Nokia 5.4 review: Is it worth upgrading from the Nokia 5.3? | NextPit

You just purchased the Nokia 5.3 and the manufacturer has already introduced a successor to that handset, aptly known as the Nokia 5.4 ? I won’t blame you if you are feeling unhappy about the situation. Perhaps this review will help you with the agonizing thought of upgrading to the newer model. Let’s go to the 5.4 in 3, 2, 1…

As you can see, the differences between the two devices are not that clear cut. Due to the smaller display, the Nokia 5.4 is not all that smaller although it has shed some weight along the way. As the most notable differences are the respective processors underneath their hoods as well as the cameras, I’ll pay close attention to the Nokia 5.3 with these aspects in mind.

In order to provide a fair review, I also ordered the Nokia 5.3 for comparison’s sake. As we were unable to review the Nokia 5.4 when it was first released, I will update this article as time passes by based on any new impressions that I have experienced. However, the most important differences are as follows:

The Nokia 5.4 makes no qualms about it being a smartphone found in the lower mid-range, of which you can pick up a 2019 handset for €200 thereabouts. HMD Global, the owner of Nokia, has to go head-to-head against other established brand names such as Xiaomi, Realme, and Motorola in this department. These are no ordinary names, considering how they offer plenty of value-for-money in this particular segment. One advantage that Nokia has would be this: secured licenses for Android One, and hence they offer one of the purest Android experiences with guaranteed operating system updates for at least two years.

Here the Nokia 5.4 convinces

Android One as an operating system

Right off the bat, I must confess that I have always been rather partial to Android One. As a long-time Pixel user, stock Android is just simply too nice to look at, where there is a careful balance between animation and speed. While I have always turned the animation off in the developer settings on cheaper smartphones, the OS will still run smoothly in most cases with animation turned on.

On top of that, having Android One in the Nokia 5.4 guarantees you security and OS updates for at least two years. Don’t get me wrong – a mere two years is considered as a positive for Android smartphones, but in reality it is actually a pittance (while iOS users find this hilarious compared to at least 4 to 5 years of OS updates on their iPhones). However, there’s something else about the Nokia 5.4’s operating system that bothers me, as you’ll read later under the section of what I don’t like. 

It looks great

As I mentioned earlier, I am a long-time Pixel user and also had the opportunity to review the Pixel 4a 5G in 2020. In terms of design, the Nokia 5.4 comes close to being a lite version of the budget Pixel smartphone. The index finger feels right at home thanks to the clever placement of the fingerprint sensor at the back, while the punch-hole notch in the upper left corner of the display also reminds me of the Google smartphone.

The small notch in the Pixel 4a 5G look did it for me!/ © NextPit

To that end, the Nokia 5.4 offers a similar kind of plastic feel that I found myself pleased with in the Pixel 4a 5G. Yes, while the smartphone has a polycarbonate back, it still does not feel cheap to the touch or poorly made. Pressure required to keep the buttons responsive enough happens to be just right, while the bezels surrounding the 6.55-inch IPS panel are slim enough to be pleasing to the naked eye. Props to Nokia for the upgraded vibration motor that delivers a more pleasant feedback than that of the Nokia 5.3.

In my opinion, the latter in particular makes for a valuable overall impression in the Nokia 5.4. The vibration motor doesn’t rattle as much as before, and seems to be more precise in nature. The matte look at the back of the Nokia 5.4 does offer additional grip, and this makes for a nice touch.

Surprisingly beautiful photos

Probably the most significant upgrade from the Nokia 5.3 to the 5.4 would be the main camera. This is because it no longer restricted to a maximum of 13 megapixels, but hits the 48 megapixel mark nicely. The upgrade allows the phone’s software to combine four pixels into one. The so-called pixel binning method is the latest craze in current camera smartphones and the results are pleasing enough to look at in the Nokia 5.4. This is how the pictures look like with an effective resolution of 12 megapixels:

The exposure of the main camera looks great in the Nokia 5.4 / © NextPit

For a smartphone camera, I found the colors and exposure surprisingly realistic. While other manufacturers quickly make HDR shots look unnatural or oversaturate the colors, HMD Global holds back and finds a good middle ground, at least for me.

However, Nokia should have upgraded the other cameras as well. Because as soon as you switch to the ultra-wide-angle camera, the picture quality goes down the drain. The differences in color and lower sharpness level are particularly noticeable in the ultra-wide-angle mode. The portrait mode is okay for selfies, it continues to be a work-in-progress for any other subjects.

While I liked portraits of people, the portrait mode fails with other subjects / © NextPit

The quad-camera is probably an afterthought in the Nokia 5.4 more for the marketing buzz as opposed to making it snap better photos. That’s a shame, really, but this happens to be the reality in mid-range smartphones. However, I would like to make one final comparison in terms of photography by providing samples of shots taken with the Nokia 5.3.

Left: Nokia 5.4 – Right: Nokia 5.3 / © NextPit

The Nokia 5.3’s pictures almost have a certain kind of Lomography charm, but barely make the cut to deliver iconic shots. Hence, an upgrade in the optics department is sorely needed and adequately filled with the Nokia 5.4, and hopefully, this is one trend that will continue in future Nokia 5.x models – with the inclusion of better macro, ultra-wide angle, and front camera performance to boot.

Battery

Mid-range smartphones have, for some strange reason, turned out to be a real goldmine for smartphones with long battery life. Consider the Realme 7i or the Motorola Moto G9 Power, which are capable of outlasting most flagships in terms of battery life thanks to their 6,000 mAh cells.

Instead of 12 megapixels, the new sensor offers 48 megapixels / © NextPit

The battery in the Nokia 5.4 isn’t quite as impressive at 4,000 mAh, but it still provides a pleasant 2-day worry-free battery life experience. Throughout the entire review, 48 hours was a realistic figure to hit even if you aren’t exactly careful with power consumption and, for example, consciously disable Bluetooth connectivity when you don’t need it.

Of course, battery life continues to be strongly dependent on the usage pattern and context, but I can at least testify to a two-day lifespan with a clear conscience. However, this is also due to the display with a mediocre HD+ resolution and the biggest point of criticism, which I will now directly address.