Android 13 finally released for Nokia XR21 5G
There are many things I like about the Nokia XR21 5G, currently Nokia Mobile’s toughest smartphone. It has a sturdy and ergonomically pleasing body, a good display, a capable camera, and good battery life when used with 4G (at least, that’s the solution to a battery problem I encountered when using the Telemach network here in Croatia).
However, there are some things I do not like that make me appreciate the X30 more. For example, the fingerprint reader is damn unreliable. The camera output could be better, but the 5G is not usable since it eats battery like crazy and the phone is still running Android 12. Also, I can not forget the disproportionately high price. There is also an issue with XR20 having better software features for extra buttons than XR21, which should be an upgrade, but it is only partial since XR21 lacks wireless charging. Well, some things probably need to be saved for future models.
All these problems, or almost all of them, can be solved with a software upgrade and the first thing to do is to release Android 13. And that has just happened. Nokia Mobile has released the V2.210 update, which is 2.49 GB in size and is apparently available worldwide.
The download was quite fast and the installation in the blink of an eye. The device works well, performing all tasks smoothly and without any visible hiccups. Nokia Mobile missed bringing wider options to the buttons even with Android 13. The camera app has been improved from version 98.13.41102.02 to version 98.13.42602.20. I must say that it works faster, and the shots seem to be OK. I used to have issues with focus and the classic one with the automatic HDR that would overexpose the shots. Now the problem with focus is gone and I need to test HDR. I am starting to be impressed with the camera which means that with a bit of effort, things can be tuned to perfect for the class range.
Here is a short example of the shots before and after the update. You won’t see the difference but I can see it in the process of getting the image which is now faster.
I tried using 5G and I haven’t seen any improvements there. In just 5 minutes of being on a 5G network, the battery went down from 85% to 83% which isn’t happening when the phone is on a 4G network. This issue could be caused
Anyway, if you own Nokia XR21, you know what to do. Go to Settings > System > System Update > Check for updates and install the Android 13 for XR21.
