With the -BER months in full swing, we are nearing that most wonderful (and expensive) time of the year—Christmas.
That means it’s also time to start making your list and check out the possible gifts you could give out to friends, family, and maybe even your employees.
The Nokia 1.4 was released a few months ago and is one of the better budget offers from HMD Global. Priced below P5K with a nice design, big battery, big screen and acceptable internals, it might just be the smartphone bonus you are looking to gift away or use as your company/ backup phone.
DEVOUR
- Battery life increase
- Denim-like design (blue variant)
- Complete set of freebies + earphones
- Guaranteed 2-year of android support
- Good display
DISLIKE
- Micro-USB slow charging
- No Processor upgrade
- Mediocre cameras
The Nokia 1.4 is an entry-level smartphone from HMD Global that offers a 6.51 HD+ Display, dual rear cameras with AI Low Light imaging, Android 10 (Go Edition) operating system, 2GB RAM + 32GB ROM configuration and 2-day battery life– is all this worth the P4,990 price tag?
UNBOXING
The Nokia 1.4 comes in the standard white Nokia box which shows an image of the phone on the front (this time the photo matches our unit which came in Fjord/Blue) on the back is a list of the key features. Slide it out to reveal the Nokia 1.4 unit with the sim card ejector tool taped underneath.
On the side compartment you’ll find the Micro USB charging cable, USB Charger, Lift up the box to find some paper documents (Quick Start guide, Product and Safety Info) Protective Jelly case and Earphones (which is always a bonus)
DESIGN, BUILD AND PHONE LAYOUT
The Nokia 1.4 has a polycarbonate plastic body that makes it more durable than those with glass backs. Our review unit came in the Fjord blue color, and the other option is charcoal gray. The blue hue isn’t as bright as the photo on the box and reminds me more of a denim blue finish which I like. It also has a matte finish with stripes which makes it more resistant to smudges and fingerprint marks and more secure to hold in your hand.
On the back you’ll find the dual rear camera in a circular design with the LED flash placed at the top center. Below the camera module is a fingerprint scanner, and the Nokia branding. At the bottom left is the loudspeaker alongside some barely visible text.
On the front you have 6.51-inch display with a “V-notch” which houses the selfie camera and the free screen protector is pre-installed. It has fairly thick bezels especially on the bottom chin where you’ll find another Nokia logo.
On the right you have the volume rocker and power button while on the left is a dedicated Google Assistant/ Google Search button and the dual SIM/memory card slot. Up top is the 3.5mm headphone jack and on the bottom is the micro USB charging port and microphone.
Budget smartphones are rarely praised for their design innovation and the area where most cutbacks are found. But the Nokia 1.4 carries the good Nokia reputation as the build quality is what you’d expect from the brand.
There’s no creaks and the phone’s chassis doesn’t flex when you twist it a bit. As far as the design, It’s a nicely made phone, all things considered and the circular module does differentiate it from other budget phones with vertical cameras. The thick bezels might be a letdown, but it’s the same with the phones of other brands at this price point.
DISPLAY AND MULTIMEDIA
The Nokia 1.4 has a 6.51-inch HD+ display edge-to-edge screen that is typical among today’s latest phones. The display is just the right size for browsing, watching videos and playing your favorite casual games. With a 720×1600 pixels resolution on a 20:9 aspect ratio you don’t have to squint your eyes too much to see those small details. It’s definitely an improvement from the previous year’s model.
Display brightness indoors is adequate with rich colors and clarity. It does struggle when used outdoors under bright sunlight and you have to cover it to see anything even at maximum screen brightness. It’s no reason to complain though as even higher priced phones face similar difficulty.
The same can be said about the sound as the Nokia 1.4 has a decent loudspeaker which does the job. Good thing you still have the 3.5mm jack so you could use the FREE earphones they included (or if you have a better pair).
CAMERAS
Now for the cameras. As I often mention in my reviews you don’t buy a budget phone expecting good cameras. Just like call text and internet capabilities, cameras are now mandatory smartphone features. And the cameras that you get on the Nokia 1.4 are just that, barebones and basic. On the back, you’ll find an 8MP main lens and + 2MP macro sensor. If you are underwhelmed by those specs you have an idea what to expect. Now the cameras, aren’t terribly bad and you still have a good chance of capturing nice photos in ideal lighting or with proper setup. And if you are willing to spend time on a great setup then you probably also have a better camera or is an amazing photo editor.
CAMERA SAMPLES:
The main camera captures decent quality photos with natural colors, but its best used outdoors or in the mornings as the camera struggles in darker conditions. As for the macro camera its more of just a gimmick and you probably won’t use it anyway. But if you do, again lighting is crucial. As for videos, the Nokia 1.4 records at 720p at a locked 30fps, with no option to change the resolution or frame rate. Video quality is acceptable but it does tend to struggle when focusing.
PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY
The Nokia 1.4 is powered, okay make that operates on a 1.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 chipset. Sadly it’s the same one used by the Nokia 1.3 last year. It has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. You get extra space via a dedicated microSD next to its dual SIM slots. I think 2GB of RAM has become the minimum to run the Android OS nowadays, so expect some lags and slowdown when opening multiple apps.
It’s certainly not the fastest and rebooting takes a while but once it loads everything navigation feels responsive and relatively fluid. This is thanks to the lighter Android Go, a slightly tweaked version of Google’s mobile OS for low-powered handsets – rather than full-fat Android. The best part of this setup is that you are guaranteed Android upgrades.
As for the battery the Nokia 1.4 has an acceptable 4,000mAh battery, which can last you a day of normal usage with some video, internet usage and light gaming.
Speaking of games, you can play casual games on the Nokia 1.4 and a few graphic heavy titles on low settings but don’t expect the smoothest experience.
Perhaps my biggest complaint about the Nokia 1.4 is that it still charges via micro-USB with very slow charging speeds. It takes almost 3 hours to fully charge the Nokia 1.4 from empty to 100%
FINAL WORD:
As I mentioned earlier, its that time of the year to plan your gifts and the Nokia 1.4 is one of those good options. Everyone knows and trusts the brand and it’s actually a good budget phone that performs well enough for ordinary daily use. Its got the all the basics covered and you get a nice looking phone that anyone would be happy to receive.
THE TECHNIVORE RATING 2.75 OVER 5
1 Comment
i read all the reviews and have , to a point, agreed to what’s been said. However, as i write this now, I have just got a very serious letdown in that the NOKIA 1.4 has just frozen and the screen would not get unfrozen. I tried to force stop it but the keys would not budge. i WAS ON YOUTUBE WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND I DONT THINK IT COUKLD BE THAT I EMOTIONALLY CAUSED THE FREEZE BECAUSE I WAS SADDENED BY THE WAR IN UKRAINE THAT IS DISHEARTENING – WRONGLY OR RIGHTLY.
WHAT DO I DO TO UNFREEZE THE SCREEN AND BRING IT BACKM TO WORKING MODE?