Phone wars: Nokia X2 vs LG GW300
Both phones are decent purchases. But the GW300 seems to be giving more bang for its market price...
Camera: The Nokia X2 has a five megapixel camera in contrast to the LG GW300’s two megapixel camera. However, keep in mind that both cameras have fixed-focus. This does not really affect most users and would not have been noticed unless pointed out. This kind of fixed focus camera is usually used to make mobile phones more affordable and give it better pricing points. This does set limitations to the amount of low light photography you will be able to do. In this regard, the X2’s flash is a critical asset and gives its already much higher megapixel fixed focus camera an edge over the competition. Conclusion: Nokia wins by quite a margin.
Screen size: The GW300’s 2.4 inch screen is larger than the X2’s 2.2 inch. It might not seem like much of a difference but you can squeeze in quite a few words at the font size that the phones are using. Both of them have the same resolution surprisingly, and one would think that Nokia’s display would look better because of the higher pixel density. But to be honest, both of their screens look almost the same. The LG has better sunlight visibility than the Nokia, which is also plagued by bad viewing angles from the sides. It seems Nokia cut some corners with the screen. Conclusion: LG wins out on display.
Keyboard: The X2 has a measly 12-key alphanumeric keypad compared to the full QWERTY on the GW300. Moreover, the keypad is the flatbed type and though the keys are big enough they are a bit difficult to press. The X2 is not made for heavy texting it seems. The GW300 has no such issues, with its six buttons around the D-pad which offer incredibly convenient shortcuts. Sure they look tacky, but they make full use of our opposing thumbs. Then it has a four-row QWERTY keypad. Think Nokia E71 rather than Blackberry. Conclusion: LG is the way to go if you plan to SMS a lot.
Build quality: Both phones feel cheap and plastic-like. The Nokia tries to have some metal trim, but cannot hide the fact that it is mostly plastic. Don’t expect any wonders from the build quality on either. Conclusion: Both are not very good, but are still ‘passable’ given their pricing.
Memory and connectivity: Both mobile phones have phone books which support 1,000 entries. Both phones have almost no internal memory to speak off, but luckily both can be upgraded with micro SD cards up to 16 GB. This upgrade would allow both phones to substitute for your mp3 player if needed. The X2 has a few extra buttons on the side for its music functions as well if you are into that kind of thing. Both phones support Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP. Both do not support WLAN, but you can still browse the internet using mobile EDGE internet. Conclusion: This is a draw.
Conclusion: Both phones are decent purchases. But the GW300 seems to be giving more bang for its market price of just under Rs10,000. The X2, which is similarly priced is a great proposition for anyone who wants the comfort of having dedicated music buttons on the side so they can change songs by reaching their hands into their pockets. The GW300 is also better suited for heavy SMS usage, while the X2 wins out for anyone looking for a low-cost phone which offers a semi-decent camera.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2011.
Screen size: The GW300’s 2.4 inch screen is larger than the X2’s 2.2 inch. It might not seem like much of a difference but you can squeeze in quite a few words at the font size that the phones are using. Both of them have the same resolution surprisingly, and one would think that Nokia’s display would look better because of the higher pixel density. But to be honest, both of their screens look almost the same. The LG has better sunlight visibility than the Nokia, which is also plagued by bad viewing angles from the sides. It seems Nokia cut some corners with the screen. Conclusion: LG wins out on display.
Keyboard: The X2 has a measly 12-key alphanumeric keypad compared to the full QWERTY on the GW300. Moreover, the keypad is the flatbed type and though the keys are big enough they are a bit difficult to press. The X2 is not made for heavy texting it seems. The GW300 has no such issues, with its six buttons around the D-pad which offer incredibly convenient shortcuts. Sure they look tacky, but they make full use of our opposing thumbs. Then it has a four-row QWERTY keypad. Think Nokia E71 rather than Blackberry. Conclusion: LG is the way to go if you plan to SMS a lot.
Build quality: Both phones feel cheap and plastic-like. The Nokia tries to have some metal trim, but cannot hide the fact that it is mostly plastic. Don’t expect any wonders from the build quality on either. Conclusion: Both are not very good, but are still ‘passable’ given their pricing.
Memory and connectivity: Both mobile phones have phone books which support 1,000 entries. Both phones have almost no internal memory to speak off, but luckily both can be upgraded with micro SD cards up to 16 GB. This upgrade would allow both phones to substitute for your mp3 player if needed. The X2 has a few extra buttons on the side for its music functions as well if you are into that kind of thing. Both phones support Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP. Both do not support WLAN, but you can still browse the internet using mobile EDGE internet. Conclusion: This is a draw.
Conclusion: Both phones are decent purchases. But the GW300 seems to be giving more bang for its market price of just under Rs10,000. The X2, which is similarly priced is a great proposition for anyone who wants the comfort of having dedicated music buttons on the side so they can change songs by reaching their hands into their pockets. The GW300 is also better suited for heavy SMS usage, while the X2 wins out for anyone looking for a low-cost phone which offers a semi-decent camera.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2011.