Nokia C10 Unboxing and Review: Should you buy this phone?

Nokia is currently intensifying her interests in the world mobile phone market. This is characterized by the rate at which the company is pushing both featured and entry-level smartphones in recent times. Today, we have one of the company’s latest cheap Android phone, the Nokia C10 for review, but before we dive into details, let take the specs and unboxing out of the way.

Nokia C10 specs overview

• Display: 6.5-inch (720p) HD+ notch display
• CPU: Quad-Core 1.3GHz UNISOC SC7731E with Mali-T820 MP1
• Storage and RAM: 32GB and 1GB RAM; expandable up to 64GB via microSD
• OS: Android 11 (Go Edition)
• Camera: Single cameras (5MP primary) with single LED flash
• Front camera: 5MP selfie with LED flash
• Video recording: 720p@30fps (front & back)
• Connectivity: Dual Nano-SIM: GSM / HSPA 
• Other Features: FaceID, Micro USB 2.0
• Battery: Removable 3000mAh battery
• Full Specifications of Nokia C10

Nokia C10 unboxing

The box is a simple white box with the image of the C10 plastered on the top. This image color does not go in hand with the painting of the phone on the inside though!  Here is the full list of what you are getting out of the box;

• The Nokia C10
• A separate removable battery
• Clear silicon case
• Pair of earpiec
• USB 2.0 cable
• 5W wall charger
• User manuals

Nokia C10 Design, Built quality and Display

As far as design goes, I’d say I’m familiar with the look and feel of the C10. The Power button and volume rockers are on the right hand side.

The top of the phone has a 3.5mm audio. The device is even preloaded with FM Radio out of box, and this make the included audio jack most useful.

The charging port and the phone’s audio receiver are held in the basement, but the loud speaker is moved to the back.

Now, the Nokia C10 does not only have a removable back cover, but the battery is removable too, which is something we hardly see this days. The device has three dedicated slots for your SIMs and SD-card, and all of these are kept under the removable panel.

As for built quality, the phone feels well built in the hand, especially when all the components are coupled back together. The device is available in Light Purple and Gray, which is the color we received. The plastic rear is somewhat textured which help reduce finger magnet. The feedback from the Volume rockers are also better than some phones sold even above this price point. So given the price, the built is totally acceptable.

Nokia C10 Display

The screen on the C10 is a 6.5-inches unit with 720 x 1600 pixels. The panel is IPS, and this has up to 400 nits of brightness. Even though the device has a dewdrop notch, there are still notable bezels on the four corners, especially below the display, which also houses Nokia branding.

But as for the display quality, you are getting what you pay for, if not better. Color rendition is definitely not close to the best, and icons and text won’t appear painted on the screen, but the phone get the job done at the price. I’ve even seen phones within this price with lesser interesting screen like the panel on here.

OS and Performance

The CPU on the C10 is UNISOC SC7731e, and this is paired with Mali-T820 MP! GPU, so performance is in the baseline of what you’ll see in most recent Android phone. This CPU may not perform better than any Chip out there, so it is almost like the base of the baseline. Moreover, our review unit has only 1GB RAM, and this impact performance as well.

You’ll still be able to run some games and apps. In fact, browsing using Google Chrome feels faster than some phones with this same CPU.

Where the Nokia C10 shines the most is in the software department. The device runs on Google Android 11 Go Edition, and this OS is just so supper optimized to sip out every possible strength in the inherent CPU. One big change in this OS in comparison to what we saw in the Nokia 1.4 is in the multi-tasking panel.

The C10 is utilizing full Android 11 swipe multi-tasking panel, even with support to take the screenshot of the last screen on an earlier App, even though the App might have closed in the background. This is completely opposite of what we saw, and complained about in our Nokia 1.4 review, which you can take a look HERE.

Now, do you want to hear the most interesting part? You are getting 2-years major OS updates for the C10, meaning it will be upgradable up to Android 13, and that is for a sub-80 US Dollars smartphone.

So while performance is mediocre due to the CPU, the OS on this device compliment majorly for it price. It is worth nothing though, that the Nokia C10 is only 2G/3G smartphone, and 4G LTE network is not supported.

Camera Overview and Auxiliaries

Camera should be the last reason why anyone will be buying any cheap smartphone such as the Nokia C10. But if this is all you’ve got, then ensure to capture all your images in full bright daylight, or properly lighted environment.

On paper, the device has 5-megapixel rear and front camera, with a single LED flashes on both side. The camera interface comes with about four modes; Panorama, Photo, Video and Time Laps mode.

Long pressing the camera capture button can shoot up to 30-photos at once, and Nokia call this burst mode. In case you want to record a video, the maximum res is 720p on both lens.

Nokia C1 Camera Samples

Nokia C1 Auxiliaries: Loud speaker & Battery

In a very simple summary; among all cheap smartphones I’ve reviewed recent, the C10 has the best loud speaker, but the worst battery life. Even though the speaker is placed on the rear, and even though it might not have the loudest sound, the sound quality, especially clarity is very acceptable for the price.

Then Battery. Seriously, I don’t know what Nokia was thinking. A 3000mAh battery in a smartphone with 6.5-inches is just not acceptable. But if you use your phone just for calls, and with lesser internet activities, you could still expect morning to night of use.

Conclusions and Alternatives

Now, lets face the truth, the C10 is not for everybody. I think Nokia is targeting Children, or those just staring out with smartphone. So if you are an advance user, you better look elsewhere to avoid unnecessary complains.

On the other hand, if budget is a constrain, and you can make do without 4G LTE network, or say the possibility of future Android update is of any value to you, then go with the C10.

It important to note that there are a couple of alternatives out there though. One of them is the Nokia C20, which is the higher variant of the C10, and if you wish to jump overboard, the iTel P37 is addresses the battery issue on the C10, since it has 5000mAh battery, and if 4G is of importance to you, then check out Vivo’s affordable Y1s.