Table of Contents
- highlights and design
- screen and audio
- Cameras
- Performance
- Battery and connectivity
- Conclusion
- Nokia 5.3 Technical Specifications
After the launch of the entry-level smartphone just over a year ago (the first in Spain since the brand change), Nokia decided to continue the cellular segment in partnership with multilaser. the intermediary Nokia 5.3 arrives with considerably more advanced hardware and a very attractive look. We tested it and told our experience with it here in this review. Check it out below!
highlights and design
Having a simple design that goes straight to the point, the Nokia 5.3 has rounded edges, both on the bezel and on the drop-shaped notch, a curious option compared to the usual cutout on the screen for the front camera. By the way, it has an IPS LCD display of 6.55 inches, with HD+ resolution of 900 by 1600 pixels.
At the bottom of the screen, we notice a slightly thicker finish, with the Nokia logo evident above the USB-C port. To the right of the connector, we have the speaker. Only at the top of the device do we see the connection for headphones (accompanied in the packaging), a design choice that may surprise those who pick it up for the first time.
It is undeniable that the Nokia 5.3 has a refined finish in the smallest details, in addition to the striking circular camera module on the back. On the right side of the phone, we have an unlock button (with LED for notifications) and, on the opposite side, the Google Assistant. This second one is a particularly weak point, as it doesn't get remapped to serve as another shortcut - a recurring problem with newly released smartphones as well.
Inside, we have all the power of the processor Snapdragon 665 (eight cores) and 4GB of RAM, capable of handling demanding and reasonably multitasking apps. The device also has 128 GB of storage, a fair capacity in today's times. A great addition was the protective case in the product package, along with the headphones, USB-C cable and adapter.
screen and audio
The 6.55 display with HD+ resolution has an aspect ratio of 20:9, behaving very well for the needs of use for browsing social networks (vertical) and watching videos and series (horizontal). In total, I noticed the screen very bright, without any problems in outdoor use, under the sun. Those who are used to using a smartphone without a notch or with a straight cut pattern, without a hole for the camera, will take a while to get used to the teardrop design on the top, but nothing that bothers in the long run.
Here it is inevitable to talk about interface and navigation as well. The smartphone features a very unchanged version of the Android operating system, with navigation based on simple and agile gestures. Out of the box, Nokia 5.3 only comes with Google apps pre-installed, which was great (since you don't have to manually uninstall unwanted add-ons). As the phone is part of the Android update program for another two years, it will soon be updated to Android 11.
The HD+ resolution provides images rich in details, however, it is undeniable that Full HD (1920×1080) or Full HD+ (2220×1080) are ideal standards when dealing with an intermediate smartphone. Anyone who buys a cell phone of this class can look for a complete package that comes close to a premium experience, so a closer look will notice the difference in screen quality. In this, the Nokia 5.3 leaves a little to be desired.
Talking about the audio, the speaker located at the bottom has acceptable power and shows distortions when set to maximum, something predictable in basic/intermediate devices. To understand dialogues (to those who watch series/videos on their cell phone), the Nokia 5.3 speaker does well, as it is highlighted in high-pitched tones. Popular pop and rock songs neither surprise nor disappoint. The headphones that come with it are a good option, although they are close to the headphones included in basic smartphone models.
Cameras
Anyone looking at the back of the Nokia 5.3 can understand the product's main design highlight: its well-distributed array of four sensors. The module consists of a 13 MP wide main lens, a 5 MP ultrawide (wide-angle), a 2 MP macro lens and a 2 MP background blur lens; on the front we have an 8 MP camera. A highlight of the device is the option to record videos in 4K (wide) at 30 frames per second – the wide-angle captures in 720p.
In testing, the wide-angle appeared to “pop” more and had much less consistency and sharpness than the prime lens. Another important point of the mobile is to bring the HDR option to all capture options. In addition to applying smart color profiles, in the main one I also noticed a little better saturation in various scenarios and ambient lighting. Whether against light (from the sun) or in medium lighting environments (artificial light), the automatic adjustments almost always found an excellent result.
To show the mistakes and successes, I let both galleries below show the results of the best photos taken. The third image in the sequence shows the zoom from the main camera, which behaved as expected both times. The last image deals with a differential of the device: the night mode. Available in both main and wide-angle cameras, the system gives a “keep device stability” warning, performing capture and post-processing.
The result of the capture in night mode, in particular, did not please so much, even though I made several attempts – and here I put the best of the two cameras. To the naked eye, the 22pm sky was slightly orange (closer to the main image), but the darkness was absolute. So even in wide-angle, without much focus, at least the captured photo was better than “in reality”.
Still in the comparison of the main one to the others, I needed to check the proximity between it and the macro. Being a dedicated lens for detail photos, it requires a “knack” to get the ideal distance to shoot. Even so, again the 3,61 mm proved to be efficient in outdoor scenes and in objects close to the Nokia 5.3, such as a cake and an Xbox controller.
As can be seen, the photos were very similar. Even though the macro is able to capture from just a few centimeters away, on many occasions it had less definition than the main one. From my own experience, this disparity ends up being common not only in this model, but in very basic and intermediate competitors – even a duo tested by me here at Techlifers. A simple conclusion: the main lens is quite versatile and makes a weight double with the wide-angle, while the macro is completely unnecessary.
Performance
Nokia 5.3 has a processor Snapdragon 665, capable of supporting multitasking of various types well. In day-to-day use, I haven't noticed performance stutters once when switching apps. When testing the quality of the microphone, I noticed that there was not even a voice recorder app – by the way, the microphone is reasonable. So whoever uses it for work and/or voice calls will be satisfied.
Shooting games like Call Of Duty Mobile, are a fever among “mobile gamers” whose performance deserved to be tested in Nokia 5.3. With basic graphics, CoD ran smoothly, with frame drops being quite rare. I remember that it brings the games in HD resolution, which is also a fair balance with textures and animations of more complex games - lower resolution is a good sacrifice to gain better fluidity.
Being a game that took up over 9000MB of storage (out of 128GB total), Genshin impact it ran well on the device, with graphics on medium. When “forcing the bar”, we see a sudden drop in frames and freezes in scene transitions. In both cases, the cell phone warmed up considerably (another point predicted when performing the test). So, who is a hard mobile gamer will have basic and average experiences on Nokia, moving away from what would be a high level gameplay.
Battery and connectivity
The Nokia 5.3 battery is capable of 4.000 mAh, which, for me, lasted an average of 20 hours with the display on. So, to do the performance tests mentioned above, playing games, watching videos and also listening to music, I managed to use it for a whole day. At night, she used to reach the 20% mark. In economy mode, spending most of the time indoors (ie low screen brightness), it lasted just over a day and a half.
As a reference for gamers on duty, in half an hour of playing Genshin Impact at near-max brightness, there was an 8% battery drain – the tested activity that drained the Nokia 5.3's battery the most. On a quick account, after a few hours of gaming in more “sober” graphic quality and with medium brightness, the cell phone can handle about 7 hours of gameplay running three-dimensional games, until the battery runs out.
Due to the low power of the included charger (10W), the full charge took more than 3 hours, which is not at all comparable to the fast chargers of current gadgets. Extra attention is paid to the LED indicator on the screen lock button when charging the battery. In other connections that deserve to be mentioned, we have the 5GHz Wi-Fi and the NFC, absent in many intermediaries and acting as promised here on this smartphone.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a smartphone that gives you a little more than “rice and beans”, the Nokia 5.3 is the right choice. The phone delivers what is promised, surprises in certain aspects (such as recording videos in 4K and being able to run 3D games in medium setup) and disappoints in others (such as design and the long-term Android system update). In a balanced way, it is not to be expected so much from what, remembering, is Nokia's first intermediary since the new approach adopted by the company. It is certainly ideal for those who want to give Nokia “one more chance” from those who acquired the 2.3 model at the time and, today, are looking for a worthy upgrade.
In terms of cost-benefit, the Nokia 5.3 is priced a little above what it delivers in its specs, and can be found for R$ 1.699,00 on Amazon and by R$ 1.529,10 in the Americans. In comparison, a popular mid-range competitor also launched in 2020, for example, which also has 128 GB of storage and 4 rear cameras, can be purchased for less than this one. However, it is a fact that the Nokia 5.3 brings with it an intermediate standard of respect.
So, what do you think of Nokia 5.3? Tell us in the comments below!
Nokia 5.3 Technical Specifications
| Type of fabric | IPS LCD |
| Display Size | 6.55 ″ 20:9 |
| Resolution | 1600 x 720 |
| multichip | Dual chip |
| Back camera | 13MP + 5MP + 2MP + 2MP |
| Manufacturer | multilaser |
| Brand | NOKIA |
| Chip Type | Nano Chip |
| Operational system | Android |
| NFC | Yes |
| Frontal camera | 8MP |
| Video camera | Full HD |
| TV Tuner | Does not have |
| Processor | OCTA CORE |
| RAM memory | 4GB |
| Internal memory | 128GB |
| Power, battery type | TYPE C |
| Band | Yes |
| Connections | Wi-Fi,3G,4G |
| call features | Live voice Call in wait Speed dial Call log Call by voice command |
| Model | NOKIA 5.3 |
| Color | GREY BLACK |
| package content | 1 Nokia 5.3 Smartphone 1 Charger |
| Product Dimensions – cm (HxWxD) | 164.3 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm |
| Expansive even? | MicroSD up to 512GB |
