Nokia X5 Global Launch Hinted by HMD Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas

Nokia X5 was launched by HMD Global in China last week, and now, the company is teasing a global launch of the handset. The Nokia X5 is the second smartphone in the Nokia X-series, the first being the Nokia X6 launched earlier this year. The Nokia X5 that comes with a display notch, a dual rear camera setup, and runs on pure Android 8.1 Oreo, was earlier rumoured to be available in global markets as the Nokia 5.1 Plus. While there is no clarity on the name as of now, but HMD Global has hinted that the Nokia X5 will no longer remain a China-exclusive smartphone. The news follows the global launch of the Nokia X6, called Nokia 6.1 Plus in markets outside China, last week.

HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas had announced the launch of the Nokia X5 via Twitter on July 18. A user then asked whether the smartphone will be available outside of China, including countries like Sri Lanka and India. Sarvikas responded in a cryptic tweet saying the Nokia X5 will not need a poll so that the company can decide whether or not to make the handset available in other markets. Sarvikas was probably referring to a poll he created back when the Nokia X6 was announced to know if it should be launched globally. Even though the mid-range Nokia X5 smartphone is almost confirmed to arrive in other markets, the company has not specified when we can expect to be able to buy the Nokia X5 and which regions will get it first.

Nokia X5 vs Redmi Note 5 Pro vs Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 vs Moto E5 Plus

To recall, the Nokia X5 was launched in China in two models - 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage and 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage - and the variants are priced at CNY 999 (roughly Rs. 9,999) and CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs. 13,999) respectively. The smartphone went on sale on July 19 and is available in Baltic Sea Blue, Glacier White, and Night Black colour options.

The Nokia X5, as mentioned, runs on pure Android 8.1 Oreo, and HMD Global has promised monthly patches and fast Android updates. The dual-SIM device (dual 4G VoLTE) sports a 5.86-inch HD+ (720x1520 pixels) display with 2.5D glass protection, 19:9 aspect ratio, and 84 percent screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by the MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core SoC (4x Cortex-A73 at 2.0GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 at 2.0GHz, 1xVPU). The Nokia X5 supports a microSD card slot that allows for expansion of storage (up to 256GB).

In terms of optics, the Nokia X5 includes a 13-megapixel rear main sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a 5-megapixel secondary lens. There's an LED flash sitting below the two sensors at the back. At the front, there is an 8-megapixel lens with f/2.2 aperture and 80.4-degree angle of view. It comes with AI image technology, built-in portrait background blur, portrait skin mode, HDR mode and other functions.

The Nokia X5 packs a 3060mAh battery, and it claims to offer up to 27 hours of life time, 17.5 hours of talk time, 19.5 hours of music playback, 5.8 hours during gaming, and 12 hours of video playback. Connectivity options include USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, FM radio, and Dual 4G Dual VoLTE. The dimensions of the Nokia X5 are at 149.51x71.98x 8.096mm. Onboard sensors include an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, digital compass, gyroscope, and proximity sensor. It bears a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel.