Video: Nokia 5.4 Announcement, The good and the bad

So the Nokia 5.4 has been officially announced, and while we might have been expecting more devices to come before the end of the year as fans, it seems like this is how the year will close for the Nokia mobile brand. So what did Nokia mobile get right on the Nokia 5.4? And what did they get wrong? You can find my thoughts in the video below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SceBWPQaXk&w=560&h=315]

Here are the basic specifications of Nokia 5.4:

• Name: Nokia 5.4 (TA-1333, TA-1340)
• Dimensions: 160.97 x 75.99 x 8.7mm
• Mass: 181g
• Display: 6.39” HD+ punch hole LCD, 720 x 1560, 400 nits, 269 ppi
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 662
• Memory: RAM/ROM: 4/64GB, 4/128GB, 6/64GB, MicroSD up to 512GB
• Cameras: Dual 48MP(f1.8)+2MP depth+5MP UW+2MP macro; LED flash; 16MP front (f2.0)
• Sensors: Ambient light sensor; Proximity sensor; Accelerometer (G sensor); Gyroscope
• Connectivity: nano SIM, GSM/LTE, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth® 4.2, GPS/AGPS, GLONASS, BDS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Battery: 4000mAh, 10W charger
• OS: Android™ 10, ready for Android 11
• Extra: Biometric face unlock, Rear fingerprint sensor, aptX Adaptive, FM radio, AI camera imaging
  with Cinema mode, OZO audio
• Color: Polar Night, Dusk
• Price: 189€

The good:

• Design and color options, once again. This is to be expected and doesn’t get applauded enough especially on budget-friendly smartphones. It’s hard to decide which color I like better which is a good problem to have. Now they can’t send black review units to people 🙂
• Focus on imaging and experience. They listened when it comes to improving the imaging capabilities and experience compared to the Nokia 5.3. The new 5.4 has a more capable 48mp main camera with “zero shutter lag”. Can’t wait to test it out against its 13 mp predecessor.
• Video centric features ala 8.3 lite. They introduced video-centric features to a device that usually misses out on such things. Cinema mode, Ozo audio, 60fps 1080p video all make a very welcome appearance here
• Price at least in some markets. While the price isn’t mind-blowing out of this world amazing, it’s quite competitive for the package that you get, especially when considering some markets such as MENA where the phone will come out for around $189, a very similar launch price to its predecessor.
• Updates. At this price point, very few manufacturers commit to timely updates, let alone any updates at all. This makes the 5.4 stand out a bit.

The meh: 

• Having an ultra-wide camera is nice, but the one found on the 5.3 was mediocre at best. Sadly the 5.4 retains the same 5mp camera here.
• Processor. The snapdragon 662 isn’t notably better or worse than the snapdragon 665. It’s more of a parallel move with some good and some bad. The good is that the 662 is newer, slightly more power-efficient, performs slightly better in benchmarks, and comes with a newer generation AI tech. The bad is that it has slower download/upload speeds across the board.
• The screen. Yes I know, its not FHD which will automatically put it in the bad category for a lot of people, but I care more about the experience. For my eyes, the HD+ panel on the 5.3 wasn’t a bright point, but it wasn’t an experience ruining point either. That’s why for me, an upgrade would have been very nice, but since it stays the same, it goes here. I Hope it comes with good viewing angles, nice color calibration, and brightness for outdoor visibility.

The bad:

• Wi-Fi frequency: The phone doesn’t support Wi-Fi 5 for some reason. Why?
• Android 10 out of the box. Android 11 has been out for a few months now, and this is an Android one device, so why is it coming out with Android 10?
• 2mp macro camera reappears again. Someone, please kill this silly trend already.

So that’s what I think as far as the Nokia 5.4 goes. If you agree with my initial assessment, let me know in the comments. If you don’t agree, be as delicate as possible so you don’t hurt my feelings :p