Nokia 5.3 is Fresh, BUT is It Still Overpriced?

Nokia 5 series debuted in February 2017 and since then it always was a premium-looking device with comparatively lower-end spec and a bit overpriced. Now, Nokia recently announced its latest Nokia 5.3 smartphone, and at a glance, I felt it more mature this time. Today we are going to share our first impressions on Nokia 5.3.

Once a market leader, Nokia made its entry back to India with HMD Global in 2016. Since then they are mainly focusing on software. In fact, software (OS like Android) adaptation problem was one of the main problems, Nokia phased out in 2014. I must admit, currently, Nokia is the only brand after Google Pixel to provide pure Android experience although Motorola and Asus also come under the Android One program still, they install their own app in devices. Even from the Android update perspective, Nokia is miles ahead of many other renowned market players.

As I always say, stock android is smoother and proven easier to use for beginners, especially for our parents or grandparents. You may think otherwise as the requirement and preference vary from person to person.

Before we discuss our verdict, pros, and cons, let’s see the technical specification, box contents, and design of the new Nokia 5.3.

Nokia 5.3 Technical Specification

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 (11 nm SoC) 2.0 GHz octa-core with Kryo 260 CPU with Adreno 610 GPU
• 6.55″ HD+ (20:9) IPS Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 13 MP f/1.8 (Primary Lens) + 5 MP (Ultra Wide) + 2 MP (Depth) + 2 MP (Macro) rear camera and 8 MP f/2.0 front camera
• 4/6 GB LPDDR4X RAM + 64 GB Internal Storage (Upto 512GB MicroSD card supported)
• Dual nano sim slot with dedicated MicroSD slot
• 4000 mAh Battery
• 10W charging with USB Type-C
• 4G, Dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC support, and GPS/A-GPS
• Fingerprint sensor & Face unlock
• 3.5 mm headphone jack and two microphones for better noise canceling
• Dedicated Google Assistant button
• Android 10 out of the box with 2 years software update promise

Nokia 5.3 Design

• Dimensions: 164.3 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm
• Body: Polycarbonate
• Weight: ~180 grams
• Colors available: Cyan, Sand, Charcoal

Nokia 5.3 Box Contents

• Protective case
• Sim ejector tool
• Basic Headset
• 10W Charger & type-c USB 2.0 cable
• Quick Start Guide, Safety Booklet
• Nokia 5.3 smartphone

Verdict

If you are looking for a beginner’s phone or tired of having custom skins & preinstalled bloatware then Nokia 5.3 can be a good choice. It can effortlessly handle pretty much everything like social networking, calling, messaging, multimedia, and multitask for you. You can even game on it but resource-hungry games like PUBG Mobile may feel choppy at times. In fact, at this price point, there are other alternatives from Realme, Mi, Samsung, Motorola, etc and for gaming, any smartphone with minimum Snapdragon 720G or Mediatek G90T should suffice.

Note: Stock android does not come with call recorder & screen recorder kind of functionalities so install any third-party app if needed.

Finally, I would say this time Nokia did a fantastic job and priced Nokia 5.3 close to the justified spot. Keep in mind pure Android experience is the USP (Unique Selling Point) of this phone. For any beginners or moderate user, I can easily recommend Nokia 5.3.

P.S. You can pre-book Nokia 5.3 smartphone Amazon, Rs. 13999/- (4GB) & 15499/- (6GB) and shipping will start from September 1, 2020.