According to research conducted by HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, 62% of Australians admit to having dropped their smartphones, smashing the screen. Long gone are the days of the brick phones that could withstand just about anything… or so we thought! According to Nokia, its newest device, the XR21, is “the smartphone version of the famous near-indestructible Nokia 3310.”
“We know Australians love their smartphones and that they go through a lot of wear and tear in their lifetime. From parents of toddlers, to tradies and outdoor adventure-lovers, the Nokia XR21 has been built for every day and for everyone,” said Brenden Folitarik, HMD Global’s Country Manager for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
“We’re so confident, you can take the Nokia XR21 anywhere in Australia where you can capture those special moments, and should the worst happen, we offer a one-year screen replacement guarantee.”
The Nokia XR21 is built to last, with Nokia claiming that it can survive in 1.5m of water for up to an hour, withstand 100-bar pressure water jet at up to 80°C and be dropped from 1.8m without getting destroyed. But with a price point around $800 AUD, is the Nokia XR21 worth it? Read on to find out more.
Nokia XR21 features and specs
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Source: Nokia
The Nokia XR21 comes in a gorgeous Pine Green and more classic Midnight Black, and weighing in at 231g, it’s a a pretty hefty phone. However, this weight does include a super-tough screen and impact-proof back cover, and it has also been certified for US military standard MIL-STD-810H durability. This means that it should be drop-proof, dust-proof and waterproof, at least to the extent specified.
With the goal of being able to use the phone no matter what life throws at you, the XR21 is able to be used in extreme temperatures down to -20°C. You can even use it with gloves on or if your hands are wet, making it the perfect cold-weather companion.
Its 6.49 inch display uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and has a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, with a FHD resolution of 1,080 x 2,400. The phone also has 96dB stereo speakers with an Audio Boost mode that helps amp up sounds, even in noisy environments.
In addition to the one-year screen replacement guarantee, the Nokia XR21 comes with four years of monthly security updates and three years of warranty. Included in the box is a USB type C cable, screen protector and charger. The phone has up to 33W fast charging capacity and its 4,800mAh battery is supposed to maintain up to 80% of its original battery capacity after 800 full charging cycles.
As for the cameras, the Nokia XR21 features a dual rear-camera setup with 64MP main and 8MP ultrawide cameras, plus a 16MP front-facing selfie camera. The back camera includes a double flash that is designed to help take pictures at night, paired with a variety of different photo settings and wind-noise cancellation spatial audio capture capabilities.
The Nokia XR21 will be available in Midnight Black and Pine Green for $799 from JB-HiFi or Nokia directly as of mid-May.
- $799 AUD
- Dual-SIM capabilities
- 5G connectivity
- Snapdragon 695 5G processor
- 6.49 inch FHD+ display
- Up to 120Hz refresh rate
- Dual rear-camera setup (64MP main + 8MP ultrawide)
- 16MP front-facing camera
- 4,800mAh battery with 2-day battery life
- Up to 33W fast charging
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB of internal storage
- Can be used with wet hands and gloves
- Operates in temperatures between -20°C and +55°C
- Quick Access buttons
- Midnight Black and Pine Green colours
Check out the latest from Samsung
Looking to compare more new phones? Samsung’s latest more affordable Galaxy A series is now available.
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128GB | $699 |
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Related: Nokia G60 5G review: A strong performance for the price
Compare SIM-only plans
If the Nokia XR21 is sounding pretty good to you, you’ll need a SIM-only plan to go with the phone, as the Nokia XR21 is not available to buy on a plan. Below is a selection of prepaid and postpaid SIM-only plans from a variety of providers, simply switch between the tabs to see the different options.
Here is a selection of postpaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 20GB of data, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Try using our mobile phone plan comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Here is a selection of prepaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 10GB of data each month, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. If you want to compare a larger range of offers from other providers, use our phone plan comparison tool. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
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