This is the Nokia 2 – costing just under $100 here in the United States.
It's the cheapest phone in the Nokia lineup.
Nokia has never failed a durability test, but with a device this inexpensive, it'll
be interesting to see what happens.
This is the last phone I'll be testing before my 2017 Most Durable Smartphone awards are
posted, so let's hope it survives.
[Intro]
Out of the box the phone feels very solid.
It's got the white and black storm trooper vibe going on, and even comes with a pair
of headphones, which you guessed it, plug right into the headphone jack at the top of
the phone.
With many companies making headphones an additional paid accessory, it's nice of Nokia to toss
a pair in.
The back of the phone is removable which gives us access to the SIM and SD card trays, but
no access to the huge, 4,100 milliamp power battery.
Non-removable batteries have been the theme lately across all smartphones, and these Nokia's
are no different.
The scratch test is first.
With a phone that's cheap, I was almost expecting a plastic screen, but it's actually advertised
as Gorilla Glass 3.
It is registering at a level 6 on Mohs Scale of Hardness, along with the rest of the tempered
glass smartphone flagships.
So far, so good.
The front 5 megapixel camera is under the same front glass.
There is no home button or fingerprint scanner, so you'll have to unlock the phone manually.
But, for the amount of money you saved buying this device, it's really not a big deal.
The earpiece is a super thin white piece of vinyl that isn't going to be doing much protection
against dirt or metal shavings.
The whole thing can be pulled right out from inside the phone, which means a year or two
down the road it could very well be falling out on it's own.
Glue doesn't last forever.
The Nokia logo on the back of the phone is inlaid into the white plastic surface – very
similar to how the old Nexus logos were set in place.
These are secure at the moment, but they do come out.
I imagine that over time the thermal expansion and contraction of the plastic against the
metal lettering will cause the lettering to come loose and fall out.
Definitely not a deal breaker, but it might bug a few people aesthetically a year from
now.
Surprisingly the 8 megapixel rear camera lens is made from glass.
The Nokia 3, one step up from the Nokia 2, used inferior plastic which can get damaged
easily.
Thumbs up for the cheaper Nokia 2 having better materials.
I've tested an insane amount of phones on my channel this year.
After this Nokia 2 test is over, I'll go back through all my phones and pick the most durable
smartphone, the most repairable smartphone, and the least repairable.
And I'll also throw in some shade at companies who made some stupid design choices this year.
Hopefully this information I provide helps people when buying phones.
I know this snowman carved into the white plastic definitely approves of buying durable
phones that stand the test of time.
The buttons along the side are made from metal, along with the sides of the phone; definitely
all metal.
Up here at the top of the phone we have our headphone jack and some more metal.
At the bottom of the phone, instead of a USB-C, we have the older style micro USB connector.
For $100 though, you can't be too picky.
And now for the burn test.
This 5 inch IPS LCD lasted about seconds under the heat from my flame.
I do the burn test because, well, I wasn't allowed to play with matches as a child, and
I'm making up for lost time.
Plus it's fun to watch pixels come back to life with the IPS displays, and don't pretend
you don't enjoy it as well.
Now for the ultimate test to see what kind of build quality we get with $100 of materials.
Starting from the back we get a decent sized flex from the phone, but the frame and the
glass are still intact.
A permanent kink has developed in the frame, but with a little bend from the front side,
it flexes again the other direction.
But the whole thing remains in one piece which is pretty impressive.
Even Nokia's cheapest phones are unbreakable.
I'm a fan, and I'm definitely looking forward to what they come up with next year.
Nokia's reputation is consistent.
Hit that subscribe button so you don't miss the Most Durable Smartphone awards for this
year.
And thanks a ton for watching.
I'll see you around.