Nokia C12 is an entry-level gadget. (Image Credit: AyushSharma/News9live)
The review gives a closer look at the Nokia C12’s features, performance, and overall user experience
In a world where smartphones are becoming increasingly expensive and complex, we recently got our hands on the Nokia C12 by HMD Global which arrived in India in March this year. Designed for those on a tight budget, this device packs in all the essential features of a modern smartphone without breaking the bank.
In this review, we’ll look closer at the Nokia C12, exploring its features, performance, and overall user experience. Whether you’re a first-time smartphone user who’s just getting rid of their old feature phone or even if you’re simply looking for an affordable device, read on to find out if the Nokia C12 is the right phone for you.
However, I’ve got a small request that we do not harp on the price tag all the time as we all know it’s an entry-level smartphone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun exploring its features. So everything we talk about is based on the Nokia C12’s low, low price tag. Ready? Let’s dive in!
Design and display
The Nokia C12 is available in three standard colour options which include Light Mint, Charcoal, and Dark Cyan, and we got our hands on the former one (Light Mint). Design-wise, the smartphone is a simple and plastic-made device which will definitely not feel as premium as some higher-end devices, but it does come with a textured back panel that provides a good grip, and it’s also splash resistant (not completely waterproof).
One thing that got me a little surprised was to see that the phone does not come with a fingerprint scanner (only includes Face Unlock), which may be a deal-breaker for some users. Overall I found the design to be decent, but think that the speaker could’ve been placed a little better. Doesn’t matter how budget friendly the device is but I still believe its bezels could’ve been a little slimmer than what we get with the Nokia C12 smartphone.
I think a plastic back with a good grip is a way better choice than a cheap glass back. (Image Credit: AyushSharmaNews9live)
Moving on to the display, the Nokia C12 comes with a 6.3-inch HD+ IPS LCD panel. While it’s nowhere even near the impressive displays available in the market in today’s time, it still renders decent colours and contrast and gets the job done. However, one area where it fell short for me was its brightness. It can sometimes be tough to use the phone in bright sunlight and I even experienced some difficulty in using it even on a cloudy morning.
Performance
The Nokia C12 comes powered by a 5-year old 28nm Unisoc SC9863A1 chipset, which may again not be the most impressive processing power at all, but it gets the job done with regular tasks like browsing the web, checking social media feeds, and more. I even played small gaming titles including Alto’s Adventure, Beach Buggy Racing, and more which all seemed to work nicely most of the time. Although I did see the phone stutter sometimes and the system UI also stopped working completely, which one doesn’t expect from any device in the first days of usage (light), which also puts questions on the long-term usage of the device.
Synthetic benchmark ratings of the Nokia C12 on GFX Bench (left), and PC Mark (right.) (Image Credit: AyushSharma/News9live)
The Nokia C12 runs on Android 12 Go edition, which is a lightweight software skin usually used for entry-level smartphones and doesn’t have much bloatware. The interface seemed clean and simple with the 2 GB RAM variant of the Nokia C12 which also comes in a 3 GB configuration, which is perfectly adequate for regular usage.
Camera
The Nokia C12’s camera may not blow you away with its performance, but it still manages to capture details at a decent level with its single 8 MP primary lens on the back panel. While the colour saturation may not be that impressive, the phone does offer good enough photos if you’ve got the skill.
The camera of the Nokia C12 struggles in low-light situations and results in grainy photos. (Image Credit: AyushSharma/News9live)
However, when it comes to low-light photography, the Nokia C12 falls a bit short, with evident background noise in photos. As for selfies, the phone features a 5 MP lens that delivers okayish results, but I’d say that I won’t be posting any selfies on my social media handles while using the Nokie C12’s camera. When it comes to video recording, the Nokia C12 can shoot up to 720p resolution, but without video stabilisation support, it’s merely average. Despite its limitations, the Nokia C12’s camera is still a decent option for casual photography and saving low-quality video memories for you.
Here’s a Flickr album of some of the shots I clicked with the Nokia C12.
Battery
When it comes to Nokia C12’s battery life, it seems to deliver in this aspect even with its small Li-Ion 3,000 mAh battery. With casual activities like light gaming and streaming content at 720p resolution, this phone mostly got me covered for my daily entertainment fix. You can even go for more than a day without needing to charge it if you don’t use your smartphone a lot. However, the charging speed via a micro USB was slow.
Conclusion
The Nokia C12 is a super budget-friendly device that comes at Rs 5,999 and offers decent features and performance for its low price tag. While it may not have the latest and greatest specifications, it sports an average easy to grip design, the display gets the job done, and the camera is decent for casual photography in bright daylight. The battery is also acceptable. Overall, you can consider buying the Nokia C12 if you’ve been using feature phones from the company and trust its durability, or maybe if you’re on a really tight budget.
