By Toby Shapshak
Nokia has always made solid phones that include great functionality. The new Nokia C1 2nd Edition handset is a good example of this.
Costing a wallet-pleasing R999, it has a feature you seldom see at this price point: face recognition to unlock the phone. This is made possible using the 5MP selfie camera, which helpfully has a flash, and other sensors not typically found at this price.
It has a solid build quality, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage, but you can expand that with a MicroSD card up to 128GB. It is also pleasingly dual-SIM so you can have two lines at once – and maybe a Rain SIM in one slot for that network’s very agreeable data pricing.
It has a 5MP on the back as well, also with a flash, and these cameras both shoot HD+ resolution of 720 X1440 for both stills and video. The low-light pictures are also good, helped by an ambient light sensor. The 5.45-inch screen also has HD+ clarity for video calls or watching video.
Nokia’s durable design means this tough little phone should keep you going for ages. Pleasingly, the 2500 mAh battery is removable. That is very useful if you want to have a spare battery and swap it out. I always liked that about Nokia.
It runs Android 11 (Go edition) and the added security of its AI-powered face unlock, Nokia says, means “whatever you have on your phone, it stays safely on your phone”.
Noticeably it still uses the older Micro USB charger and it has excellent WiFi.
All in a pleasing blue colour and weighing only 154 grams.
Toby Shapshak is the editor-in-chief of Stuff Studios.