Video: Nokia 3.4 looks great in purple

Sometimes I can get phones pretty early on if they launch here in Dubai soon after the announcement, and other times I can’t. Sadly, this is an example of the latter. Either way, I wanted to cover the Nokia 3.4 because it’s a device that intrigues me. Not because it has anything particularly spectacular, but because it’s a good exercise in seeing how affordable can a phone be while still offering a good user experience. To find that out, you’ll have to wait for the full review, but for now, here is my unboxing of the Nokia 3.4 and my first impressions.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HYbl5FNXjA&w=560&h=315]

Here are my initial thoughts:

• I like the design, color and build quality. I wouldn’t call it better or worse than the 5.3 but it is different thanks to the textured back. It’s also quite ergonomic and fits in the hand comfortably. Coming from the 8.3 which was my daily driver, this almost feels like a mini phone!
• The screen is quite good. One of my biggest complaints about affordable phones is their displays. They usually look washed up or have bad viewing angles. This one doesn’t suffer from either of those things. The resolution downgrade from more expensive phones is noticeable though.
• Even in studio conditions, the camera didn’t really impress me. On paper, this has an almost identical setup to the 5.3 but with notably worse output for the main camera. After taking it outdoors though it did manage to capture decent images, but the experience still felt lacking.
• The fingerprint sensor is okay. It takes about half a second to work but it’s fairly reliable.
• This phone comes out with Android 10 out of the box, which is disappointing considering the launch date.
• The software experience has been a mixed bag so far, where the phone feels quite zippy 90% of the time, but sometimes it would randomly freeze or slow down for a few seconds then work normally. I don’t believe the SD460 is to blame here, but this phone definitely needs an update or two to get it performing as it should.

You can of course check out Stipe’s excellent written review on the Nokia 3.4 in gorgeous cyan here.

The Nokia 3.4 has finally started showing up in stores around the globe, and in MENA the phone costs $149 for the 4/64Gb version.

So, have you guys bought the Nokia 3.4? What has your experience been? Anything I should be on the lookout for for the full review? Would love to hear your thoughts!