Earlier today, HMD Global announced the availability of the Nokia 5.4 in Kenya. This is the second smartphone from the company to launch in Kenya this week with the other one being the entry level Nokia 1.4 which is available in the country for Ksh 12,500.
24,500 is not that cheap and the question is, is the Nokia 5.4 overpriced at this price compared to what is offered by its competitors?
At this price, you can get devices like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro and even the Note 9S which is even available at a lower price. You should even be able to get the Redmi Note 9S for way less if you look around. Some of the other devices that you can get at around this price include the Galaxy A31/M31, Tecno Camon 16 Pro, Infinix Note 8, Realme 7i, Huawei Y8p just to name a few.
For the specs sheet, the Nokia 5.4 can match some of the phones at this price but the phone has 4GB RAM for the variant that is going for Ksh 24,500. The other devices on the list have 6GB of RAM at least for this price. For anyone who needs the extra RAM, the Nokia 5.4 may not be that good of a deal. In all fairness, there is a variant with 6GB of RAM but that will be available for a much higher price.
The screen resolution is also 720 x 1560 pixels which to be honest is not good enough for a phone within this price. With most of the devices it is competing with having Full HD resolutions, the Nokia 5.4 might not be that appealing to some people.
Nokia phones have always been known for their stellar battery performance and HMD Global promises the same with the Nokia 5.4. The phone comes with a 4,000 mAh battery that comes with AI-assisted Adaptive Battery technology that HMD says offers smarter app usage and prioritizes power to the things that matter to you. A 4,000 mAh battery is good but the phone does not operate in isolation, there are others it is competing with and they tend to have bigger batteries than this. All the cool technology to extend battery life may sound good but a bigger battery is what most people will see at first before they care about the extras it has to offer.
The battery also does not support fast charging at only 10W which is not acceptable in 2021 for a phone at this price.
Some Positive Aspects
Even though the Nokia 5.4 is not that appealing from what I have shared above, the phone does have some good things going on with it. It has a quad-camera setup made up of a 48MP main sensor, a 5MP ultrawide sensor, 2MP macro lens and 2MP depth sensor.
The camera is one of the key aspects of the Nokia 5.4 according to HMD Global with the company saying “When shooting content, we’ve emulated the experts for our ‘Cinema’ mode. This function captures 24fps (the film industry standard) and allows users to shoot content in 21:9 cinematic format. Once finished, the professional color grading options can add a Hollywood-like feel to your memories. To get smoother motion shots, simply dial it up to 60fps video recording – that’s nearly three times the film industry standard. Whether you’re filming your kid’s newly mastered skateboard trick, your dog’s fetch skills or the views from your daily run, the high frame rate will capture every move. Combined with image stabilization, OZO spatial audio and wind noise cancellation for videos, the Nokia 5.4 is perfectly suited for today’s busy lifestyles.”
These are all claims by the company and real-world tests have to be done to determine if the cameras are good enough.
Besides the camera, the Nokia 5.4 is powered by the capable Snapdragon 662 processor. The company says your Nokia 5.4 will optimize its power to deliver more speed, longer battery life, better imaging and increased performance where needed. This is all thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 Mobile Platform. Optimized with the latest AI technology, this software is there to make smart decisions in the background, to help you with your day-to-day.
In addition to performance, the Nokia 5.4 promises what all new Nokia phones promises and these include timely updates, at least 2 years of major OS updates, and 3 years of monthly security updates.
Below are some of the other key specifications of the Nokia 5.4.
- Display:6.39-inch; 720 x 1560 pixels
- Chipset: Snapdragon 662
- RAM: 4/6 GB RAM
- Storage: 64/128 GB
- Rear cameras: Four: 48MP + 5MP + 2MP + 2MP
- Front camera: 16 MP
- Battery: 4,000mAh
From what I have shared above, is the phone worth that price?
Also Read: Nokia Phones Software and Security Guarantees
