So far it's still the only Nokia phone in the Nokia 4 series and is not clear if HMD will release it's successor in 2021 or face it out altogether since we're seeing them already introducing a new phone naming convention with the recent Launch of the Nokia X and Nokia G phones.
Despite it's slightly outdated design, the Nokia 4.2 is still a competitive Smartphone considering it's durable built and software updates thanks to Android one program.
It features a 5.21 inch IPS LCD screen with a HD resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. This was almost the standard display resolution for many budget phones at this price though we're begining to see a number of almost similarly priced phones with Full HD+ resolution like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8.
HMD Global also decided to go for the Snapdragon 439 Chipset as opposed to a MediaTek processor common in budget phones something that could have slightly increased the price of the phone.
This is the only Nokia Android phone to feature this processor and could as well be the last since it is slowly becoming outdated.
The Nokia 4.2 goes in history as the first Nokia phone to feature a dedicated Google Assistant button, a feature that has been largely adopted by Nokia as well as other phone brands including the Vivo V15 and Xiaomi Mi 9.
Launched at the time when notched displays were a trend in the Smartphone industry, Nokia managed to slot in a lovely waterdrop notch in front of this device and the thin bezels all round ensures the phone has a much better screen-to-body ratio of 76.6%.
The Nokia 4.2 Pros include:
- Compact design which is a characteristic of Nokia Smartphones well known for their durability.
- Android one certified which ensures a clean user interface devoid of bloatware as well as timely security and software updates.
- Decent cameras with satisfactory results for a phone at it's price range.
- A Dedicated Google Assistant button.
- Fair price.
It's downsides include:
- Low quality display.
- No USB-C port.
- Sluggish performance.
Pricing And Competition.
The Nokia 4.2 is available in two variants of 2 or 3 GB RAM with an option to choose between 16 or 32 GB. The 32GB currently retails at around $ 119.00.
At such a price the Nokia 4.2 finds itself at the most competitive Smartphone segment with other brands promising even much better specs at a much cheaper price. In other markets outside the US the Nokia 4.2 greatest Competition comes from the Infinix Hot series, Tecno Spark and Camon series as well as realme c series.
Nokia 4.2 Key Specs/features.
- Price: approximately $. 119.00.
- Announced: February 2019.
- Network technology: GSM, HSPA, LTE.
- Sim Type: Dual.
- Display type: IPS LCD.
- Screen Size: 5.71 inch, 100.2 cm2, 76.6% Screen-to-body ratio.
- Resolution: 720 x 1520 pixels.
- Pixel density: 295 ppi.
- Aspect ratio: 19:9
- OS: Android 9.0 (pie) upgradable to Android 10; Android one.
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (12nm).
- CPU: Octa-core
- RAM: 2/3GB.
- Internal Storage: 16/32 GB
- SD card: Yes
- Rear Cameras: Dual 13MP + 2MP
- Video: 1080p@30fps .
- Front Camera: Single 8MP.
- Video: 1080p@30fps.
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot.
- Bluetooth: 4.2, A2DP, aptx.
- USB: Micro-USB 2.0, USB On-The-Go.
- Battery: Non removable Li-ion 3,000.
- 3.5mm port: Yes.
- Fingerprint Sensor: Rear Mounted.
- Other sensors: Proximity, Accelerometer.
- Colors: Black, pink sand
Beautiful Design.
Just as mentioned earlier the Nokia 4.2 is an elegant smartphone with good looks and software to match. It is still quite up-to-date despite it's early 2019 launch. The phone retains Nokia's simple yet elegant design with an all waterdrop display and a Nokia logo and thin bezels all round.
It is made of a Glass front, a glass back as well as a polycarbonate frame. You might be surprised that the 4.2 has a much better durable body than the highly priced Nokia 5.3 or the recently announced Nokia 5.4. Though we would have seen a much better price if Nokia had settled for a plastic body, it still feels good to have a phone with a metallic unibody at a sub 15K price range.
The only downside here is that the glass back is a fingerprint magnet and will keep you busy most of the times wiping it to retain it's lustrous look.
Speaking of looks, the phone is available in two colors of black and pink sand. Between the two I would go for the pink sand due to it's premium look with a warm taste something that makes the phone stand out of the crowd.
All the buttons are just like what we see in other Nokia smartphones except for a few differences that were accustomed of 2018 phones .
The 3.5 mm port is placed at the top of the phone. Nokia deciding to still retain this feature that many manufactures faced out in 2019 in order to achieve much more slimmer phones. At the right hand side are the volume rockers and the power button slightly below.
What will immediately attract your attention is the LED notification embedded in the power button lighting up everytime you receive a notification. This is one of my favorite features of this phone but in case you don't like it for whatever reason you can turn it off in settings.
The new Google Assistance button is placed at the Left hand side giving you quick access to your AI Assistan which according to Google and Nokia it even gets smarter with use and gets to learn pretty fast about your favorites.
The phone features the traditional Micro-USB port something that could make this phone outdated very fast considering that many electronic manufacturers are now opting for the more advanced USB-C port.
At 8.3 mm thick the Nokia 4.2 is still one of the slimmest phones out there, even slimmer that the highly priced Nokia 8.3 5G which is at 9 mm thick.
Combine this with 161 g and you end up with a medium compact lightweight Smartphone that neatly fits into your palm as well as your pocket or purse. If you're that person that hates big bulky phones then the Nokia 4.2 is for you.
At the back are the dual cameras with the back fingerprint sensor all housed in one module. Usually many phones with a back fingerprint scanner place it slightly below the cameras unlike what we're seeing here. Many 2019 Nokia phones features a back fingerprint scanner including the Nokia 7.2 a feature that is now oudated and are now paving way for the side mounted sensors as well as the much preferred in-display fingerprint scanners which are still a preserve of flagship smartphones.
At the front you get the 5.21 inch IPS panel with a u-shaped waterdrop notch that houses the front camera. While this is not the beautiful notch we have seen, Nokia did their best here to make it as small as possible so as to have less distraction when enjoying your movies on the device.
While the side bezels are thin, they are still very pronounced for a 2021 phone and the thick lower chin is a total turn off.
Display.
The Nokia 4.2 is marketed under the slogan have it all, and what you get here is a 720 x 1280 pixels display. Nothing to be proud of no wonder Infinix still love giving us such poor displays knowing they face zero competition from other top brands including Nokia.
The display is as basic as it gets but thankfully we get a much better pixel density of 439 ppi which is largely attributed to the small screen size of 5.21 inches. This dramatically improves the display quality making colors much more detailed especially at the edges as compared with a phone having the same resolution but a much bigger screen size.
The phone has 348 nits of brightness, not much but good enough for you to see your screen menu outdoors. You can read our detailed post on Key Display specs to learn more.
Software performance.
This phone comes with Android 9.0 (pie) out of the box being a 2019 phone. Thankfully it has already received Android 10 update.
Being part of the Android one program it is entitled to timely software and security updates an advantage of almost all Nokia smartphones and other selected phones from other brands which have Android one Certification.
Another major plus for Android one is the clean Android interface which ensures zero bloatware as certified phones come with a clean Android version with no third party skins or ads.
The Nokia 4.2 is powered by a snapdragon 439 Chipset, an Octa-core (4 x 1.95 Cortex-A53 & 4 x 1.45 Cortex-A53) CPU. The processor is also as basic as it gets and you will have to wait for a few seconds for apps to open and occasionally suffer some crashes once in a while when subjected to heavy tasks like multitasking and gaming. Other
phones with the same Snapdragon 439 Chipset include Xiaomi Redmi 8A and Vivo Y11 2019 among other budget Smartphones mostly released in 2019.
You get the option to choose between a 2 or 3 GB RAM as well as go for 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage. That's exactly the same memory as the Nokia 3.2 also announced at the MWC 2019. The major difference here being the use of a lower rated Snapdragon 429 in the 3.2.
Cameras.
Nokia have been careful with their camera packages usually going for some simple yet powerful lenses instead of too much camera jargon and showmanship that we see in other brands.
The Nokia 4.2 has a dual rear camera setup made up of a 13 MP primary lens which does much of the work with slight assistance from a 2 MP depth sensor. There is no fancy lenses like ultrawide, telephoto or macro lenses.
The cameras have a decent performance in good Lighting conditions but you have to hold your phone very steady in order to take good photos. You can also shoot videos of 1080p@30fps.
The selfie camera is a single 8 MP sensor enough for your selfie needs including videos with a resolution of 1080p@30fps.
Battery
Nokia has been criticed for it's rather small battery capacity and most of their late releases have bigger batteries than their predecessors. The Nokia 4.2 has a non removable 3,000 mAh battery quite small as per the current standards. So far the Samsung Galaxy M51 holds the title of the biggest ever Smartphone battery with a 7,000 mAh battery.
Thanks to the smaller display and the Snapdragon processor, the battery life of the phone is satisfactory and can last you well over a day with normal use.
Why buy the Nokia 4.3
- Nice compact design.
- Android one certified.
- Good camera performance.
Conclusion.
If you would love to have a phone with a clean UI and at a reasonable price, then the Nokia 4.2 would be a good bet. Though we would advice you first check out the alternatives before settling for this device, this phone is still attractive and up-to-date in most specs including a strong built and updated software.
Comments
Post a Comment