Nokia XR21 Review: Heavy Duty

[@robertcreighton272]

Three things I really need: TRRS headphone/microphone jack, expandable memory via SD card and dual SIM card capability.

[@1OMEGA111]

Buy the XR20 then. But you can only use dual sim OR sd card.

[@maclovin865]

This phone also works great in cold temperatures! I’ve used in -20 degree Celsius without any issues which I have had with OnePlus and iPhone X earlier

[@domd8290]

I have the phone and 2 days battery is literally the norm unless you’re on it all the time; and the camera (i think) is much better that you give it credit for. Heck…the pics you show in this video are pretty darn nice imo

[@AlexKidman]

Great that you're getting two days - but all of this is relative to usage and it didn't quite meet that in my experience. It's also why I run a standard test across all phones; while it doesn't tell me everything about battery performance it gives me a comparison point to work from - and this phone didn't compare well. Same story with camera really, most phones can shoot OK these days but compared to other phones in this price bracket, the XR21 isn't quite as good. As always, it's a question of which choices are important to you.

[@if3709]

I've had the xr20 for 2 years now, I can't think of another phone really. I dropped it so many times, works great and no scratches. Battery life is good, camera is good enough for me and has a lot of storage space, I'm making long videos and take milion photos and rarely delete, and it's still not even half full. I attached a string to the strap connector and many times I let it dangling down my wrist, with people watching in horror while it bangs here and there 😂 I love Nokia ❤

[@RowdyDandy]

When Samsung stopped making the a3 2017 a successor, there kinda was no sub-highend phone thats useable for everyday use while being water resistant via ip 68 or above. Got the XR20 and am super happy with it, the camera isnt the best, but as water resistant plus aux was the focus, this fits perfectly.

[@tomaskn]

Have the xr20 for a few years. Its hard to kill. I was working in a ceiling and was using it as a flashlight and i dropped it from 3m high on a hard tile floor. Battery is still good

[@vaclavapokorna3421]

Only bazery is good? Or whole phone? What about glass? I need phine with glass hard to break.

[@sburns834]

If its a successor it should have wireless charging like the xr20. Unfortunately it doesnt.

[@MightyBaja]

I'm buying this

[@ziaulhaqstudentofcollege8386]

I think it is a best smartphone of Nokia.....

[@sburns834]

Nope xr20.

[@davidsalli299]

Nokia XR21 has a much better camera and battery life, I've had both.

[@ILLRICARDO]

​@@davidsalli299 in terms of updates and software how does the phone perform, does it get regular updates ? Does the software have any bugs or crashes?

[@aussieisfisho]

Thank you so much, very helpful

[@angelohernandez-yp1tr]

How much bro

[@seanpodonovan]

Thanks - very helpful

[@AlexKidman]

You're welcome!

[@soundknight]

How do they stop the glass from breaking? its still glass right?

[@lucadoctorbho266]

Mono audio mapped to just one channel?

[@expresull]

GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) BEST GPS

[@Im_Deep_2000]

Still miss the lumia

[@snuffcarl]

Mmm god dammit , difficult decision. I was seriously considering buying one but most reviews are a bit mmeeeeeh. Seems like not a great compromise. Gives up a lot for a slim design. Whats your favorite rough phones right now, top 3?

[@stud2578]

I can recommend this phone.👍🏻

[@snuffcarl]

@@stud2578 good cuz i just bought it hahaha

[@FuckAdds]

Xcover are the competition for rugged yet slim

[@JustAFatGuyInTX]

I can't justify buying this phone when not only Nokia removed the SD card slot, but also the wireless charging. That and increased the price and didn't increase the storage space or ram amount. Even then the specs inside are barely an upgrade over the XR20. I'll admit it looks tough and quite rugged but you're ultimately better off getting something like the Pixel 7a and slapping a good case on it. Which has a far better camera, similar storage amount (With more ram), far better processor minus the battery life, and it's smaller. If Nokia just kept the SD card slot this would be a much more attractive device but I can't simply recommend it.

[@dinatalehazard8135]

Is Nokia XR21 available in African market

[@johnlanders9016]

I've had 3 of the xr20's. Two of them broke down when they got wet. The third was ran over by a truck

[@AlexKidman]

Yikes! Though clearly you're the target market. Don't think anyone's advertising a truck-resistant phone (yet).

[@One-Hundred-K]

They should research the S8 active, such a good phone, I was constantly dropping it in water with no issues, I only broke it after accidentally dropping a 100lbs. dumbbell on it.

[@jonhy2x4]

Just got one today shame it doesnt have sd storage and wireless charging

[@IvanTeixeira-ck9lr]

I used XR20 fo 1 year, killed it in swimming pool. does XR21 Resist pool water?

[@AlexKidman]

No - but then nothing does. An important aspect to realise with any water resistant phone is that all the tests are done in pure lab water and that’s all they count for. The more complex chemical mix in pool water (whether it’s salt or chlorine or whatever) is not accounted for. One drop in a pool *probably* won’t kill it (no guarantees) but repeated exposure will do for any phone.

[@killer_gamer8664]

it not ben relesed how did you get it

[@robynhamilton5362]

Any good for remote areas in Australia

[@AlexKidman]

I'm not aware of it being tested by Telstra for Blue Tick compatibility (they range the XR20 but AFAIK not the XR21) -- so while I can't say I've taken into the wilds, probably no better/worse than most in that respect. The heavier duty casing might be better in terms of survivability out there depending on what you were planning to do with it, mind.

[@Harlock2day]

What about the glass ? Is it Gorilla Glass Victus ?

[@AlexKidman]

Yep.

[@shaunigothictv1003]

No speaker test?

[@bojojas1918]

I owned one xr21 and its stereo speakers its so loud it has sound booster mode ,its very loud and powerful sound quality output

[@shaunigothictv1003]

@@bojojas1918 ok thanks

[@Bruno-mr2ho]

​@@bojojas1918 Is it possible to remove the permanent Google search bar?

[@the_explorerist]

I am really struggling to find a rugged phone that fulfills my criteria, but this and the XR20 are the closest. It is like rugged phones go from 5000mAh battery to 9600mAh and up, with nothing in between. Then when you find one that is ok, it has a completely retarded back design. I want a phone to be my navigation on my motorbike (Adventure bike), so to mount it, the best mounts are either Quadlock or SP Connect and to mount the phone requires the use of the self adhesive mounts. The lager phones like Ulefone, Doogee, etc, have terrible backs on them, so mounting the self adhesive mount poses a problem. Unless something comes out in the next few moths, it will have to be a Nokia.

[@dumfriesspearhead7398]

Gigaset GX6?

[@Bruno-mr2ho]

Is it possible to remove the permanent Google search bar?

[@AlexKidman]

I’m yet to hit an Android phone that wouldn’t let you do that, so while it’s gone back, I’d be utterly shocked if you couldn’t. I mean, Google will even let you do that on Pixel phones, if it’s not to your taste.

[@Bruno-mr2ho]

@@AlexKidman on Google Pixel 5 Android 12 at least it is not possible. on Motorola it is possible.

[@sc-mh3jj]

I believe that it is a requirement from Google to have the search bar on the home screen, in order to be certified as a Google One device. so I doubt it's possible

[@if3709]

On my XR20 I removed it, so I guess it's possible on the newer version too 😊

[@Bruno-mr2ho]

@@if3709 Android 13?

[@thomasamos4055]

"Ah, the dreaded 3ft grass drop test". Said nobody ever.

[@AlexKidman]

OK, so, first of all, 13/10, excellent Internet sarcasm, would sarcasm again and all that. But this is something that's come up more than once, so I figured it needed a longer reply. So I made one. And it's right here. Enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKmuiqKFns-DnJosi=D_V35NTOLHl4DjS3

[@thomasamos4055]

@@AlexKidman I dropped my mid range Samsung on the pavement without a case. It cracked the plastic around the usb c port.

[@FeverBonus]

@@AlexKidman This phone is a rugged phone, so 1.8m drop resistance is a (non-standard) feature.

[@AlexKidman]

@@FeverBonus Absolutely, it is a feature of the phone. I go into more detail as to why (excluding some very specific test scenarios) it's still rather pointless doing "on camera" drop "tests" (that aren't tests at all) kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKmuiqKFns-DnJosi=oJS1cbuWxyiy1Z_i

[@MSATHISHKUMAR4007]

Sir I Am Confused i Buying Nokia XR20 Vs XR21?

[@AlexKidman]

I'd only buy the XR20 at this point if you could get it at a significant discount.

[@james_wheelz]

they need an iphone equivalent of the old galaxy s active line

[@marshallb5210]

the screen brightness is subpar, 100 nits less than xr20 in real life and even that is shit for outdoors also my right ear enjoyed this

[@jackiebergstrom9232]

One of the worst phones I've owned. It doesn't hold up any more than any other mobile, dropped it from my hand when I got into the truck, it fell down both the first and second stairs, no violent trip down, to land on the screen, they were a long scratch on the screen. You cannot remove Google search from the home screen.

[@AlexKidman]

Oof! That’s bad luck for sure. If you’re in Australia HMD Global/Nokia will replace the screen once in the first 12 months for no cost (don’t know for other countries). And interesting to know about the search bar - though you may be able to bypass that problem with an alternative launcher.

[@cdl0]

Video summary: Aussie bloke reviews a phone that is nearly as tough as an Aussie bloke. 🙂

[@AlexKidman]

In my case, many would argue that it's tougher than me. They would probably be right.

[@cdl0]

@@AlexKidman Surely not! 🙂

[@sburns834]

Apparently it's not as good as the xr20.

[@tsunamijune]

It's a better SoC. Screen 120hz. Battery. The XR20 has it over it with the Sdcard slot and wireless charging.

[@tsunamijune]

Also camera's are better

[@sburns834]

@@tsunamijune they have the same size battery.

[@surya556]

Are you sure Nokia xr 20 is better than this? I want to buy but confused xr 20 or21 😇. Please suggest me

[@surya556]

Are you sure Nokia xr 20 is better than this? I want to buy but confused xr 20 or21 😇. Please suggest me

[@splinter2804]

D average smart phone wil withstand bein droped on that dirt u did...drop to pitch/concrete is much better to test it

[@AlexKidman]

It is -- if you've got access to the relevant shock indicators/measurement tools to make sense of the data. Otherwise it's largely just destruction for destruction's sake (especially if you have only the one phone to test and it's a loaner!). It did survive a drop down some wooden stairs (and that one was accidental, so not filmed), but there's a lot of variability in drop testing that needs proper controls etc to be valid.

[@splinter2804]

@@AlexKidman ok bro...

[@Kodazot]

Only bad thing no more micro sd

[@lynxon9939]

I'm sorry, but you can literally throw any phone on wet grass and expect it to survive. You gotta showcase the balls on that properly mate

[@AlexKidman]

So, I made a whole video about the phenomenon of KZbin "drop tests" (and why most of them are garbage) here -- give it a look: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKmuiqKFns-DnJosi=psSW88pDTJoIyUgC

[@lynxon9939]

@@AlexKidman long story short it's expensive. I get it definitely. excessive force don't prove anything. But a little bit more than that mate lmao. you might aswell skip the test then or throw the nokia at pillows or marshmallows. No offense mate I truly get it, but it didn't showcase the durability at all, which is weird since it was the biggest selling point. Other than that, great video. Keep up the good work

[@bennymarquez8495]

So the rumor about Nokia cell phone's being though is true!!!! 🤨🤨😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@aref_1410]

nokia tried to make a brick rather than a smartphone, the spec is not good enough

[@TheMikeDudley]

It's not great in sunlight? A "rugged" phone for outdoors? Seriously? WTF were they thinking?

[@ghostindamachine]

Perun reviewing phones

[@francisjakeyu556]

😂