GadgetsLab: NOKIA 2.4

Reviewed by Gabriel Pe

The Nokia 2 series has long been a solid midranger smartphone ever since HMD Global took over the Nokia name. Now on its fourth generation, does the Nokia 2.4 carry on its value for money appeal set forth by its predecessors?

DESIGN 4.5 / 5

Ever since I started working from home, my father has increasingly grown curious to the devices I have been reviewing. Upon seeing the Nokia 2.4, he was impressed by its looks even speculating that it might be on the upper mid-ranger because of it. The device is one heck of a looker.

The Nokia 2.4 sports a somewhat sharp rectangular shape which adds to that professionalslash-elegant appeal. The back is all plastic, but the 3D Nano-textured design (this what HMD calls its engraved back) makes the phone easy to hold and removes any of the slippery feel to it. If you’re the cautious type, a jelly case is included in the box, as is a 3.5mm headset (a rarity these days).

The front of the phone features the 6.5-inch HD+ display, which by the way has a 20:9 aspect ratio. And the 5-megapixel front camera. At the back are the dual-camera setup and the fingerprint sensor. At top is a mic hole and the 3.5mm audio jack, the bottom features the microUSB port as well as another mic hole and the single downwardfiring speaker. On the left is the sim tray and the dedicated Google Assistant button, and on the right is the volume keys and the power button.

HARDWARE 4 / 5

The Nokia 2.4 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. Storage is expandable via a dedicated MicroSD slot. The P22 is already a twoyear-old chipset, but don’t let that fool you; this octa-core chip paired with stock android, makes this phone is still fast and can compete with some of the newer models in the market.

As for the camera, it sports a dual-camera setup at the back. It has a 13-megapixel main shooter and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. At the front is the 5-megapixel selfie camera.

The Nokia 2.4 is powered by a 4,500mAh battery which typically lasted my two days of usage. Charge time is a bit long taking almost 4 hours via the MicroUSB port.

USER EXPERIENCE 3.5 / 5

You need to temper your expectations a bit for the Nokia 2.4. This is a budget mid-ranger and for that price, you are sacrificing some quality of life found on the higher end models, such as more camera lens, and a more vivid display.

The biggest draw of the Nokia 2.4 is the stock Android OS courtesy of the Android One program. Despite sporting an older processor and GPU the phone still feels fast and snappy. The 3GB of RAM is still enough to run multiple apps and do some multitasking, and the 64GB is pretty much enough to last you if you don’t take that many photos or download a load of apps on your phone.

Still, despite the optimization of stock Android, the processor does take a hit in gaming. I tried playing Call of Duty: Mobile and that the maximum graphic setting for the phone is just the low settings still the game compensated by running smoothly and without any fps drops. League of Legends: Wild Rift was a bit smoother on the phone but was only able to handle up to medium resolutions but only up to 40 to 48 fps.

The camera is a bit of a hit and miss for me. Outside shots came out sharp but somehow the colors were a bit duller for my taste. For indoor images, it’s just decent and nothing to writing home about. Images were noisy at times and smoothed out some details. As for the selfie camera, I found it to be not the greatest. The images came out smudgy even in well-lit environments and extremely noisy in low light.

The last thing to note about the phone is that battery life is pretty good. The phone lasted a good two to two and a half days of light to medium use (a bit of gaming and movie streaming). But the charge is equally long, taking more than three hours based on my experience.

VALUE 4 / 5

Coming in at PHP 6,990, the Nokia 2.4 sits at the perfect spot for value. You have the trusted Nokia branding paired with the full Android One supports which offers free security and OS updates for at least 2 two years.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Display: 6.5-inch HD+ Display

Processor: MediaTek Helio P22

GPU: PowerVR GE8320

OS: Android 10 (planned update to Android 11)

RAM: 3GB

Internal Storage: 64GB

Camera: Rear: 13-megapixel; 2-megapixel (depth), Front: 5-megapixel

Battery: 4500 mAh

Connections: MicroUSB, USB OTG, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm audio jack F

eatures: Fingerprint scanner

Dimensions: 165.9 x 76.3 x 8.7mm

Weight: 195g

What’s Hot:

Stock Android Future Android updates Great design

What’s Not:

Dated Processor Long charge time Could have had a better front camera

BOTTOMLINE

The Nokia 2.4 carries on Nokia’s brand of value for money phones.