Nokia X30 5G: saving the planet from e-waste one charger at a time
Nokia X30 5G. Picture: Noel Campion.
Finnish company Nokia is actively going further than most other companies to be more sustainable. My review unit of the Nokia X30 5G came in a box, which uses recycled cardboard with printing that uses vegetable ink. The phone is constructed with 100% recycled aluminium and 65% recycled plastic and Nokia promise three years of warranty with OS upgrades and monthly security updates to help the planet by reducing e-waste. And with each eligible device you purchase like the X30, you can register with Nokia which has partnered with Ecologi to plant trees. As of the time of writing, they’ve planted 363,533 trees and funded two projects.
Based on findings from the European Commission determined in 2019, mobile phone chargers were responsible for around 12,000 tonnes of e-waste in the EU, hence Nokia decided to remove chargers from their X series of devices in April 2021. Wall chargers can be purchased at nokia.com if necessary, and a portion of the proceeds will be sent to CLEAR RIVERS, a nonprofit organisation that works to remove plastic rubbish from international waterways.
I really like the direction Nokia has taken with its latest lineup of phones including the X30.
The materials used are a mix of metals and plastic but the overall feel is premium. The matte metal frame has flat edges and feels good in the hand with a nice balance to the weight.
The back of the device is matte plastic with the Nokia logo printed vertically in the centre. The dual camera system is beautifully crafted in a metal bump with rounded edges that match the corners of the X30.
The flat display will please many, including me, but I’m not as big a fan of the larger bezels on the top and bottom which takes away from the symmetry. Also, the USB-C port, dual-SIM tray and speaker grill on the bottom edge are off-centre. These minor design idiosyncrasies are far from deal-breakers though.
The left side of the phone has no buttons with only the antenna bands visible. On the right are the power and volume rocker buttons. There’s also an optical under-display fingerprint reader that’s reasonably quick and consistent.
The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus which significantly improves both drop and scratch resistance.
Sporting a large 6.43-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080px, the X30 produces vibrant colours and near-infinite contrast. It also has 450nits of brightness (typical) with a peak of 700 nits. Indoors, the display looks great but outdoors on a bright sunny day it can be a little difficult to see. It’s also good to see a 90Hz refresh rate which makes a big difference in overall smoothness over a standard 60Hz display, but we’re starting to see more displays with 120Hz panels in the same price range as the X30.
Nokia has always excelled in its camera tech and while the X30s cameras aren’t at flagship levels of performance, they do a decent job of capturing great images.
The main shooter has a 50MP (f/1.8) sensor with OIS and the second rear camera is a 13MP (f/2.4) ultrawide. A new feature called Capture Fusion uses image data from the main camera to enhance ultrawide camera photos and the results speak for themselves.
In good light, both cameras can capture lots of detail with a good colour balance and exposure. However, as soon as the light starts to fade, the ultrawide and less so the main camera sensors start to show their mid-range hardware limitations.
Night mode combines frames to improve clarity, detail and noise but it’s not the best implementation I’ve seen.
Portrait AI is impressive in creating a good bokeh effect that blurs the background to make your subject stand out. In general, it works well and makes portrait shots look more professional. Files can be saved in HEIF file format but there’s no RAW option.
Around the front, you’ll find a 16MP (f/2.4) selfie camera that offers excellent image quality as well as features including beauty modes and AI Portrait.
Video capture is good, but limited to 1080p at 60fps, so no 4K, which is a little disappointing.
Under the hood is a Snapdragon 695 5G SoC that offers an acceptable level of performance for a phone in this price range. My review unit had 128GB (UFS 2.2) of storage and 6GB of RAM with no microSD expansion option.
In real-world use, I found the X30 smooth and snappy although I did notice some lag every now and again.
The 4,200mAh battery is capable of getting through a day or even two at times, so no problems there. It doesn't come with a charger but does support up to 33 watts of charging (QC3.0, PD3.0, PPS) when used with a compatible charger. Unfortunately, there’s no support for wireless charging.
The X30 5G is a really stylish-looking mid-ranger with good performance and stellar cameras that outshine many of its rivals in its class. It comes with Android 12 out of the box and a promise of three years of OS updates and one of the best, almost stock Android experiences on a non-Pixel phone.
Nokia has to be admired for its stance on sustainability and commitment to reducing e-waste but saving the planet aside, the Nokia X30 5G is just a great all-around phone.
Nokia X30 5G - €549 Nokia
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