Nokia 4.2 reviewTechnical TipsUpdated on Jul 8, 2019 View more like this | Visit India, UN | Contact Vikas Kantia |
HMD Global has launched Nokia 4.2 as its latest offering in India. It is not the phone which will leave a mark in the bubbly and boiling mid-range segment around Rs. 10,000. The Nokia 4.2 features a dual-glass design just like Nokia 5.1, stock Android experience, and many other new adding. But, is a good build and stock Android save it? Brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and Asus are offering far better than this Nokia device at even lower prices. Yes, on the spec sheet, this device lies below these competing brands. But, how does it perform real-time? Let's check it out in the Nokia 4.2 review below:
Design and Display
Nokia 4.2 borrows some elements from its sibling devices- Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 5.1 Plus. The device looks really good and builds quality is very solid. There is nothing any untidy element on the whole device. There is a curved 2.5D glass on the front and back which makes it look more beautiful and premium. The Nokia 4.2 is available in two color variants: Black and Gloss Pink. It lacks a glossy gradient finish which we are seeing in new devices. On the back panel, you get to see a dual camera module and a fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is easy to reach and is very responsive. The device sits comfortably in the hands and feels good too. If one buyer looks for a premium build quality in the mid-range price segment, then this can be a device for you. You can buy this device online using Mobikwik Add Money Offer with great deals.
Coming to the display, the Nokia 4.2 packs a 5.71-inch HD+ display with pixels resolution of 720 x 1520. On the top, there is a water drop notch which makes the aspect ratio 19:9. The only thing which seems to disappoint users will be the thick chin which shrinks the screen space. Yes, the colors come out good and vivid. But, this doesn't suffice the purpose. It is just a 7 out of 10 display basically- neither too fancy nor too plain.
Performance
Under the hood, the Nokia 4.2 has an octa-core 12nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor which is coupled with 3GB of RAM. Coming with this under-powered processor is a big letdown. Other devices coming at the same price tag offers more powerful chipsets like Snapdragon 660 and MediaTek Helio P70. In daily performances, the lack of a powerful chipset is felt. The device's performance was zippy and slow most of the time. Switching apps in between felt jittery and hiccups were felt too. Having an underpowered processor, this device is not capable to run games like PUBG Mobile with ease. Yes, it can handle games like Temple Run with ease. But, games like PUBG Mobile- this device has not enough power to run them smoothly even on low graphics. On the Geekbench 4 test, the Nokia 4.2 scored 896 and 3,289 points on single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
Nokia 4.2 runs Android 9 Pie out of the box and gives you pure stock Android experience.
Cameras
Coming to the camera, the Nokia 4.2 comes with a dual camera array on the rear panel including a 13-megapixel primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. For selfies, you get an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture as a front shooter. The photos in the daylight came decently out of the rear camera. The images were natural but lack sharpness and edge details. The camera struggled in low lighting and indoor situations which goes against this device. Under the natural lighting conditions, the images looked crisp and washed-out in long-range shots. The camera is not something that can compete anywhere against Realme and Xiaomi devices. It is a huge backdrop that can only get 6 out of 10 if we have to rate.
Battery Life
The Nokia 4.2 comes with a small battery- only 3,00mAh. Seeing that there is a less powerful chipset, this device can give 12-13 hours easily. The battery capacity stands on the low side for sure. In the HD video loop test, this device lasted for just about 11 hours. The bundled charger can charge the device in two and a half hours from zero to a hundred percent. Moreover, there is no fast charging support in this device which is not a surprise looking at what we have got so far.
Final Verdict
The Nokia 4.2 has only two things which makes it a nice device- its build quality and software. The device comes with a solid and stylish build. Also, the stock Android experience makes it even good. But, there is nothing more to this device. Yes, the phone definitely feels and looks good, and has stock Android experience. But, it is not enough to survive in this competitive segment. In addition to this if you are looking for a technical officer job then it could be the best chance to try it.
The Nokia 4.2 packs an underpowered processor, below average cameras, and low-capacity battery life. It lacks features that brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and Honor offer in this price range. Putting it in short, this phone asks for too much cash for such outdated specs. If you are looking for a device at the same price, just shoot for devices like Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 and Realme 3 Pro.
Design and Display
Nokia 4.2 borrows some elements from its sibling devices- Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 5.1 Plus. The device looks really good and builds quality is very solid. There is nothing any untidy element on the whole device. There is a curved 2.5D glass on the front and back which makes it look more beautiful and premium. The Nokia 4.2 is available in two color variants: Black and Gloss Pink. It lacks a glossy gradient finish which we are seeing in new devices. On the back panel, you get to see a dual camera module and a fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is easy to reach and is very responsive. The device sits comfortably in the hands and feels good too. If one buyer looks for a premium build quality in the mid-range price segment, then this can be a device for you. You can buy this device online using Mobikwik Add Money Offer with great deals.
Coming to the display, the Nokia 4.2 packs a 5.71-inch HD+ display with pixels resolution of 720 x 1520. On the top, there is a water drop notch which makes the aspect ratio 19:9. The only thing which seems to disappoint users will be the thick chin which shrinks the screen space. Yes, the colors come out good and vivid. But, this doesn't suffice the purpose. It is just a 7 out of 10 display basically- neither too fancy nor too plain.
Performance
Under the hood, the Nokia 4.2 has an octa-core 12nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor which is coupled with 3GB of RAM. Coming with this under-powered processor is a big letdown. Other devices coming at the same price tag offers more powerful chipsets like Snapdragon 660 and MediaTek Helio P70. In daily performances, the lack of a powerful chipset is felt. The device's performance was zippy and slow most of the time. Switching apps in between felt jittery and hiccups were felt too. Having an underpowered processor, this device is not capable to run games like PUBG Mobile with ease. Yes, it can handle games like Temple Run with ease. But, games like PUBG Mobile- this device has not enough power to run them smoothly even on low graphics. On the Geekbench 4 test, the Nokia 4.2 scored 896 and 3,289 points on single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
Nokia 4.2 runs Android 9 Pie out of the box and gives you pure stock Android experience.
Cameras
Coming to the camera, the Nokia 4.2 comes with a dual camera array on the rear panel including a 13-megapixel primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. For selfies, you get an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture as a front shooter. The photos in the daylight came decently out of the rear camera. The images were natural but lack sharpness and edge details. The camera struggled in low lighting and indoor situations which goes against this device. Under the natural lighting conditions, the images looked crisp and washed-out in long-range shots. The camera is not something that can compete anywhere against Realme and Xiaomi devices. It is a huge backdrop that can only get 6 out of 10 if we have to rate.
Battery Life
The Nokia 4.2 comes with a small battery- only 3,00mAh. Seeing that there is a less powerful chipset, this device can give 12-13 hours easily. The battery capacity stands on the low side for sure. In the HD video loop test, this device lasted for just about 11 hours. The bundled charger can charge the device in two and a half hours from zero to a hundred percent. Moreover, there is no fast charging support in this device which is not a surprise looking at what we have got so far.
Final Verdict
The Nokia 4.2 has only two things which makes it a nice device- its build quality and software. The device comes with a solid and stylish build. Also, the stock Android experience makes it even good. But, there is nothing more to this device. Yes, the phone definitely feels and looks good, and has stock Android experience. But, it is not enough to survive in this competitive segment. In addition to this if you are looking for a technical officer job then it could be the best chance to try it.
The Nokia 4.2 packs an underpowered processor, below average cameras, and low-capacity battery life. It lacks features that brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and Honor offer in this price range. Putting it in short, this phone asks for too much cash for such outdated specs. If you are looking for a device at the same price, just shoot for devices like Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 and Realme 3 Pro.
