It is with a bit of nostalgia that we picked up a Nokia smartphone, a real Nokia, equipped with Android, as we have been clamoring for years. And so, after breaking free from Microsoft’s grip, the giant tries to re-enter the landscape of mobile devices that matter. We tried Nokia 3, a low-cost terminal without too many pretensions.
How it’s done
It will be the conditioning effect, given by the important name, yet taking the terminal in hand for the first time has a good feeling. The phone is extremely light, with dimensions contained in 143.4 x 71.4 x 8.5 mm, well built and, although devoid of precious materials, it returns a feeling of solidity and is perceived as a well-assembled terminal. An undoubtedly important fact for a device that costs just over 150 euros. With a completely plastic back, the aesthetics of the device recalls that of a Nokia Lumia 800. It is aesthetically elegant and minimal, with a well-optimized front: the 5-inch screen, with HD resolution, is surrounded by thin bezels. sides, a little more pronounced on the top and bottom, where three touch buttons stand out, unfortunately not backlit, The fingerprint sensor is missing, which is now ubiquitous in many low-end smartphones. In fact, we miss it, but it is useless to deny it: in a 150 euro phone, it would have been difficult to implement a really efficient one, and then the decision not to insert it is acceptable.
The beauty department is overall to be promoted with flying colors; despite having nothing original, Nokia still managed to give the device a pleasant, elegant, and refined touch.
Technical characteristics
The technical data sheet is somewhat lacking, or rather, also far from the mid-range. Indeed Nokia 3 is Nokia’s entry-level and, as such, must be taken into consideration. The processor chosen by Nokia to contain the prices is the MediaTek MT6737, a 64-bit 1.3GHz Quad-Core CPU, flanked by a Mali T720 GPU. In support also a 2GB RAM memory and 16 GB of integrated space. This configuration, in everyday use, is still sufficient to run the terminal sufficiently: there are no lags, but the general reactivity of the system is not excellent. So it happens that you have to wait a few more milliseconds to use that particular app, even if overall Nokia 3 lets itself be used well and makes the entire experience offered by Android available to the user. Moreover, Nokia’s choice is to offer a completely stock interface, complete with Google Now on the Home, which can be recalled by swiping to the right.
The display is good, despite its not thick characteristics on paper: HD resolution with a pixel density per inch equal to 264. It offers bright and vivid colors, however always quite natural, it reads well in any type of light, and overall it is a more than fair screen for such a low-cost smartphone.
Particular mention for sounds and ringtones: Nokia has “remastered” in a modern way many of its historical jingles, with a really interesting, pleasant, and appreciable result. Ringtones and notifications certainly stand out from the crowd and are better than those found on any other stock Android.
Multimedia
From a multimedia point of view, Nokia 3 offers a rear camera with an 8 MP sensor, f / 2.0, autofocus, LED flash, capable of recording video, with the second chamber having the same characteristics. The shots are sufficient, always considering the price range in which the terminal is located. The lens appears to suffer particularly from sunlight, which often negatively affects image quality. In any case, Nokia 3 beats from a photographic point of view all that group of “Chinese men” at the same price, who often have their Achilles heel in the photographic department. Nokia’s entry-level terminal will not take pictures comparable to the top of the range, but it defends itself well and for € 150 it is an appreciable secondary camera.
Battery
The reception is excellent and the telephone side is absolute of quality. We did not encounter any problems during the numerous calls, with a crystal clear one between the interlocutors. The battery is also good, from 2650 mAh, which manages to exceed 4 hours of screen on, thanks to a display only HD and CPU not particularly heavy from the point of view of consumption.
Conclusions
Nokia 3 costs only 150 euros, online you can even find it for less and is the giant’s answer to all that group of low cost “Chinese men”. It is a quality terminal, well assembled, which gives a good feeling in the hand. In everyday life, it allows you to take advantage of the entire Android ecosystem, as long as you wait for a few more guards to open the apps. Ultimately, the terminal is certainly worth everything it costs. Unpretentious, but it’s still a Nokia.
The official price is € 159.99 including VAT. For those wishing to buy phones and accessories on Amazon, the reference page is this.
PRO
- Well assembled
- Aesthetically elegant and refined
- Sufficient performance in all
- Quality suitable for the price
AGAINST
- A few seconds too long when opening the heavier apps.
