HMD Global hasn’t been that active in the Indian smartphone market for a while now. However, it is changing now with the launch of the Nokia 5.3. The Nokia 5.3 comes as a successor to the Nokia 5.1 Plus that was launched a while back in India. HMD Global has been teasing the arrival of Nokia 5.3 for a while now. The Nokia 5.3 is a mid-range smartphone priced under Rs 15,000 to take on the likes of Poco M2 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Realme 6i and even the Redmi Note 9. As we have seen in the past, HMD Global is not betting on the specifications of the Nokia 5.3, instead, the company is trying to gain consumers on user experience factor. The Nokia 5.3 is powered by the Snapdragon 665 SoC and it features a 4000mAh battery promising two-day battery life. I have been using the Nokia 5.3 for a while now and here are my initial impressions.
Nokia 5.3 First Impressions: Design and Display
One thing that is quite noticeable right from the first impression that you get of the smartphone is that it looks similar. You are not wrong though; the Nokia 5.3 comes with a front body design which is almost the same to that of its other smartphones. There are bezels on the smartphone which are again quite thick. You will find the Nokia logo at the bottom of the screen. The screen has a tear-drop notch at the top which houses the front camera.
Coming to the rear body of the smartphone, you will notice a very symmetrical camera. All the lenses at equal distances from each other will make you feel satisfied while looking at it. The quad-camera set up in a round design which also has a flash right at the centre. The colour and design of the smartphone are quite good, and it certainly looks classy. Body of the smartphone is made of plastic. But don’t worry, it is a very high-quality plastic which is made of polymer composite and both the frame and backplate are matte coated. The power button of the smartphone is situated on the right side of the Nokia 5.3 along with the volume rockers right above it. All the proximity sensors, light, and front camera are on the top of the device. SIM slots are present on the left side of the smartphone, and it is a dual-SIM smartphone. Along with that, there is also a dedicated button for activating the Google Assistant. There is a 3.5mm audio jack present at the top of the smartphone, and the Type-C charging port is in the bottom. On the back of the smartphone, right below the camera setup, there is a fingerprint scanner as well.
The Nokia 5.3 comes with a 6.55-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution 1,600 x 720 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. There’s nothing to talk about this display as it renders decent colours and the brightness levels are also on par with other phones available in this price range. However, the addition of Full HD+ display could’ve been a better choice to compete with others in the price segment.
Nokia 5.3 First Impressions: Performance and Software
The Nokia 5.3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 Mobile Platform built on 11nm process. The Adreno 610 GPU supports the smartphone for graphic processing. There are different options for RAM available - 4GB/6GB RAM. As for the storage, there is 64GB of internal storage where 46.37GB is available for the customer to store his files and data upon activation of the smartphone. The good thing is that the internal memory is expandable up to 512GB. It is not the fastest smartphone you will find in the market, but it has a very decent performance when the price is considered.
There is a fingerprint scanner at the back which enhances the security of your device. You also get the support of basic gestures for giving commands to the smartphone. For connectivity, the smartphone supports Wi-Fi 5 and NFC. The phone runs Android 10 out of the box and it is part of Android One programme, meaning we are getting stock Android experience. Right out of the box, the phone has an OTA update which brought the security patch to June 2020. HMD Global also assured the Nokia 5.3 is Android 11 ready, so expect it to get the forthcoming Android update by the end of this year.
Nokia 5.3 First Impressions: Cameras
There are four camera sensors at the rear of the Nokia 5.3. The primary camera comes with a 13MP lens paired with a 5MP wide-angle lens, and the other two sensors are 2MP macro and depth sensor. To the front, we get an 8MP shooter for clicking selfies and attending video calls.
Here are some of the camera samples shot on the Nokia 5.3. What do think of them? Let us know in the comments section below.
Nokia 5.3 First Impressions: Battery
Battery is one of the most important things that people consider before they buy a smartphone. The Nokia 5.3 comes with a 4000mAh cell which supports up to 10W fast charging. HMD Global says promises two-day battery life with the Nokia 5.3 which is pretty good. I did not charge the handset from for over two days, so it seems the claims are true. But the full battery life examination will be done over the next week and will be presented in the detailed review.
Nokia 5.3 First Impressions: Verdict
The Nokia 5.3 goes against the Poco M2 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro in India with its starting price of Rs 13,999. As we all know, HMD Global never goes after the specs and what matters for the company is the user experience. The phone lacks behind the competition when it comes to specs-to-price ratio, but again, we get a clean stock experience and a guaranteed two major Android updates along with monthly security updates for three years. This is something which makes the Nokia 5.3 a unique proportion in the sub-Rs 15,000 price segment. Will you pick up the Nokia 5.3 over its competitors? Let us know in the comments section below.
