The Nokia T21 is a successor to HMD Global's first tablet, but how much of an upgrade is it compared to the Nokia T20? While the Nokia T21 is the Finnish manufacturer's third Nokia tablet, it is its second of 2022. Just a few months ago, the company launched the Nokia T10, a smaller and cheaper alternative to the Nokia T20.
The Nokia T10 launched for $169, placing it firmly in the budget Android tablet category. For that price, buyers get an 8-inch display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, LTE, Android 12, a promise of two OS upgrades, and a battery that should last a day. A useful feature is the tablet's ability to double as a secondary touch display when connected to a Windows PC.
The Nokia T21 comes with an updated design. While it still has uniform bezels, a flat frame, rounded corners, and the same button placement as the Nokia T20, it now has a different rear camera housing and a two-tone paint job that's reminiscent of Lenovo's tablets. The Nokia logo has also moved from the center to the bottom corner and an NFC logo is now visible on the back too, a feature not available in the previous generation. Furthermore, the audio jack is now in a slightly better position. HMD Global is still sticking to one colorway, albeit Charcoal Gray instead of the Nokia T20's Ocean Blue. The new tablet also carries the same IP52 rating as the Nokia T20.
The Nokia T21 Has Stylus Support
The Nokia T21 still has a 10.4-inch 2K (2000 x 1200) 60Hz display like its predecessor, but it now also supports an active stylus (Wacom WGP and Wacom Active ES 2.0). HMD Global has replaced the Unisoc T610 chip of the Nokia T20 with the newer Unisoc T612. The chip is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage. In contrast, the Nokia T20 launched with 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of storage. Despite a larger storage variant, there is still a microSD card slot with support for up to 512GB cards.
Those who pick up the Nokia T21 will find it has an 8MP front-facing camera, an upgrade from the 5MP sensor on the previous generation. However, it still has an 8MP rear camera with an LED flash. There's still no fingerprint scanner, and while the spec sheet doesn't say, it should support Face Unlock like the Nokia T20. The Nokia T21 has an 8200mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging and buyers will either get a 10W charger or nothing at all, depending on the market.
The Nokia T21 runs Android 12 and will receive two OS upgrades and three years of monthly security updates. HMD Global will sell the new tablet in Wi-Fi and LTE variants. The base Wi-Fi model starts at €240 and has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. This is more expensive than the €200 launch price of the Nokia T20 but with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. HMD Global is yet to announce when the Nokia T21 will be available in North America, but it should be priced under $250 if and when it arrives.
Source: HMD Global