Nokia have sent me another of their smartphones, the Nokia 5.3 to check out. Just last year, I spent some time with the Nokia 2.3. Which is an entry-level smartphone. At first glance, the Nokia 5.3 looks pretty similar but on a closer look, it certainly has more to it such as more lenses on the rear and a larger display! Let’s found out more about the Nokia 5.3!
I am giving away a Nokia 5.3!
Design:
The Nokia 5.3 comes with a plastic frame with a scratch-resistant plastic back. The device does seem really well-built and sturdy. The front of the device features a 6.55 inch Gorilla Glass 3 Display with thin bezels on the sides. The thicker bezel at the bottom of the display has the Nokia branding while the top bezel houses the notch camera.
On the device, you will find a power/unlock button and a volume rocker located on the right side with the dedicated Google Assistant Button on the left side. Underneath you get a USB Type-C port, mic and speaker while at the top you will find a headphone jack and a microphone. Flipping the phone around you will find the top centrally positioned quad-camera setup with the fingerprint sensor just under it. The fingerprint sensor works smoothly and effortlessly.
The Nokia 5.3 comes in three colours: Cyan, Sand, Charcoal. The unit I received to review came in the Cyan colour, which I thought looks really clean and will blend in nicely in any environment.
Processor/Ram:
Powering the device is an Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor with 6GB of RAM. This combo ensures that the phone will handle day to day tasks, whether these are snapping photos, updating your social media or checking your mails, the Nokia 5.3 can handle it with ease. Apps open up quickly with no lag and even when multitasking, I didn’t notice any issues.
Display:
The 6.55 inch display with 720 x 1600 pixels is crisp and clear and shows off colours nicely. The display also has a Low Blue Light certification from TÜV Rheinland, meaning less strain when you’re taking in all your favorite apps, games and videos. The display can also go bright, so you will still be able to see what you are doing when in bright conditions. The display makes watching movies, looking at photos, and doing day-to-day tasks enjoyable.
Camera:
To keep up with the times of more than 2 cameras on the rear (like the Nokia 2.3), the Nokia 5.3 comes with a quad rear camera setup and a single selfie camera.
The main camera is a 13MP f/1.8, (wide) lens, then there is a 5 MP, 13mm (ultrawide), a 2 MP, (macro) and lastly a 2 MP, (depth). Thanks to the Powerful AI imaging, you can capture images using the best settings depending on the scene.
The main camera takes really nice photos with good detail and vibrant colour. The lens has a great dynamic range, so different variations of light are visible.
The Ultrawide lens captures wide images with no distortion or warping. These images also look really great!
The Macro lens did a good job when I was taking photos of still objects at home but when outside in the park, this was tricky. To get a clear Macro shot, the subject and camera needed to be dead still. Having adequate light also helped get a better image.
To capture images at night, you can use Night mode, which adjusts the settings to make the images brighter. While the images are brighter, I found that the quality wasn’t the greatest. That being said, night mode was actually effective.
Portrait mode allows you to take photos with the background blurred with a bokeh effect. You can either take photos in the portrait mode or if you have depth mode turned on in the camera settings, you can add the bokeh effect to any photo, regardless of the photo you take. With depth mode turned on though, you cannot choose between the different lenses. Portrait mode on the Nokia 5.3 was pretty decent!
You also get an LED flash, HDR, panorama, time-lapse and square mode. There is also a motion mode that turns your photo into a video with a bit of movement. The camera also has built-in support for Google Lens which is nifty if you use it.
The front of the device has an 8MP selfie camera that is a wide-angle lens so you can get more in the frame. You can also take selfies with the portrait mode.
When it comes to video you can shoot video in 4K@30fps or 1080p@30fps. You can capture video in slow motion using the slow-motion mode which produces clear slow-motion video.
Storage:
The Nokia 5.3 has 64GB of internal storage but have no fear, there is a dedicated MicroSDXC slot should you need more space.
Software:
The Nokia 5.3 runs Android 10 and Android One, which essentially means the Nokia 5.3 runs stock Android! This means you will get security updates for 3 years and software upgrades for 2 years! The software runs smoothly and there is no bloatware installed. I like the clean look and feel of the UI!
Battery:
Powered by a 4000 mAh non-removable battery, Nokia says you are looking at about 2 days of battery life. If you don’t use the phone heavily, then sure. With my usage, I was looking at about a day and a bit, which is not bad at all. There is AI software to ensure that battery is saved when you aren’t using apps.
We are all battling load shedding in South Africa. With the Nokia 5.3 and its 2 day battery life, load-shedding will not leave you in the dark!
Here are some battery saving tips:
- Close apps when you aren’t using them
- Set the screen to go off shortly after you put the phone down
- Set the screen brightness to adjust automatically
- Turn bluetooth off if you aren’t using it
What’s in the box:
- Nokia 5.3 device
- Quick start guide
- Safety booklet
- Charger
- Headset
- Type-C USB cable
- SIM tray tool
Price:
At R4999, the Nokia 5.3 comes at a really affordable price. You are getting a decent smartphone that will fill the average user’s needs without breaking the bank. Compared to the Nokia 2.3 (which sells for R1999), I would say the 5.3 is worth the difference given the increase in RAM and camera lenses.
Verdict:
The Nokia 5.3 is actually a pretty impressive device. With decent performance, a good camera, and an impressive battery life, and all of this for just under R5K, Nokia has really made a phone that will be hard to say no to.
