnight.

software

• Android 12
• Can be used as a second screen for Windows devices

One of the biggest advantages of using Nokia devices is that most of the software is pure Android, so there is no big UI difference for Google users.

All the apps are clearly laid out and have very little bloatware as seen on rivals such as Xiaomi. It also has a wider range of apps than what the Amazon Fire HD 10 offers.

Your tablet comes with Android 12 right out of the box. It’s not the latest Google OS, but Nokia has guaranteed his two OS updates and his three years of monthly security updates, so it will eventually receive Android 13.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

All standard Google apps are pre-installed, and both Google Entertainment Space and Kids Space are available. The former recommends videos from subscribed platforms, while the latter uses educational app suggestions and customizable content filters to make the Android experience more suitable for younger users. .

T21 can be used as a second screen for Windows devices when both are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. This feature is available in the dropdown menu and you can use your laptop/PC’s Windows and K keys to cast your screen to your T21.

It gives the tablet an edge when it comes to productivity, and may be useful for those who don’t have the space for a large second monitor in their home office.

Pricing and Availability

The Nokia T21 starts at £199 for the Wi-Fi version and £239 for the LTE version.

At the time of this writing, the tablet was not yet available in the US market, but we expect it to cost around $250 when it does.

The tablet is available through Nokia’s monthly Circular subscription. This covers replacement parts in case your T21 is damaged or stolen, and encourages you to keep your device longer. Users can also earn credits towards environmental protection.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

verdict

The Nokia T21 takes everything we loved about the T20 and improves some areas it didn’t. It combines a classy design with great performance at an affordable price, and the battery life is also impressive.

No charger in the box means slower speeds for most users, and the display isn’t quite as dazzling as the previous generation. I have a small complaint about the tablet.

The problem for Nokia is that at about the same price the Oppo Pad Air has better performance and comes with a charger in the box so unless you read this and find out it’s more expensive it’s a better buy It is to become

For more options, check out our roundup of the best budget tablets, best Android tablets, and best tablets.

Nokia T21: Specifications

• OS: Android 12
• Processor: Unisoc T612 Octa-Core Processor
• Memory: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB/128GB + microSD up to 512GB
• Camera: Rear 8Mp, Front 8Mp
• Ports: USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, SIM, MicroSD
• Accelerometer
• GPS
• ambient light sensor
• hall sensor
• Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, 4G (LTE models)
• Stereo speakers with dual mics
• 8200mAh battery, supports 18W charging
• Dimensions: 157.3 x 247.5 x 7.5mm
• Weight: 471g
• IP52 rated
• charcoal gray finish
• 10.36 inch 2K IPS display