Nokia 5 Review

Introduction

The Nokia brand is back on the smartphone stage. HMD Global, the company which now develops and markets phones under the iconic name, has already introduced three Android-powered, budget-friendly handsets: the entry-level Nokia 3, the mid-range Nokia 6, and the Nokia 5, which we'll examine in the paragraphs that follow.

As its name suggests, the Nokia 5 occupies the space between HMD's other two Android phones. It is not as cheap as the Nokia 3 or as well-equipped as the Nokia 6, but it comes with a metal body, it offers a convenient fingerprint scanner, and it flaunts a 5.2-inch display. And at a price of just €190 (~$220), perhaps the Nokia 5 is worthy of attention. Let's see if that's the case.

Design

The design of the Nokia 5 is definitely one of its strong points – it has a premium feel thanks to its all-metal body. This sensation is further amplified by the rounded sides and corners which make the device very comfortable to hold. Weighing in at 160g (5.64 oz), the handset also feels quite sturdy, somehow reminding us of the Nokia phones from the good old days.


The power and volume keys are clicky and responsive. The fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button is truly a welcome addition at this price point and is generally reliable, although not the fastest.

At the very bottom you'll find a microUSB port, not the more modern USB Type-C one, which means that you won't get the convenience of using a reversible charging cable. Meanwhile, the 3.5mm audio jack is situated at the top.

The handset doesn't have any sort of water protection, so keep that in mind.

Display

The Nokia 5 comes with a 5.2-inch 720p IPS LCD display. This translates to a rather low pixel density of 282ppi. Obviously, the screen isn't the sharpest on the market, but some corners had to be cut for the phone to sell at less than €200.


Fortunately, this is pretty much where the bad news end. The maximum and minimum brightness levels respectively stand at 598 and 2 nits, ensuring good readability in both sunny and dark environments. The fact that the display is polarized should further improve outdoor legibility. With a color temperature of 7400K, whites appear slightly bluer than intended, but the overall color reproduction isn't too out of whack and is much, much better than what can be seen on the Nokia 3.