Nokia XR21 2023 – Split personality – tough yet tender (smartphone review)

The Nokia XR21 has a split personality. On the one hand, it is tough as nails with IP68/69K/MIL-STD-810H, and on the other, it has a lightweight processor as your daily smartphone drive.

Please don’t take that as bad because all rugged phones make compromises. For example, the Cat S42 H+ also has IP68/69K/MIL-STD-810H and a lightweight MediaTek SoC driving it.

So our advice upfront is that if you want rugged, the Nokia XR21 is pretty much as good as it gets. If you want a phone with an SD695 5G SOC, look at the Nokia G60 for far better value. And you can stop reading now!

What is rugged?

In this case, it will withstand (without the need for rubber port protection)

• Gorilla Glass Victus can reduce screen breakage from drops up to 1.8m. Nokia has a 12-month screen guarantee.
• IP68 means Dust-tight and 1.5-metre immersion in fresh, still water.
• IP69K protects against close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature spray downs.
• MIL-STD-810H comprise a bank of tests aimed at US Defence compliance. Nokia has not revealed which of the 29 tests it passes.

Currently, the only phones in Australia with this rating are Cat S42H (Cat S42 H+ 4G – rugged, rubberised, and tradie-proof), Cat 62 Pro, and Motorola Think Phone (Motorola ThinkPhone – for thinking people).

You may want to read our guide on Waterproof phones – fact or fiction.

Australian Review: Nokia XR21 2023, 6/128GB, DS Model TA-1486

Website AU	Product Page
Price	$799
From *	Harvey Norman, Nokia Online, JB Hi-Fi, Qantas Marketplace
Warranty	3-years ACL
Made in	China
Company	See above
More	CyberShack Nokia news and reviews. Note that Nokia did not participate in CyberShack’s review program until 2023.

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below.  These are based on the price bracket as well. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

* Grey market – no Australian warranty, and 5G won’t work

We strongly advise you to buy a genuine model with Australian firmware. It is easy to identify the Australian version – under Settings>About Device>Regulatory, there is an Australian RNZ C-tick mark. There is also an RNZ C-Tick on the box. They use unique Australian 5G sub-6Ghz and 5G low-band frequencies, requiring local activation first. Read Don’t buy a grey market phone (guide)

First Impression – Rugged but not in an overly beefy way – Pass

As we said earlier, the prime reason to buy is for its rugged IP68/69K/MIL-STD-180H rating. Otherwise, stop reading and go and buy a Nokia G60 with the same processor and similar specs at RRP$549 (on sale at $349). That is what I would do!

Nokia XR21 achieves a rugged rating without too much tough-looking kit. Gorilla Glass Victus provides a 1.8M drop rating, the TPU corner bumpers and rear case help, and it is IP68/69K without rubber covers on the ports.

Screen – Pass

It is a 2400 x 1080, 20:9, 60/120/Adaptive, 8-bit/16.7M colour, IPS LCD screen. While it is pretty bright 450/550 nits Typical/Max with decent 1200:1 contrast, its colours are slightly muted. It also has limited off-angle viewing and is hard to read in direct sunlight. Widevine L1 is for streaming FHD SDR movies.

It is not a bad screen at all – but we feel for a rugged device, it should be far brighter and more daylight-readable. Nokia has a one-year screen replacement warranty to show its confidence that the screen will not break.

The screen can be used with gloves and wet hands.

Processor – Pass

Nokia XR21 uses a Qualcomm SD695 5G System on a Chip (SoC), providing adequate power for typical smartphone use. It is not a bad SoC or fit – just not what we expect in a $799 phone. You can read complete benchmarks here.

It is not a gaming powerhouse – you need to buy an SD8 series, but it will play PUBG and browser-based games at 30fps on medium settings.

Tests:

• Geekbench 6 single/multi-core: 904/2107 – in line with most SD695. It is like the MediaTek Dimensity 930 or Exynos 1280.
• OpenCL: 1364
• Vulkan: 1157
• CPDT internal storage UFS 2.2 seq read/write: 515/364MBps.
• CPDT microSD: N/A
• CPDT USB-C SSD: 31/28 OTG cut and paste only.

Throttling – Pass+

Nokia XR21 has good thermal management, especially for a sealed IP68/69K phone. The SoC barely throttles. While that is not crucial for a mid-range device, you can be a heavy user and still get full power.

• Maximum GIPS: 194,013
• Average GIPS: 189,356
• Minimum GIPS: 178,879
• 5% Throttle over 15 minutes.

Comms – Passable

• Nokia claims Wi-Fi 6 AX ‘ready’, but like its other ‘ready’ phones, it only connects at Wi-Fi 5 AC 433Mbps maximum speeds to 10 metres. Let’s hope a firmware upgrade fixes this.
• BT 5.1 BLE has a full suite of Codecs – SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX TWS, aptX Adaptive, and LDAC.
• NFC as expected.
• USB-C 2.0 (480Mbps) can use OTG for slow cut-and-paste access to an SSD or Flash Drive.
• GPS is dual band and has 3m accuracy.

Phone – 4G and 5G – for city and suburbs only

Nokia XR21 has a dual SIM or SIM/eSIM, DSDS (one active at a time), and dual ring tones. It finds the closest tower at up to 2.5pW (good). While it finds the other three towers, these are unusable.

This is strange as the SD965 5G X51 modem usually performs very well. We suspect the lower signal strength is a casualty of the IP construction.

Phone Summary: For the city and suburbs only where you have good tower coverage.

Battery – Pass+

It has a 4800mAh battery and is rated for 33W charging. There is no charger inbox – Bad Nokia (Samsung, Google etc.).

Nokia claims it has an 800-cycle recharge life (before it falls below 80% charge capacity), which is above the typical 500 charges for Samsung, Apple, and Motorola. Only OPPO offers more on some phones at 1600 cycles.

Despite the 33W rating, it only ever charged at 5V/2A/10W. We tried Belkin 30/65W, Google Pixel 30W, Anker, Cygnet, other chargers and 3 and 6W cables.

Tests:

• Video loop (50% brightness/volume/aeroplane mode: 14 hours 35 minutes (below average).
• PC Mark 3: 18 hours 47 minutes office use.
• Accubattery:  17 hours 49 minutes mixed-use.
• GFX Bench T-Rex: 407.9 minutes (6.80 hours) 4519 frames, gaming use (below average).
• Drain full load: 4 hours 29 minutes.
• Drain idle screen-on: 250-300.
• Drain 100% load screen-on: 1250-1300mA.
• Charge: 2 hours 10 minutes.

It should get two days of typical use. However, the video loop is short of expectations at 14 hours 35 minutes – similar SD695 SoCs give at least 18 or more hours.

We suggest you buy the $39.95 Nokia 33W QC 3.0 charger. We tested with a range of chargers with PPS and PD with 3.3-11V/3AS/33W, 11V/3A/33W, 12V/2.5A/30W and still only got a 10W charge. We don’t like your chances of a faster charge.

Sound – stereo – Pass

It has an earpiece and bottom-firing speaker – a typical stereo phone setup.

Nokia claims 96dB @10cm max loudness. It uses 2 x Awinic AW882 SmartPA 5.2W amplifiers that typically produce closer to 80 dB at one metre. We tested 81dB (loud enough).

The sound signature is mid for clear voice – not music. That means no low/mid/high-bass, late mid, and no treble.

The sound stage is as wide as the phone in landscape. But a distinct bias to the bottom speaker means poor Left/Right separation.

Bluetooth 5.1 BLE is very good with SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX TWS, aptX Adaptive, and LDAC codecs.

Hands-free calls are excellent.

Build – tough as – Exceed

Let’s just say you can drop this from 1.8m, drown it in 1.5 metres of water, and then pressure hose it. The camera sensors are protected with Gorilla Glass with DX+, which lets 98% of light through.

Android 13 and up to 15 – Exceed

It launched with pure Android 12, so three OS upgrades take it to 15. It also has four years of security patches to 2026. This is a keeper.

While it is pure Android, Nokia has succumbed to taking payment to include bloatware, including Amazon Music, Amazon Shopping, Booking.com, Express VPN, GoPro Quik, LinkedIn, Netflix, Quickstep and Spotify – all of which are easy to uninstall.

Nokia XR21 Camera – Pass

It uses a 64MP (bins to 16MP) Omnivision OV64B sensor. Omnivision is an up-and-coming sensor maker that offers a lower cost than Sony or Samsung. It is fit for purpose.

The 64MP does most of the work. There is an 8MP Omnivision OV8D for Ultrawide shots and for ‘Capture Fusion’ shots (both sensors capture a bracket of shots, and AI uses the information to create a better picture).  It uses the SD695 AI to estimate depth for bokeh (no depth sensor) and Night Vision 2.0.

Video is 1080p@60fps without Qualcomm EIS (electronic image stabilisation) and 1080p@30fps with EIS – a 5.4X crop to the horizon to keep the image stable electronically.

All that aside, the shots are not as good as expected. I think Nokia has more work to do on software updates. Daylight shots lack HDR definition; anything past 2X digital zoom is a waste of effort, noise could be reduced, and it needs more dynamic range. Night capture 2.0 needs more vibrant colours, less noise, sharper images, and better focus.

Let’s just say that it is better than social media class and has potential for improvement.

 Camera summary Nokia XR21

• 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are natural but lack dynamic range. Adequate details in the background, shadows, and highlights.
• 2X Day Primary sensor – the colours are natural with good dynamic range. The background is getting noisy.
• 4X Day: Primary sensor – pushing its limits.
•  8X Day Primary sensor: Don’t go there
• UW: There is a colour disparity between the 64MP and 8MP, but it is a decent shot.
• Indoor office light: Colours are good, and the dog’s face/ears are almost black.
• Bokeh Depth: AI must discriminate between foreground and background by finding a face. When it does not, it softens everything.
• Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) lacks dynamic range, details and colour.
• Night mode: Not much better.
•  Selfie: The 16MP (bins to 4MP) selfie has natural skin tones, details, and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in day and office light.
• Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@60fps. It struggles, and you would be better at 1080p@30fps.

CyberShack’s view – The Nokia XR21 is a good, rugged phone

You will have made it this far if you set out to buy a rugged phone.

I have the Motorola ThinkPhone, Cat S42H and B40 handy to make comparisons. Cat rugged phones tend to look ‘blokey’ with thick rubber bumpers. I can attest to their durability, but they also use fairly low-powered SoCs.

The $999 Motorola ThinkPhone delighted me as it was Carbon fibre/Kevlar/Armid elegant, had a powerhouse SD8+ Gen 1 SoC, 8/256GB, USB-C 3.1 5Gbps port, <1hour 5000mAh 68W fast charge, excellent camera, and a very bright 6.6” AMOLED screen. If you have $200 more, this is the choice.

If you don’t, then for $799, the Nokia XR21 is reasonable value. There is a specs comparison here.

Ratings 83/100

Features: 85 – It has everything you expect from a mid-range phone with an SD695 SoC and 6/128GB. The bonus is its rugged form factor.

Value: 70 – If you compare it to the plethora of SD695 phones, it is overpriced. If you compare it to rugged phones, it is reasonable value.

Performance: 80 The SD695 is fit for purpose. The camera needs work. Battery life is good. The screen could be more daylight-readable.

Ease of Use: 95 – Pure Android and an excellent 3+3+4 warranty/OS/security patch policy.

Design: 85 – It is thick, heavy, and rubbery but is still a good-looking glass slab overall.

CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.8 (E&OE)

Nokia XR21 TA-1486 DS 6/128

Brand	Nokia
Model	Nokia XR21
Model Number	TA-1486 DS 6/128
Price Base	6/128
Price base	$799
Warranty months	3-years plus 1-year screen guarantee
Tier	Mid-range SD695 5G processor
Website	Product page
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Qantas Marketplace, Nokia online
Country of Origin
Company	Nokia is a smartphone brand owned by HMD Global in Espoo, Finland. Many ex-Nokia executives run it. Microsoft previously held the brand from 2014 to make Windows Mobile handsets. The G and X series are the sixth generation under HMD and represent a new naming convention.
Test date	20-28 August 2023
Ambient temp	10-20°
Release	45078
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Go to Settings, System, and Certification to check for RNZ C-Tick. Nokia brand is often grey-marketed, and we repeat the warning that you must buy the genuine Australian firmware model if you want 5G, VoWi-Fi and Wi-Fi calling.

Screen

Size	6.49″
Type	IPS LCD
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	2400 x 1800
PPI	406
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body %	77
Colours bits	8-bit/16.7m
Refresh Hz, adaptive	60 Hz fixed or 120Hz Adaptive steps from 60 to 120Hz.
Response 120Hz	Adaptive
Nits typical, test	450 (test 465)
Nits max, test	550 (test 500)
Contrast	1200:1 (test  1100:1)
sRGB	96%
DCI-P3	Claim 82% NTSC of 16.7m colours/tones.
Rec.2020 or other	N/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	2.5
HDR Level	Will downscale HDR10 content to SDR as the brightness is way too low.
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	Yes
PWM if known	55100Hz – too high to be visible.
Daylight readable	No
Always on Display	No
Edge display	No
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	Widevine L1 FHD SDR
Gaming	Not for gaming due to 45ms G-T-G screen speed and SD965 processor, PUGB HD 30fps.
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus
Comment	White balance slider from cool to warm

Processor

Brand, Model	Qualcomm SD695 5G
nm	6
Cores	2×2.2GHz and 6×1.7GHz
Modem	X51
AI TOPS	Approx 6
Geekbench 6 Single-core	904
Geekbench 6 multi-core	2107
Like	Similar to Motorola Edge 30 Neo or OPPO A98
GPU	Adreno 819 840MHz
GPU Test
Open CL	1364
Like
Vulcan	1157
RAM, type	6GB LPDDR4X
Storage, free, type	128GB UFS 2.1 96GB Free
micro-SD	No
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	515
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	364
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	N/A
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	Finds 1TB SanDisk Pro SSD as Cut and Paste OTG. 31/28MBps reflects USB-C 2.0 interface.
Comment	Overall, the SoC Is fit for purpose but one or two steps below competitors.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	194013
Average GIPS	189356
Minimum GIPS	178879
% Throttle	0.05
CPU Temp	50
Comment	Good thermal management

Comms

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 6 (would only connect at Wi-Fi 5 AC 5GHz).
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps	-29/433
Test 5m	-44/433
Test 10m	-50/433 (15m 72Mbos 2.4Ghz)
BT Type	5.1
GPS single, dual	Dual accuracy 3m
USB type	USB-C 2.0 OTG (no audio/video alt DP)
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes – combo with Gyro
Gyro	Yes – combo with Gyro
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer	Yes
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Comment	This, plus the results of the LTE/5G test, show that its antenna signal strength is not as good as some of its competitors.

LTE and 5G

SIM	Dual SIM or eSIM and SIM 1
Active	DSDS – one at a time
Ring tone single, dual	Dual ring tones
VoLTE	Carrier dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier dependent
4G Bands	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12/17, 13, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 48, 66, 71
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n20, n25, n28, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77/n78, n79
Comment	All Australian 5G and low bands
mmWave
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
UL, DL, ms	40/20/29ma
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-94/mostly 300-500fW and occasionally up to 2pW
Tower 2	Found but unusable
Tower 3	Found but unusable
Tower 4	Not Found
Comment	This is strange as the SD695 5G and X51 modem performs well. We suspect the additional drop proofing, etc., impedes the signal. It is suitable for city and suburbs where there is good tower coverage.

Battery

mAh	4800mAh
Charger, type, supplied	Claims 33W fast charge Not supplied Quotes 800 charging cycles life Up to 2 days battery life
PD, QC level	QC 3.0 and PD 2.0
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)
Charge % 30mins	0.55
Charge 0-100%	2 hours using a 30W charger. Tended to charge at 5V/2A/10W regardless ort charger (several tested)
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	2 hours 10 minutes
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	14 hours 35 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	18 hours 47 minutes Accubattery 17 hours 49 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	407.9 minutes (6.8 hours) 4519
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	4 hours 29 minutes Accubattery 4 hours 57 minutes
mA full load	1250-1300mA
mA Watt idle Screen on	250-300
Estimate loss at max refresh	N/A
Estimate typical use	You should get two days of typical use. However, the video loop is well short of expectations at 14 hours – Similar SD695 SoCs give at least 18 or more hours.
Comment	USB-C cable supplied only capable of 2W charging. To achieve 33W, you need a 5W cable. The battery tends to charge at 10W regardless of charger or cable (four tested).

Sound

Speakers	Stereo earpiece and down-firing speaker. It has a dual speaker switch for mono or stereo.
Tuning	No
AMP	AW882 x 2
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	Yes
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX TWS, aptX Adaptive, LDAC
Multipoint	Yes
Dolby Atmos (DA)	No
EQ	No
Mics	2 x OZO Spatial Audio record with wind noise reduction
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	81
Media (music)	73
Ring	84
Alarm	84
Notifications	84
Earpiece	60
Hands-free	Decent volume and some noise cancellation
BT headphones	Good left/right separation and volume. There is a wide range of aptX codecs to select if earphones support that.

Sound quality

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	No
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	No
High Bass 100-200Hz	No
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Building to 1000Hz
Mid 4000-1000Hz	Building to 1000Hz
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Choppy
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Dip then declines to 20kHz
High Treble 6-10kHz	Decline to 20kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Decline to 20kHz
Sound Signature type	Mid for clear voice. Music quality is poor with no bass, choppy upper mid, no treble and lacking any vitality.
Soundstage	Stereo and reasonable left/right separation with a slight bias to the bottom speaker.
Comment	Suitable for voice but not for music

Build

Size (H X W x D)	168 x 78.58 x 10.45
Weight grams	231
Front glass	Gorilla Glass Victus
Rear material	Impact-protected polycarbonate plus Gorilla Glass with DX+ over camera sensors
Frame	Aluminium chassis and impact-absorbing TPU bumpers
IP rating	IP68/69K MIL-STD-810H 1.5M drop
Colours	Midnight Black Pine Green
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	No
USB cable	USB-C- to USB-C 2W
Buds	No
Bumper cover	No
Comment	No charger is a negative, especially as it needs 11V/3W/33A charging.

OS

Android	13 (Shipped with 12)
Security patch date	August 2023
UI	None
OS upgrade policy	3 OS upgrades, but the website states Android 12, so that is to 15.
Security patch policy	Four years of monthly security patches
Bloatware	Amazon Music Amazon Shopping Booking.com Express VPN GoPro Quik Linkedin Netflix Quickstep Spotify
Other
Comment	Pure Android and three OS/years updates are among the best.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	On power key – 7/10
Face ID	Face ID 2D
Other	Quick Access keys on the top and right side are programmable and support short and long touch.

Nokia XR21 Camera

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	64MP binned to 16NP
Sensor	Omnivision OBV64B
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.8
um	.7 bins to 1.4
FOV° (stated, actual)	68.8 (H) to 81.1 (D)
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	8X Digital
Rear 2	Ultra-wide
MP	8MP
Sensor	Omnivision OV8D
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	F/2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	120
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Video max	1080p@60fps no EIS 1080p@30fps with Qualcomm 5.4X crop EIS
Flash	Dual
Auto-HDR	Primary lens, sensor only
	Flash shot mode, Night mode 2.0, AI Portrait, UW Capture fusion, SpeedWarp, Action cam, OZO Spatial Audio capture with wind-noise cancellation
QR code reader
Night mode
Front	Selfie
MP	16MP bins to 4MP by default
Sensor	Omnivision OV16A
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	f/2.45
um	1 bins to 2
FOV (stated, actual)	72.3 (H) x 85.2 (D)
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Yes
Zoom	No
Video max
Features

 Comment Nokia XR21

1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are natural but lack dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights. • 2X Day Primary sensor – colours are natural with good dynamic range. The background is getting noisy. • 4X Day: Primary sensor – pushing its limits. • 8X Day Primary sensor: Don’t go there • UW: • Indoor office light: Colours are good, and the dog’s face/ears are almost black. • Bokeh Depth: Despite a 2MP sensor, it cannot discriminate between foreground and background, so it softens everything. • Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) is quite good, with adequate details, although there is too much noise. • Night mode: Very much brighter and way more detail – way better than expected. • Selfie: The 8MP selfie has natural skin tones, details, and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in day and office light. • Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps. It struggles, and you would be better at 720p@30fps.

Ratings Nokia XR21

Features	85
	It is a moderate performing SD695 5G in bulletproof clothing. As a phone, it underwhelms, but as a rugged phone, it is great.
Value	70
	As an SD695 phone, it is expensive. As an IP68/69K, it is not.
Performance	80
	The SD695 SoC is fine but a step or two below competitors’ offerings.
Ease of Use	95
	3+3+4 and Pure Android.
Design	85
	As a phone, it is thick and heavy. As an IP68/69K, it is what we expect.
Rating out of 100	83

Pro
1	IP68/69K/MIL-STD-810H
2	Pure Android 3+3+4 years/warranty/OS/security patches
3	Potentially has a 2-day life but slow 10W charge unless you get a 30W QC 3.0 charger.
4	City and suburb phone signal strength only
5	An adequate point-and-shoot camera, but the video is for daylight only
Con
1	No charger
2	Sound could improve
3	SD695 is not really in this class/price
4
5	Dull display – not daylight-readable
Final comment	If you are after a phone, there are better SD695-based ones. If you are after rugged, it is fit for purpose.