Mid-range Android tablets haven’t really undergone the same pronounced metamorphosis mid-range Android phones have in recent years, but when you get right down to it, tablets generally don’t need to be super capable. As long as they can play videos and browse the internet, they’re probably doing their job.
Nokia’s T20 is another affordable Android tablet in the grand tradition of affordable Android tablets, and it doesn’t pretend to revolutionize the segment. But it’s a fine pick, and Nokia’s commendable update commitment means you shouldn’t have much trouble making it last a couple years.
Nokia T20
7.50 / 10The Nokia T20 isn't a remarkable tablet, but it's fine enough for light use — and good battery life and long update support mean it should stay that way for at least couple years.
SpecificationsProsConsDesign, hardware, what’s in the box
The T20 is a pretty nondescript glass-and-aluminum slab. It does flex a little if you wrench on it, but it feels sturdier than I’d expect a tablet in this price range to. It’s also just nice to hold: the gentle curve of the edges on the metal back settles really nicely into my hand.
Its 10-inch LCD display is okay. It’s better than full HD at 1200p, but colors aren’t especially vibrant, and it can’t muster much contrast. The bezels around it are reasonably sized, though, and the selfie cam is centered at the top when the tablet is held in landscape — which is preferable to the alternative, I think.
There are stereo speakers, which should help make the T20’s case as a media machine — but they aren’t good. They’re not very loud and have next to no low-end response. Sound out of the T20 is worse than some high-end phones, let alone other tablets or laptops. There is a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, though, so you won’t often have to use the tablet’s crummy built-ins. The worst thing about the tablet's hardware is there's no fingerprint sensor — but that's not terribly hard to forgive at this price.
The tablet comes with some literature, a USB-A-to-C cable and accompanying 10-watt power brick, and an ejector tool for the SIM tray-style microSD slot.
Software, performance, and battery life
Nokia’s Android software is about as stock as it comes, so the experience here is familiar and easy to digest, if a little lifeless compared to how Samsung and even Google itself style their UIs. That spartan approach extends to preinstalled apps, too; it’s not unusual for budget devices to come packed with bloat, so it’s nice to see Nokia’s more restrained approach.
4 Images Expand Expand Expand ExpandThe launcher’s got Google’s relatively new Entertainment Space where Google Discover used to live. I don’t love it. In theory, a place that aggregates movies, TV, games, and books for you to watch or play or read on your tablet sounds nice. But the content highlighted in Entertainment Space seemingly has very little to do with my tastes, and feels more like an assemblage of ads than a place to go when I want to kill time. It’s especially grating that you can’t turn it off; theShow Google App toggle in the home screen settings doesn’t do anything. If you’re not into Entertainment Space, you’ll have to either get another launcher or just ignore it.
Performance out of the T20’s Unisoc T610 chipset (I hadn’t heard of it either) and four gigs of RAM is good enough for the way most people will use this tablet. It handles web browsing, video apps, and even games like Pokémon Unite and Minecraft just fine (those games don’t look spectacular here, but they do run smoothly).
Getting around the tablet is a little jittery sometimes, though. Maybe in an effort to combat that, out of the box, Nokia has navigation animations set to run faster than normal. You can (and should) change it back in developer options. It doesn’t look at all smooth on the T20’s 60Hz display.
Pushing modest horsepower, the T20’s 8,200 milliamp-hour battery lasts for ages. Nokia’s estimates range from seven hours of screen time for power-intensive tasks to up to 15 with light stuff like reading. Based on my experience, that seems pretty close to reality. Unless you’re living on your tablet, you’ll probably only be charging it a couple times a week.
Should you buy it?
Sure.The Nokia T20 isn’t reallygreat in any single way, but the whole package is thoroughly okay overall. It’s not a good pick if you’re trying to replace your laptop for mobile work or play the most graphically demanding Android games, but of course it isn’t. It’s $250. Nokia’s also promising two years of OS updates and three years of "timely" security patches, a level of support that’s far from guaranteed at this price point.
You might want to consider the entry-level iPad at $330, if your tablet budget can bear it. But if you want something to casually browse social media on or a light-duty tablet for an older kid and you don’t want to spend iPad money, Nokia’s T20 probably fits the bill.
Buy it if:
Don’t buy it if:
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ShareTweetEmailRelated TopicsAbout The AuthorTaylor Kerns(1140 Articles Published)Taylor was a phone nerd long before joining Android Police in 2018. He currently carries a Pixel 6 Pro, which he uses mostly to take pictures of his dogs.