Meet the Nokia C30 - A budget friendly companion worth having around

The Nokia C30 recently dropped by for a month long visit, quite a welcome site since I’ve always wanted to get my hands on one of the new Android variants. A brand that needs no introduction, Nokia always brings with it nostalgia and this is despite the company’s well documented fall from grace over the years. To me, it also holds a special place through a previous association with the brand that included first hand exposure to most of its (also not so successful) Lumia smartphone product set.

Described as “somewhat of a flagship” by Florian Seiche (CEO of HMD Global) at launch, the C30 became available for purchase in early October and officially forms part of C Series that also includes the C10 and C20 – the C30 of course being the big brother.

Specs view at a glance

Display: 6.82-inch HD+ display
CPU: Octa-core 1.6GHz processor
Main Camera: 13MP main lens + 2MP depth lens
Selfie Camera: 5MP
RAM: 2GB
Battery: 6000mAh
On-board storage: 32GB

The C30 features a (quite large) 6.82-inch HD+ display with 720×1600 resolution, making it unsurprisingly the largest display ever fitted on a Nokia smartphone.

On the insides, the phone features an octa-core 1.6GHz processor with Android 11 (Go Edition) as well as 2GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage. It also comes with a massive and welcome 6 000mAh battery, also the largest also ever fitted on a Nokia phone, that HMD Global claims can last up to three days on a single charge.

The back of the phone sports a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor as well as a dual camera system comprising a 13MP wide lens and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfie fans (one club I’ve never subscribed to), the C30 caters a 5MP selfie camera, located at the top of the display, to cater for all those full on up close snaps.

Design and Display

Gong into more individual detail, first up are the aesthetics. The first thing that immediately jumps out is the size of the device which is quite huge and heavy, weighing at an official 237g. The sidebar is 9.9mm thick and has a 6.82-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20.5:9 to help make the overall viewing experience as immersive as possible. The colour reproduction and contrast are all okay, this is the case across different viewing angles.

Despite the plastic back, the Nokia C30 manages to feel sturdy in-hand and all things considered, is good looking enough to show off. One thing is for sure, dropping this phone accidentally or otherwise would take some doing and this is thanks to its gripped pattern.

Under The Hood

The insides of the Nokia C30 feature are driven by the Android Go 11 edition which ensures a smooth enough experience with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of inbuilt storage and the 1.2GHz octa-core processor, just be sure to not overexert the device with too many tasks at the same time. As its standard practice, Android 11 Go comes with pre-installed Go apps that include Assistant Go, Google Go, YouTube Go, Google Maps Go, Gallery Go, and Gmail Go.

The UI is clean and uncluttered with zero bloatware, this is something I really liked. Those concerned with security have nothing to fear, the Nokia C30 comes with a security update that the company promises will take place quarterly for two years.

How About That Battery?

Probably the standout feature, the battery on this device is beyond impressive, shades of what Nokia was previously known for way back when they were the market leader in the feature phones industry. The C30 features a 6000mAh battery that gives you enough energy for up to three days (as we briefly pointed out previously) on single charge… yes you read that correctly.

It should be said though that unfortunately, the device doesn’t have fast charging support but HMD have at least made the effort of adding a regular 10W charger in the box that is able to charge up the phone from 20% to 80% in about 3 hours. That’s still not quite there but compared to other phones with the same capabilities, the Nokia C30 stands out in that regard.

The Camera

These days one of the main considerations when looking to buy a smartphone is around the camera performance. In this instance, Nokia could have done a better job. The main 13-megapixel camera on the Nokia C30 (the highest on a C-series device) leaves a lot to be desired. Having said that, at the very least, the added depth sensor will give your portrait images the quality they need, especially on an entry-level device.

For that price point, no one shouldn’t be overly surprised by the sacrifices Nokia had to make and sadly these came in the camera department which, for selfie fans, also features a 5-megapixel front snapper.

I do have to mention though that it’s not the worst camera I have come across – you can still capture decent images both indoor and outdoors but you will need ensure that there is proper lighting.

Conclusion

The Nokia C30 is a solid device that is worth looking at for those in the market for a phone that sits between the entry and mid-level market. At a recommended retail price of R2,299 it acts as a pocket friendly option that features an attractive huge display with an equally big battery to boot. And yes more could have been done with the camera but (as mentioned up top) I have seen worse before. It is indeed a budget friendly companion worth having around and if not for you, then it will definitely make for a great Christmas present for someone else.

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Posted By

Thabiso Moloi

With many, many years of PR, digital & influencer marketing work under his belt, Thabiso has worked on a great number of technology, business and consumer brands. In addition, he has become obsessed with most things under the sun including music, series, sports, movies etc which he now regularly writes about. You can find him on Twitter: @Thabz_14