HMD Global’s Nokia 5.4, launched in early 2021, doesn’t look very different from other Nokia smartphones. The screen has a black frame with straps above and below that are thick enough that Nokia lettering will fit on the bottom. The main camera, arranged in a circle, is also not missing in this smartphone.
Nokia 5.4 workmanship and design
The affordable mid-range smartphone comes with a 6.39 inch screen. But a large cell phone is easy to carry. Conveniently, it comes directly with a protective film on the screen. Meanwhile, the metal or glass optics on the back have been dispensed with. The disadvantage of the plastic material chosen is obvious: it always looks dirty. Touch it once and fingerprints will appear on the back.
HMD Global has also refrained from placing the newcomer’s under-screen fingerprint sensor. This is why it’s on the back of the device – right under the camera. The Google Assistant button on the left side of the smartphone is slightly less convenient. When using the button, the button is sometimes pressed unintentionally. However, the function can be deactivated in the settings. Nokia 5.4 is available in “Dusk” and “Polar Night” colors. The former comes in dark purple and the latter in a dark blue color.
Technical details of Nokia 5.4
Nokia 5.4 is powered by Qualcom Snapdragon 662 processor and is backed by 4GB of RAM. There is also an internal memory of 128 GB. If there is not enough space, you can also expand the memory with the micro SD card. A second SIM card can also be inserted. You do not have to choose one of them.
The manufacturer did not use the latest WLAN standard in the Nokia 5.4, instead using Wi-Fi 4 (n). This means you can only use the 2.4GHz band. It’s also slightly slower than the newer Wi-Fi 5 (ac) and Wi-Fi 6 (ax) benchmarks. The 5G transmission standard has also been phased out. The smartphone works with LTE Cat. 4. This allows the smartphone to surf at speeds of up to 150 Mbps.
Furthermore, Nokia 5.4 has NFC technology, the Bluetooth 4.3 standard, and a USB-C port that you can use to charge the device. Wireless charging is not possible with this device. But there is another advantage: the mobile phone has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the other hand, HMD Global has waived IP certification. This means that the device is not protected against dust or water.
Nokia 5.4 has the following ratings:
- casing: 3.5 out of 5 stars
- Show: 2.5 out of 5 stars
- furnishing: 4 out of 5 stars
- camera: 4 out of 5 stars
- Programming: 4.5 out of 5 stars
- Batteries tray: 2.5 out of 5 stars
General evaluation: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Software updates
Nokia 5.4 runs Android 10 as Android One release. This means that the smartphone runs pure Android and the manufacturer has not put its own interface above it. So there are no manufactured pre-installed stuff. Additionally, we are guaranteed two years of software updates and three years of critical security updates.
camera
The Nokia 5.4 has four lenses integrated in a circle on the back. Main camera resolution is 48 megapixels. However, on the standard setting, four pixels are always grouped together so that a 12-megapixel image is finally created. The main quadruple camera also includes a 2MP depth sensor, a 5MP wide sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. However, there is no adjustable Pro mode so you can adjust the settings yourself.
Pictures are decent in daylight, but colors are a little pale. The Macro mode on Nokia 5.4 is a good idea, but it’s not an easy thing to implement. It takes a lot of patience to get a reasonably sharp image. Taking a close-up of a bee or other small animal here should be difficult, as it will not wait patiently for a sharp image to appear.
conclusion
For less than 200 euros you get an all-inclusive package with the Nokia 5.4. Good are the long software and security updates that come with Android One. However, it is disappointing that HMD Global is partially using outdated technology and the Nokia 5.4 is not much different from its predecessor, the Nokia 5.3.
Positives:
- Big Screen
- A jack link is available
- Dual SIM and SD card expansion
Negatives:
- There is no IP certificate
- Bad Google Assistant ranking
- The back gets dirty quickly
