Over the past year, we have seen some impressive smartphones launch at around Rs 10,000. Some of them have targeted gamers while others have tried to bring a better camera and some even focused on battery life. We have seen devices like the Redmi Note 9 and the Realme Narzo 20 fight for the top spot in the 10K budget smartphone segment. But today, we have with us a different contender in this price segment - the Nokia 2.4. The smartphone isn't the heaviest hitter when it comes to specs on paper, but then again it doesn’t need to be as that’s not the audience it is targeting. So, who is this phone right for? Well, read on and find out.
Nokia 2.4: Key specifications at a glance
- Dual SIM: Yes
- Weight: 195 grams
- Display Size: 6.5-inch
- Display Type: IPS LCD
- Display Resolution: 720 x 1600
- OS: Android 10 (stock)
- CPU: MediaTek MT6762 Helio P22
- GPU: PowerVR GE8320
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Rear camera: dual - 13MP+2MP
- Front camera: 5MP
- Battery: 4500mAh
Nokia 2.4: Build and design
Before we get into the design of the Nokia 2.4, know that the smartphone is available in Charcoal Grey, Fjord Blue and Dusk. The one we have with us today is the Fjord Blue. Did you know that a Fjord is “a long, deep, narrow body of water that reaches far inland”? Well, I didn’t, and one of the more striking things about this smartphone is its colour and design. Keep it face down on a table, and it will definitely turn heads. From a certain angle, when light reflects off the back of the smartphone, it looks as though the smartphone is changing from light blue to dark blue. Needless to say, you don't want to hide this back with a protective case.
Speaking of covers, you really don't need one as the smartphone has a 3D nano-textured finish at the back, adding to the grip. While one would expect to put a cover on a smartphone with a glass back to protect it, this one looks like it can withstand usage without a cover.
The back of the phone also houses the fingerprint sensor which is very responsive, once set up. Unlike other smartphones that have a slight indent at the back where the fingerprint reader rests, that isn’t the case here. This means finding the fingerprint reader takes some getting used to before you’re comfortable with where it is. The back of the phone also houses the dual camera (more on that in a bit).
Coming to the ports and buttons, we have the power button and volume rocker on the right and a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left along with the SIM tray. The top has the endangered 3.5mm headphones jack and the bottom, a micro-USB port. The micro-USB port is accompanied by the speaker as well. The phone is tall, making one-handed use difficult. It has a small notch on the display which houses the front camera.
Overall, the build of the smartphone feels top-notch and the design is unique. I am the kind of person that prefers a premium polycarbonate finish as opposed to glass, but that’s a personal preference.
Nokia 2.4: Performance
Let’s get the obvious out of the way; if you are looking for a beast of a phone to multitask like a ninja and play Call of Duty: Mobile at high settings, then this isn't the phone for you. You are better off looking elsewhere. For comparison’s sake, below is a look at some benchmarks of the Nokia 2.4 and how it stacks up against the competition.
Using the Nokia 2.4 as my daily smartphone for a few days, there are some things to appreciate and some that left me wanting more. Let’s begin. Starting with the obvious; calling, texting and social networking, all worked well on this phone. The apps may take a heartbeat longer than I’d like to switch between when multitasking, but it wasn’t something that removed me from the experience completely. From watching videos on YouTube to switching to Twitter, then Instagram and Facebook, this phone got the job done quite well. The tall screen made it handy to use an app like Twitter and even for me to read books on the Kindle app. The typing experience on the phone was also ergonomic and comfortable. Needless to say, if you type long emails on the go, this phone’s ergonomics can definitely work well for you.
Moving over to gaming, as we said before, if you are looking to play Call of Duty: Mobile in all its fidelity, then this isn’t the smartphone for you. Call of Duty Mobile is playable and at low settings we got an average FPS of 44 with 77 percent FPS stability. So, you can play the game for sure, just not at high settings. However, playing games like Brick Breaker, or Galaxy Attack or Ludo, Chess, Othello, etc. all ran perfectly well. So, if casual gaming on a smartphone is what you want then this phone gets the job done.
The Nokia 2.4 runs on stock Android and that's a good thing. There is no bloatware that hampers the experience on the device. With a guarantee of 2 years of Android OS updates and 3 years of security updates, you don't need to worry about the longevity of the smartphone.
Nokia 2.4: Display
For video consumption, the Nokia 2.4 can do a maximum of 720p at 60Hz on YouTube and because it lacks Widevine L1, it can only manage SD for a service like Netflix. While watching YouTube on this phone was enjoyable at 720p with punchy colours and crisp looking videos but on a service like Netflix, it had a slightly blurry image as it played back in SD, lacking the crispness for an enjoyable content consumption experience. Coming to the audio, the speaker is loud enough to enjoy a movie trailer, podcast or even the occasional news bulletin, but it is mono only.
Nokia 2.4: Battery
Moving over to the battery, the smartphone can run for a full 2 days of use quite easily thanks to the 4500mAh battery. With average use of a few calls, messaging and social networking, the phone was ready to go back on the charger in the evening of the second day - not bad. When leaving the brightness on auto and connecting a pair of headphones via the 3.5mm port, we lost a little over 5% battery with consuming content on Netflix. So, this phone can definitely be your companion for those long binging sessions. My only problem with the battery is that the phone takes more than 3 hours to go from 0 to 100% charge which means you are better off plugging the device into the wall before going to sleep.
Considering that Document apps work well on this phone and YouTube works fine, along with a decent speaker and battery life, the Nokia 2.4 is a prospective smartphone for kids who need to watch online classes. The display is decent for content consumption as well. The stock Android nature of the device also adds to this experience, but as we said above, heavy multitasking can cause the device to stutter.
Nokia 2.4: Camera
Put simply, the camera gets the job done in well-lit situations. It has a decent dynamic range, and you can get colours to pop if the lighting in the room is right. It has a dedicated secondary camera to click portrait photos and while edges of objects and things like your hair or ears can merge with the background blur, it does work well, for the most part.
Low lit photos do harbour noise and even though we did manage to get some social media-worthy photos from the camera in low lit situations, it was the absolute low light that made the camera falter. The images not only seem to be too noisy but also lack detail. Not to mention, shooting in low light can also result in shaky shots due to slow shutter speeds, rendering your photos unusable.
The phone can record 1080p videos at 30 FPS and can catch audio from a distance of 6-8 feet quite easily. So, shooting those family videos of the kids running around should grab their audio as well.
The below camera samples have been resized for web.
Bottom Line
The Nokia 2.4 is a jack of many trades and is looking to cater to a very specific audience. I can see someone like my mom using this device. She makes calls, attends Zoom meetings, chats with the family on WhatsApp, and reads a lot of news and takes the occasional photo. She is also the kind of person that prefers stock Android (without known that's what it is called). If you are a gamer looking to spend all night playing CoD: Mobile or a photography enthusiast or looking for a performance beast on a budget, then sure, there are other options to choose from. But, if you are thinking of getting a phone for the parents who are not tech-savvy, or getting a second phone for online classes for the kids, then this can work well. It has a good build, the promise of regular updates for a few years and a good display. The camera can click some good photos too. The phone has a decent battery life as well but can take a really long time to go from 0 to 100% charge.
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