Nokia’s new phones look kinda old and uninspiring

It’s 2020 and Nokia’s got a brand new trio of smartphones out. Now, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought these were old Nokia smartphones, or smartphones from 2018, because let’s face it they do look a little dated. But, looks are subjective, right? So, let’s get into what isn’t—the specs. Here’s what you can expect with Nokia’s brand new Nokia 8.3, Nokia 5.3 and Nokia 1.3.

Nokia 8.3

This smartphone, is definitely the headliner. Not only does it bear the “flagship” Nokia 8 branding, but it is also the most formidable on paper. On top of that, Nokia claims that this is their future-proof 5G smartphone, and it’s even the smartphone that will feature in the new James Bond film, No Time To Die.

But, when I took a look under the hood, I was a little underwhelmed. I remember the days when the devices bearing Nokia’s 8 series banner were proper flagship smartphones. Then, they kinda ruined it, and it looks like they’re not turning back.

The Nokia 8.3 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor that supports 5G, and is also paired with 6GB or 8GB of RAM with either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. There is support for microSD expansion, so you can add more storage should you need it.

Up front, the smartphone features a 6.81″ Full HD+ display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a punch hole in the top left corner that houses the 24MP selfie shooter. Around back, you’ll find a quad PureView camera setup with ZEISS optics. There’s a 64MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra wide camera, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro camera.

Keeping the lights on is a large 4,500 mAh battery, which is actually really nice to see. That, paired with the other specs and stock Android One operating system should mean some awesome battery life. It also supports 18W fast charging, which is neat. What I’m personally not a big fan of is the side mounted fingerprint scanner that also doubles as a power button. I wish it was in-display or at the back, but well, I suppose this looks more aesthetically pleasing.

Speaking of aesthetics, while I can forgive the other two Nokia phones for their relatively dated design, I would have expected at least something a little more special for the Nokia 8.3. I mean, they’ve shown what they could do with the uber special Nokia 8 Sirocco, so seeing the 8.3 like this is a little bit disappointing. It does, however, come with an attractive colourway called Polar Night, which is nice.

Nokia 8.3 is priced at EUR599 (~RM2,818) for the 6GB+64GB model, while the 8GB+128GB model will retail for EUR649 (~RM3,053). So far, we have no word on the local Malaysian pricing, but we’ll update you as soon as we hear about it. Globally, it will be available in Summer 2020.

Nokia 5.3

Accompanying the Nokia 8.3 are the two more affordable Nokia handsets. Let’s start with the Nokia 5.3, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor that’s mated to 3GB, 4GB or 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD). Up front, there’s a 6.55″ display, but it only pushes a resolution of HD+, though the nice thing is that this phone has a pretty good battery size of 4,000 mAh too. But, it only has support for 10W charging.

You also get a quad camera on this device, with a 13MP f/1.8 wide camera, a 2MP depth sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide camera nad a 2MP macro camera. Up front, you’ll find an 8MP f/2.0 shooter for selfies. There’s a headphone jack, a Google Assistant button, and Android One software. Although it looks like there is a spot for a fingerprint scanner under the camera, I can’t seem to find any mention of a fingerprint scanner in the spec-sheet. Maybe they just forgot to put it in the website.

Nokia 5.3 is priced at EUR189 (~RM889) for the 4GB+64GB variant and will be available in April 2020. No word on Malaysian pricing just yet, nor is there any word on the other variants.

Nokia 1.3

Finally, there’s the Nokia 1.3. It’s an entry-level device that’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage with a microSD slot for further expansion. It does run on Android 10 Go Edition, which is a light version of Android, and features a 5.71″ HD+ display up front.

There’s an 8MP rear camera with “AI low-light enhancement”, that sounds fancy, as well as a 5MP selfie shooter. Its 3,000 mAh battery is removable, but is only capable of 5W charging via a microUSB port. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a dedicated Google Assistant button.

Nokia 1.3 will retail for EUR95 (~RM447) and is set to be available globally by April 2020.

To learn more about Nokia’s new smartphone trio, check out their website.

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