Nokia 5.4 review: Looks good and gets the basics right

Ever since HMD Global licensed the brand after the Windows Phone debacle, Nokia has produced a steady stream of affordable Android smartphones that generally offer value for money and good software support. Following on from 2020’s Nokia 5.3, we have the Nokia 5.4 that sports a quad rear camera setup, Android One, 2-day battery life, and a $250/£160 price tag. Competing with the likes of the Realme 7, does the Nokia 5.4 have enough in its locker to come out ahead?

Join us after the break for our review of the Nokia 5.4.

Design

Sporting a plastic rear panel, the Nokia 5.4 feels solid enough in the hand although it’s a tad on the slippery side, so a case is needed if you don’t feel like juggling a smartphone every day. The review unit is in the Polar Night colorway that is really pleasing to look at, so perhaps a clear case is in order rather than one that hides the rear panel. There is a certain amount of flex present on the rear panel when it’s squeezed but nothing to be alarmed at.

A dedicated Google Assistant button sits below the SIM tray while the power button and volume rocker are located on the right-hand side. The audio jack is on the top of the device, with the single speaker chamber sat next to the USB-C charging port.

Unusually for this segment, the camera housing isn’t the typical vertical strip of lenses. Instead, the cameras are based in a circular housing just above the fingerprint sensor, helping to create a really attractive rear panel. In general, the Nokia 5.4 looks more expensive than it is, with the Polar Night finish managing to catch the light in a good way.

Hardware

Performance

With an LCD display that has HD+ resolution, the Nokia 5.4 isn’t going to win the A+ rating from DisplayMate, but considering the price it’s reasonable. Sure, a bump to FHD would be appreciated for sharper imagery and text, but that would have probably necessitated a cut in another department. It may not have the 90Hz refresh rate like the display sported by the Realme 7, but then it does cost around £30 cheaper. Surprisingly, the display is usable in direct sunlight, so there are no worries there.

Weirdly, the Nokia 5.3 was powered by the Snapdragon 665 while the Nokia 5.4 runs on the slightly lesser Snapdragon 662. Having got both the 5.3 and the 5.4 to hand, I can tell you that the difference in performance isn’t noticeable, which may or may not be positive depending on how you look at it. The Nokia 5.4 is fine for casual gaming and apps open quick enough, but a powerhouse it is not. And that’s fine considering the price point.

There are 4/64GB and 6/128GB variants of the Nokia 5.4 depending on your region, and while you’ll find Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, a USB-C charging port and a headphone jack, the handset doesn’t support WiFi 802.11 ac, which is both unfortunate and a downgrade from the Nokia 5.3.

As always, we’ve run the Nokia 5.4 through a couple of benchmarking apps so you can get a general idea of where it places in the performance rankings, as seen above.

Battery

The 4,000mAh battery is like a gift that keeps on giving thanks to the combination of it, the 720p display, and the efficient Snapdragon 662 processor. Two days of normal usage is just about achievable with the Nokia 5.4 which brings us to the only real negative in that charging the phone is stuck at the lowly rate of just 10W which will take at least 90 minutes to fully charge.

Software

Unlike other brands, Nokia sticks pretty closely to the stock Android experience when it comes to software, which undoubtedly helps when it comes to rolling out timely updates. As a member of the Android One program, the Nokia 5.4 gets three years’ worth of monthly security updates and should be eligible to be upgraded to Android 12 at some point. Software support at this price isn’t something you would typically expect other than a one-and-done attitude sported by so many manufacturers of affordable handsets, so it’s definitely a big selling point for the Nokia 5.4. It’s certainly the cheapest way to get something approximating the basic Pixel software experience.

Another good thing is that bloatware is not a factor, there are no weird carrier apps or duplicate apps, just the basics and that’s plenty fine in my opinion.

Camera

Sporting a 64MP main camera, a 5MP ultra-wide lens, and a couple of 2MP sensors for depth and macro photography, the Nokia 5.4 is a capable snapper with accurate colors and a good level of detail. Capable of good-quality images in low-light conditions, it’s the supporting cast that is disappointing. Images shot by the ultra-wide lens offer erratic color tones, while the 2MP macro camera struggles to stay in focus. The 16MP selfie camera, though, is competent and its portrait mode brings a good level of blur to the background.

It’s not a Pixel-like camera experience, but then it costs far less than even the Pixel 3a, so with that in mind, the Nokia 5.4 is a competent mobile snapper that produces generally reliable imagery so long as you stay away from the ultra-wide lens.

Worth it?

Coming in at £159 in the UK and $249 in the US, the Nokia 5.4 is a capable phone that doesn’t have any real flaws other than perhaps the 720P display.

With excellent battery life, a stock Android experience with great software support thanks to Android One, capable cameras, and a bright if slightly lo-res display, the Nokia 5.4 is worth it, especially if you can pick it up during a sale in the US market where it regularly drops to $199. Competing handsets from Realme and Xiaomi muddy the waters somewhat in the UK market, but neither offer the same support in terms of updates or security patches.

After spending a few weeks with the Nokia 5.4, I was surprised at how capable it is considering its price, which really sums up the phone neatly – a capable phone that gets the basics right.
Nokia 5.4 | $249/£159 | Amazon, Amazon UK