The Nokia 5.4 has been here for a while. HMD Global, officially unveiled the phone in Kenya in April this year at Ksh.25,500.
The Nokia 5.4 is a competently priced phone offering a premium look and some decent camera performance. It however offers some downgrades in some specs compared to its predecessor the Nokia 5.3 that HMD was selling at Ksh.23,000.. It comes with an entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor and it also has 4GB of RAM with 128GB of onboard storage, which can also take microSD cards up to 512GB in size
That said, there are a few things you may need to know about the phone. The phone features the same design we saw with the Nokia 5.3. We are getting an understated look with a curved plastic rear that shines nicely in the light and even the circular camera housing on the rear.
The phone comes in Polar Night and Dusk colour options this time round.
At the back, there’s a fingerprint scanner just below the rear camera, a USB-C port on the bottom for charging and connectivity and a 3.5mm headphone jack available too for those who still use wired headphones.
There is no doubt that the Nokia 5.4 is a stylish phone in the budget segment, with the curved rear making it fit comfortably in the hand.
The display is a 6.39-inch HD+ (720×1,560 pixels) with 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display is also capped at 60Hz and this is where the phone faces some serious competition. Competitors in the same price segment are offering an increased 90Hz refresh rate for a smoother mobile experience.
You can watch our unboxing video below:
Nokia 5.4 Performance and software
The Nokia 5.4 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC, along with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, a downgrade from the Nokia 5.4 that featured Snapdragon 665 processor.
Day-to-day performance with the phone is fine, with apps opening quickly enough. There is no noticeable lag, and the Adreno 610 GPU is powerful enough for some mmmh light gaming. The performance is basically in line with other budget phones we currently have in the market.
The Nokia 5.4 is an Android One device meaning you get a pure software experience with a streamlined interface and no bloatware. Other than this you will also be getting regular updates for the next two years.
Nokia has never disappointed on this so you really don’t need to worry about falling behind when it comes to software updates. Remember, Nokia currently leads the global ranking in updating smartphone software and security. A huge number of Nokia smartphones are already being sold in the local market running on Android Pie or have an update already issued to them. This makes Nokia the fastest smartphone brand to reach this level.
Battery
When it comes to the battery, the Nokia 5.4 features a 4,000mAh capacity battery and this is one area that the phone shines.
The large battery combined with the relatively low-res display, the Nokia 5.4 has the potential to last you up to two days on a single charge. Pretty good, especially if battery life is one of your top considerations when buying a new phone, it’s for me.
Being a heavy user, I really never made it to the two-day mark for the entire period I used the phone mark but I still had some juice left before topping up the phone.
The phone however takes long to charge, that’s a downside to that larger battery because we are not getting any fast charge technology. The 10W charger supplied in the box manages to regain 30% charge in 30 minutes, meaning you might have to wait for more than an hour before the charge gets to 100%.
Cameras
For the cameras, the Nokia 5.4 packs a quad rear camera setup that includes a 48-megapixel primary sensor. This is a notable upgrade from the 13Mp main sensor of the Nokia 5.3. There is also a 5-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter. The selfie camera is 16-megapixel housed in a hole-punch cutout.
Check some sample shots below.
More shots are available on our official TechTrendsKE Instagram page.
Nokia 5.4 Pricing and availability
HMD Global is selling the Nokia 5.4 locally for Ksh.24,500. Is it a good buy? Yes, if you’re looking to get a pure software experience with a streamlined interface and no bloatware as well as a promised upgrade to new versions of Android at some point in future.
The battery life is also really good. The combination of a smaller display, the HD (720 x 1560) resolution, and Snapdragon 662 processor which is a downgrade from the Snapdragon 665 last year on the Nokia 5.3 however makes the Nokia 5.4 a hard sell.
The phone is available in Polar Night and Dusk colour options and can be purchased from Nokia recommended retailers across the country.
Follow us on Telegram, Twitter, Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates. Send tips to info@techtrendske.co.ke
