The development company HMD Global was able to give yet another chance to the old Nokia brand, which both experienced and young users recall with warmth and respect. The new fifth model managed to occupy its niche in the budget segment of mobile devices and become a kind of middle ground in today's smartphone lineups.
So, the subject of today's article is the Nokia 5 phone. Photos and reviews of the owners, advantages and disadvantages of the gadget, as well as the appropriateness of its purchase will be considered in our review.
Contents of delivery
The device comes in a nice box of medium-density cardboard with an attractive design. The front side of the package shows the smartphone itself against the background of arms crossed and either a garage or some kind of blue container.
On the back there is a brief specification, which shows the most notable characteristics of the device, award icons at some exhibitions and random reviews of owners and buyers on the Nokia 5 in the form of praises. The latter, of course, are custom-made, but they don’t spoil the overall packaging style, they even complement it.
Completeness:
- the gadget itself;
- 1A network charger;
- USB cable for charging and synchronization with a PC;
- SIM card extraction tool;
- headphones;
- manual, including in Russian;
- warranty obligations.
The package is modest, and you will not see any covers with adapters and other related surroundings there. But maybe it’s for the better. Firstly, each individual accessory significantly adds to the cost of the gadget, and we have a budget device. And secondly, you won’t please everyone: someone likes the blue case, and someone likes the red one, so it’s much more practical here to buy all the extra things you need. In any case, judging by the reviews of the owners of Nokia 5, the delivery set suits them completely, and you can use the phone “out of the box”.
Appearance
As for the design, there is no intersection with the Lumia line from Microsoft here. We have a completely different appearance, in which a good half of similar smartphones from manufacturers from the Middle Kingdom are easily recognized.
The design of the gadget looks more like a classic "bricks". This is not to say that this is bad, because with the ergonomics of the device everything is fine: the device fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and does not try to slip out of it. Of course, for the brand new Nokia, such an appearance is not the best option, but even more so for marketing, but you can put up with it.
The design of the smartphone is non-folding, and the case is made of aluminum. All important components are placed at the ends of the case and do not spoil the overall style. Judging by the reviews of the owners of the Nokia 5 smartphone, this state of affairs does not suit many. Budget technology has never been durable, but users still need to be able to replace at least the battery.
For its dimensions (150 x 73 x 8 mm) and weight of 150 grams, the device does not burden your hand or pocket, and the abundance of colors allows you to choose exactly your option, which especially pleased the girls.
Assembly
There are no complaints about the build quality, it is simply impossible to find fault with it: good materials, the absence of gaps, backlashes and creaks are quite a rarity in the budget segment. In terms of performance, the smartphone can be compared with competing counterparts from Meizu, Xiaomi, or Huawei, and these guys value their reputation and fight for each client.
The device looks serious, monolithic, and you can’t call it cheap, so an inexperienced user can easily confuse the fifth “Nokia” with some model from the premium segment. Owner reviews about the Nokia 5 mobile phone in this regard are entirely positive, no users were unhappy with the assembly.
Interfaces
Above the main screen is a peephole of the front camera and a speaker. Below, exactly in the middle, is a fingerprint sensor, and on the sides there are two touch keys. The sensor received an inexpensive "stuffing", and with it the problems. Owners' reviews about the Nokia 5 phone on this occasion are full of complaints about its work: the slow response and response is not the first time.
On the top there is a 3.5 mm mini-jack for a headset, and on the bottom there is a mini-USB interface and a microphone with a speaker for playing multimedia and calls. The left end is reserved for SIM card slots and CD drives. Judging by the feedback from the owners of Nokia 5, the slots are rather flimsy, so you need to be very careful with them. Otherwise, due to a non-separable case, repair or replacement will result in a serious penny. On the right side there is a volume rocker and a device power button. Both work as they should and have a tangible move.
Screen
The 5.2-inch screen works on an IPS-matrix with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (HD). The sparse pixel density (282 ppi) is a bit upsetting, but during operation, individual points are not visible, unless you specifically examine them.
The device received automatic brightness control, and without additional settings, so you have to rely completely on the manufacturer’s vision, which is not very happy.
As for protection, the screen is equipped with the famous “Gorilla” of the first generation, coupled with an excellent oleophobic coating, so there are no comments here, especially for this price group. The finger glides nicely across the screen, and the glass does not get scratched in pockets and purses.
The matrix, of course, is budgetary, so the screen almost completely dies in direct sunlight, and you can work normally only indoors or in the shade. Color reproduction is well maintained, and judging by the tests, there are no serious deviations from the norm. Viewing angles are also at an acceptable level for the budget segment: you can browse through photos or watch videos with a friend.
Owner reviews of the Nokia 5 regarding the visual component are mostly positive. Users understand that they have a budget gadget in their hands and it’s unreasonable to demand bright and true colors from it - it shows well, and okay.
Performance
The Snapdragon 430 processor, which runs on eight cores, and the Adreno graphics accelerator of the 505 series are responsible for the performance. The gadget has received 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. The latter, if desired, can be expanded to 127 GB using external SD cards.
Judging by the reviews of the owners of Nokia 5, they don’t feel any discomfort when working with the device: the interface is lightning fast, and programs load and run almost instantly. Problems appear on "heavy" games. Serious and modern applications require a lot of RAM, which our respondent, alas, does not. Therefore, the graphics settings have to be reset to a minimum, provided that the toy generally starts.
Offline work
The device received a modest rechargeable battery of 3000 mAh. Such a capacity for the gluttonous Android platform is clearly not enough. In addition, the Snapdragon chip has never been economical.
With gentle operation (about an hour of music, games, instant messengers and calls) the phone will last for daylight hours, but by evening it will ask for a power outlet. If you load the device with “heavy” games and high-resolution video, then the battery will discharge in two hours.
Summarizing
For such a price - about 11 thousand rubles - we have a good device with its advantages and disadvantages. Among the first are extremely high-quality assembly, a loud speaker, excellent communication and good cameras. The latter include a mediocre matrix, blinding in the sun, and a lack of RAM.
As a result, we have an ordinary smartphone, of which in the segment in bulk. If you take the same “Meise”, “Xiaomi” or “Huawei”, then you will not feel the difference. The average score, judging by user reviews, does not fall below the four, so the gadget can not be called bad or unsuccessful. So here it is all about personal preference rather than some practical benefit.