Nokia X1-01 dual SIM budget phone rocks ear-splitting speaker system

Nokia's new X1-01 is another in its line of super-cheap mobile phones and a variant of the X1-00 we tentatively associated ourselves with a couple of months ago. It's the mouthy little brother of the X2.

The significant difference between the X1-00 and X1-01 is the latter's dual SIM capability. Should you have done your homework and ascertained that one network is better for international phone calls and another tops for texts, you can put in a SIM card from each network and have the phone switch between them automatically. You can even assign a different ringtone and logo to each card.

If you thought the Motorola Gleam was basic, it's a smart phone in comparison. We're usually guilty of believing that everyone wants and can afford an advanced retina-splicing, Android shuffling, app guzzling, 3D high-definition touch-to-pay handset. Of course plenty of people don't, and though Nokia is particularly aiming the phone at emerging markets, it's due to launch everywhere in the not-too-distant future.

One commenter on Nokia's official blog summed up its appeal perfectly: "The X1-01 is a great phone. I am fed up with the 'smartness' of today's phones. All we do is to get dumber. Why on earth do you need a dual core processor to calculate 2+2? If you want to play a realistic 3D game go play football!"

Running super-basic Symbian Series 30, you're pretty much stuck with what's onboard, which isn't much. It's got an FM radio and MP3 player. It even lets you send texts and make phone calls. There's a 3.5-inch jack for connecting headphones or a sound system, plus a torch on the top.

We're still rather worried about that humungous speaker on the back, able to deliver 106 phon. Forget the science bit -- each 'phon' may as well represent an elephant stamping on your head. That's what it will feel like when teenagers, miffed that their parents bought them this instead of an Atrix, play their bangin' choons at full pelt on the bus, the Tube, the train, in the park, sitting on the garden wall outside your house...

Maybe kids are particularly nice, quiet and respectful in Finland. Or perhaps Nokia is unleashing its evil streak. If it's going to lose market share, it's taking the entire adult population down with it.

You'll certainly hear the phone when it launches in the UK -- it'll likely cost under £30. If you're looking for a cheap and slightly more subtle smart phone, check out the Vodafone Smart instead.