HMD Global, which licenses the Nokia brand started in 2021 with the launch of two new smartphones Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4. Both the smartphones are in the highly competitive sub 15k price category.
The Nokia 3.4, is the cheaper among the two and comes with a pure Android Experience, a powerful battery and a dated Snapdragon processor. The smartphone is simple yet elegant and is geared towards getting the simple things right. But does this hold up against the voracious consumer who wants the best bang for their buck, Well let’s find out!
Design
The Nokia 3.4 comes with a polycarbonate back design that follows a line-like onion pattern going down. There is an ergonomically located fingerprint sensor that sits below the circular three-camera setup on the back. The headphone jack sits on the top while the USB port and speaker are located on the lower side of the device. The right side has the power button and a volume rocker while the left has a dedicated Google Assistant button for quick access.
Display
The 6.39-inch 720p punch hole LCD of the Nokia 3.4 feels large and accurate. The low-resolution display means you have to compromise on the quality while watching content. However, the display offers a fine contrast level and is visible outdoors which is a huge plus. On the whole, playing games or watching videos is not a problem as the colours are punchy and colour accurate.
Processor
The Nokia 3.4 comes with a Snapdragon 460 chipset that was found on the Oppo A53 launched last year. This is an entry-level CPU with only just enough RAM to handle all your task with exceptional ease.
The device runs moderately demanding tasks and casual games without breaking a single sweat. Multitasking, was a bit laggy as the device fails to keep every app running in the background and thus takes a bit to load the one you decide to use an app.
Coming to the user interface, the near-stock Android One experience that is devoid of any bloatware or ads, provides a superb experience among the lot. Plus, it comes with a promised support for two years of the latest Android OS which is great.
Camera
The Nokia 3.4 has three rear camera setups on the back comprising of a 13MP primary, a 5MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP depth sensor. Even under perfect lighting conditions, the shots were a little fizzy and vague to look at. Dynamic range is lacking even when we turned on the HDR mode for shots.
Low light images were decent where the Night mode doesn’t anything except brightening the field settings to add a flare. You are well off without the night mode while taking low-light shots. Thankfully, all the shots we took have a great level of focus attached to them, making for some good details.
The ultra-wide mode also works well to capture a great amount of detail across a decent range. Coming to the video, the 1080p, 30fps shot was extremely basic and nothing extraordinary. The 8MP selfie camera too was decent as its garnered shots with little or no light but nothing that can’t be fixed via a software app.
Battery
The device is powered via a 4000mAh battery which can easily last for up to a day worth of moderate use. The device achieves this feat due to a mid-tier processor and a native lower resolution. However, charging the smartphone is a task in itself as the device uses a puny 5W charger given inside the box which takes 3+ hours to juice it up.
Gizmo Verdict
The Nokia 3.4 is great for people who want a cheap smartphone with the brand loyalty of Nokia and a no-nonsense outlook. However, where the average person expects a consistent performance and a solid built, the Nokia 3.4 doesn’t disappoint. So if you are in the market for a smartphone that won’t take a big chunk of your hard-earned money, look no further.
