In Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw claims to have had a “religious experience” in the Manolo Blahnik store in Manhattan. Like Carrie’s love for Manolo Blahnik stilettos, I consider my relationship with the iPhone as emotional and authentic. I have been an iPhone user for eternity with no reason to switch to Android. But since I was getting a secondary number and wanted an extra phone for backup, I thought of getting an Android smartphone. I didn’t want another iPhone so I settled for the new Nokia C32, a phone that comes under Rs 10,000. The idea of using the Nokia C32 wasn’t really about alienating me from my iPhone; it’s more of a secondary phone that comes in handy in times of emergency.
Here’s my review of the Nokia C32.
Why I needed a secondary phone
It’s been over nine months, I switched to the iPhone 14. It’s my daily driver, and to be honest, it’s more than a phone for me. But there are days, especially when I am out of the country and need a local SIM to get in touch with friends and family, or when I am without cell service. In my case, however, at times it gets difficult to be dependent on one single phone. Think about my situation when I am out to cover a major event and I am juggling between writing a story, coordinating with colleagues on WhatsApp and getting an audio byte of a spokesperson. For such hectic working days, I wouldn’t want to risk and rely on my primary phone even if it’s an iPhone. I spent a few days with the Nokia C32 as my secondary device, and it didn’t seem silly to carry two devices. As it turns out, using a budget-friendly Android smartphone isn’t a dealbreaker (more on that later) for a long-term flagship iPhone user like myself.
The unit I have is Beach Pick and it looks soothing to the eyes. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
I quite like how it looks
At first glance, the Nokia C32 doesn’t seem like a sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone. In fact, it doesn’t look out of place next to my iPhone 14 which is both surprising and shocking at the same time. The C32 has a classic Nokia design, which gives the phone an exclusive look and makes it stand out from cookie-cutter phones in the same price range.
The Nokia C32 feels like a premium phone, not a budget device. It is a phone designed to be both practical and elegant. The back and front of the phone are covered with durable glass. Its frame has a metallic finish to it and is not actually aluminium. No big deal. The C32 is protected with an IP52 rating for dust and splashes. There are three colour options. My review handset came in Beach Pink, which is really cool. It’s just the right colour to cool me down in Delhi’s scorching heat.
On the right edge, you have the volume rocker and power button with built-in fingerprint reader, while the left only houses the SIM tray, which can hold two nano SIMs, or one and a microSD card. Finally, the bottom edge has the USB-C and a 3.5mm headphone port.
In the hand, the C32 feels great. Despite its large display, it is comfortable even in smaller hands. But it is the small details that won me over like a rectangular camera module positioned in the top-left corner of the back, or even as basic as including the wall charger in the box.
The power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The big screen experience
If you are used to a screen smaller than 6 inches, the C32’s 6.5-inch screen will feel absolutely enormous. The phone is bigger than my iPhone 14 but it never felt odd to get used to and I like the bigger screen. The size of the Nokia C32 is somewhere in the middle of the iPhone 14 and Galaxy S23+, with a 6.5-inch (720×1600) IPS LCD display that is big enough to watch videos, take notes or type email. I had no issue at all watching the first few episodes of Silicon Valley, playing casual games or even browsing through the web. Although the screen is big in size, it’s not particularly very sharp and bright enough indoors. It’s also lacking a high refresh display; it’s capped at 60Hz just like the iPhone 14.
The display is obviously big, good enough to watch videos on the go. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The specs aren’t high-end but that’s okay
In terms of hardware, the Nokia C32 is basic. The device is powered by the Unisoc SC9863A1 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The C32 has enough processing power to accomplish basic tasks like running popular apps, checking email, streaming music, and watching YouTube videos. I am not getting into benchmark scores because those numbers don’t translate into real-life performance. What really matters is whether the apps you use the most load any faster than your previous phone. The C32 isn’t designed to be a flagship phone, that’s for sure, but it’s fine for daily use. It can handle apps like Linkedin and Uber smoothly but don’t expect to run games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile. The clutter-free and clean user interface (based on Android 13) does help in making the phone a little faster despite the low-power processor.
Coming back to how I used the C32, I had sensed what to expect from a budget smartphone. See, if you are used to a high-end iPhone, you may struggle to adjust to a new platform or a phone from a different platform. That’s bound to happen but if you accept the C32 the way it is and know why you are using this phone as I do, then this device won’t disappoint you. Somewhere deep down in my mind, I kind of knew the Nokia C32 wasn’t able to match my iPhone 14 but it also doesn’t feel like the downgrade I expected.
The build of the new Nokia C32 is unquestionably premium for a budget smartphone. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Three-day battery life
The Nokia CE32’s battery lasted me almost three days, from early Monday to Wednesday. Sure, I didn’t spend much time with the phone as much as I did with my iPhone 14 during those three days but then I picked up the C32 as my secondary phone in the first place. Battery life of course depends on how actively you use the phone, but the C32’s 5000mAh battery can last long on a single charge. This is the kind of phone I’d like to take on long trips. I don’t think I would need to worry about my phone’s battery life on an upcoming trip to Himachal Pradesh.
In well-lit situations, the Nokia C32 takes better photos. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Cameras are not made for product photography
The C32’s cameras are okay, but not outstanding. There are two cameras on the rear – a 50-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. The phone also comes with an 8-megapixel front camera. Not to say the cameras have ‘wowed’ me, but the C32 produces high-quality photos for your typical daily snapshots. If you are just taking casual shots and filming 1080p video in the daytime, the Nokia C32’s camera works just fine.
Nokia C32 camera sample. Image resized for web.
I am pretty clear, I wouldn’t trade my iPhone 14 for any other smartphone camera for taking product shots during launch events. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Nokia C32 camera sample. Image resized for web.
My experience with the Nokia C32
I would be lying if I say I don’t miss the bells and whistles of the iPhone 14 whenever I use the Nokia C32. But as I made it clear in the beginning, I never saw the C32 as a replacement for my iPhone. I was very clear in my mind that the C32 will be a backup phone in case of an emergency. This doesn‘t make me believe less in budget Android smartphones.
If I want to rate the Nokia C32 purely from a value point, I think the device appeals for two reasons: it looks good and feels nice in the hand and the massive battery it comes with. But the C32 does come with some trade-offs like lower quality display and a weak processor. That said, there’s nothing terribly wrong with the Nokia C32 considering it costs just Rs 8,999. If you are considering a new Nokia C32, you are likely either looking to upgrade from a feature phone or step up from an entry-level Android phone that’s showing its age.
