Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 – Nokia budget smartphones under $200. No segment in the smartphone market has seen intensive competition in 2024 like the budget segment. Phone makers need to be agile and think out of the box to survive. This is something HMD Global’s Nokia has achieved a great deal. The Finland-based company has succeeded in putting Nokia back on the smartphone market. They’ve announced new budget phones; Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1.
The Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1 is available for under $200, which is pure value if you ask me. And they’ll be the focus of this article. The Nokia 3.1 runs on Android One while the Nokia 2.1 also runs on Android One but the Go edition. You can’t make a comprehensive list of 2018 budget phones under $200 without the Nokia 3.1 and 2.1.
Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 – The Design
The Nokia 3.1 seems to be a class ahead of the Nokia 2.1. On the Nokia 3.1 is a front glass, plastic back, and an aluminum frame. While the Nokia 2.1 features front glass and polycarbonate unibody. The front glass of the Nokia 3.1 is an unspecified version of Corning Gorilla Glass. While the front glass of the Nokia 2.1 is 2D cover glass. Nokia mixed the body colors of these smartphones. Unfortunately, there’s no fingerprint sensor for both phones. Their rear camera with LED flash is enclosed from the back and has a separate color.
The Nokia 3.1 is available in three body colors; Blue, Black and White body colors. While the Nokia 2.1 is available in Blue and Grey body colors. The Nokia 3.1 comes extremely light, weighing just 138.3 grams and 8.7mm. While the Nokia 2.1 is much heavier and thicker, weighing 174 grams and 9.7mm thickness. This could be due to the Nokia 2.1 shipping in a big battery capacity.
Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 – The Display
The Nokia 3.1 sports a 5.2 inch IPS LCD touchscreen with 69.4% screen-to-body ratio. While on the Nokia 2.1 is a bigger 5.5 inch IPS LCD with 70% screen-to-body ratio. The Nokia 2.1 features a 16:9 aspect ratio display, 720 x 1280 pixels resolution and 267 pixels per inch density. While the Nokia 3.1 features a 720 x 1440 pixels resolution, 310 pixels per inch density with an 18:9 aspect ratio display. The difference between them isn’t that much and should be hard to notice to the common eyes.
Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 – The Camera
This is where the Nokia 3.1 comes out clearly on top with better camera specs. The rear camera of the Nokia 3.1 features a 13MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. While that of the Nokia 2.1 features an 8MP sensor. Up front, is an 8MP sensor for the Nokia 3.1 and 5MP sensor for the Nokia 2.1. Being a budget phone means there will always be some limit. And the camera aspect of both Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1 just comes out plain.
SEE ALSO: Nokia 5.1 VS Nokia 6.1 – Good budget smartphones from Nokia
Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 – Hardware and Software
The Nokia 3.1 is powered by MediaTek MT6750 chipset with a Mali-T860MP2 graphics processing unit. While powering the Nokia 2.1 is Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset with Adreno 308 graphics processing unit. The MT6750 chipset on the Nokia 3.1 runs on 8-cores processor. While the Snapdragon 425 chipset on the Nokia 2.1 runs on just 4-core processor.
Both the Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1 runs on pure stock Android 8.1 Oreo. While the Nokia 2.1 runs on the Android Go edition with only 1GB memory available. The Nokia 3.1 instead has two memory variants; 2GB and 3GB memory.
Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 – The Battery
The Nokia 3.1 packs a non-removable Li-Ion 2990 mAh battery. While the Nokia 2.1 comes with a bigger non-removable Li-Ion 4000 mAh battery. The Nokia 2.1 supports some kind of fast top-up charge according to Nokia, which I think is fair enough.
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Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 – The Price
The Nokia 3.1 is available for about $175 (N61,250) while the Nokia 2.1 is available for around $117 (N40,950). Overall, both phones are affordable with great specs. But have never been a fan of Android Go edition. You’re limited to a whole lot on the smartphone. I would rather add a few bucks and go for the Nokia 3.1
Nokia 3.1 VS Nokia 2.1 Full Specs Comparison
| Nokia 3.1 | Nokia 2.1 | |
| Dimensions and Weight | 146.3 x 68.7 x 8.7 mm. Weight – 138.3 g | 153.6 x 77.6 x 9.7 mm. Weight – 174 g |
| Display | 5.2 inch (69.4% screen-to-body ratio), 720 x 1440 pixels with 310 PPI density and IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen | 5.5 inch (70% screen-to-body ratio), 720 x 1280 pixels with 267 PPI density and IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen |
| Memory | RAM – 2GB. ROM – 16GB OR RAM – 3GB. ROM – 32GB microSD, up to 256GB | RAM – 1GB. ROM – 8GB microSD, up to 128GB (dedicated slot) |
| Software | Android 8.1 Oreo | Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) |
| Hardware | MediaTek MT6750 chipset with Octa-core (4×1.5GHz & 4×1.0GHz) processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset with Quad-core 1.4GHz processor |
| Camera | 8MP f/2.0 aperture front camera + 13MP f/2.0 aperture rear camera with LED flash | 5MP front camera + 8MP rear camera with LED flash |
| Connectivity | 2G/3G/4G Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS | 2G/3G/4G Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-lon 2990 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-lon 4000 mAh battery |
| Additional Features | – | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), 10W charging |
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