Nokia has announced a rugged new phone that has an incredible approach to durability, capable of lasting in 1.5 metres of water for up to an hour and surviving a 100-bar water jet at 80 degrees Celsius. It’s called the Nokia XR21.
The Nokia XR21 is built to last, and it’s the latest device the legendary phone company has made with a cool spin on it, moving out of Nokia’s comfort zone of simple budget devices. Just earlier this year, Nokia released the G22, a budget smartphone designed around being user-repairable, in collaboration with tech repair website iFixit.
And the latest device follows through with a neat little spin – it’s a rugged Android phone with a promise of lasting rough treatment, following on from an earlier model, the XR20. Over on the Nokia website, the company claims the device “can handle just about everything”.
“We know Australians love their smartphones and that they go through a lot of wear and tear in their lifetime. From parents of toddlers to tradies and outdoor adventure-lovers, the Nokia XR21 has been built for every day and for everyone,” HMD Global’s country manager for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands Brenden Folitarik said. HMD Global, for context, owns Nokia.
“We’re so confident, you can take the Nokia XR21 anywhere in Australia where you can capture those special moments, and should the worst happen, we offer a one-year screen replacement guarantee.”
So, just how resistant is the XR21? Well, the company claims that it can do the following things:
- Survive being dropped from 1.8 metres in the air
- Last in 1.5 metres of water for up to an hour
- Withstand a 100-bar pressure water jet at 80 degrees Celcius
- Operate in temperatures between -20 degrees Celcius and +55 degrees Celcius
- Be used with wet hands and gloves
- Battery life lasting up to two days.
Specs-wise the XR21 might not be as powerful as a premium Samsung Galaxy or iPhone, but with a big focus on durability, performance isn’t really the play here.
Regardless, the phone packs a Snapdragon 695 processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage capacity, dual SIM support and a colour choice between black and green.
The display is corning Gorilla Glass Victus, with a 120hz refresh rate and an FHD resolution of 1080 x 2,400.
The camera array includes a 64MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide and a 16MP selfie camera.
The rugged Nokia XR21 phone is set to be available in Mid May from JB Hi-Fi for $799.