In the last one year, we have seen some impressive smartphones launch at around Rs 10,000. Some of them have targeted gamers while others have tried to bring a better camera and some have even focused on battery life. We’ve seen devices like the Redmi Note 9 and Realme Narzo 20 compete for the top spot in the 10K budget smartphone segment. But today, we have a different competitor in this price segment – Nokia 2.4. The smartphone isn’t the biggest hitter in terms of paper glasses, but then it doesn’t have to be again because it’s not what viewers are looking for. So, for whom is this phone right? Well, read on and find out.

Nokia 2.4: Key Specifications at a Glance

• Dual SIM: Yes
• Weight: 195 grams
• Display size: 6.5-inch
• Display Type: IPS LCD
• Display resolution: 720 x 1600
• OS: Android 10 (stock)
• CPU: MediaTek MT6762 Helio P22
• GPU: PowerVR GE8320
• RAM: 3GB
• Storage: 64GB
• Rear camera: Dual – 13MP + 2MP
• Front camera: 5MP
• Battery: 4500mAh

Nokia 2.4: Build and design

Before we get into the design of Nokia 2.4, find out that the smartphone is available in Charcoal Gray, Fjord Blue and Dusk. What we have today is Forgotten Blue. Did you know that a Fjord is “a long, deep, narrow body of water that reaches internally”? Okay, I didn’t, and one of the more interesting things about this smartphone is its color and design. Place it face down on a table, and it will certainly turn your head. From a certain angle, when the light is reflected on the back of the smartphone, it seems that the smartphone is changing from light blue to dark blue. Needless to say, you don’t want to hide it with a defensive case.

Speaking of covers, the back of the smartphone has a 3D nano-textured finish, which adds grip. While one would expect to have a cover with a glass on a smartphone to protect it, it looks like it can withstand use without a cover.

The back of the phone also has a fingerprint sensor which is very responsive once set up. Unlike other smartphones where there is a slight indentation on the back of the fingerprint reader, this is not the case here. This means you can be comfortable where you have it before you get used to finding a fingerprint reader. There is also a dual camera on the back of the phone (more on that later).

In the case of ports and buttons, we have a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left, along with a power button on the right and a volume rocker and SIM tray. At the top is the endangered 3.5mm headphone jack and at the bottom is a micro-USB port. There’s also a speaker with a micro-USB port. The phone is long, difficult to use with one hand. It has a small notch in the display that holds the front camera.

Overall, the build of the smartphone looks top notch and the design is unique. I’m a person who prefers a premium polycarbonate finish over glass, but it’s a personal choice.

Nokia 2.4: Performance

Let’s figure out the obvious way; If you’re looking for a phone creature to do multitasking like Ninja and play Call of Duty: Mobile in high settings, this isn’t the phone for you. You better look elsewhere. For the sake of comparison, see below some of the benchmarks of Nokia 2.4 and how it stands out against the competition.

Using Nokia 2.4 as my daily smartphone for a few days, there are some things to appreciate and some things that have left me wanting more. Let’s get started. Start with the obvious; Calling, texting and social networking all work well on this phone Multitasking may take longer than I want apps to switch between, but it wasn’t something that took me away from the whole experience. From watching videos on YouTube to switching to Twitter, then Instagram and Facebook, this phone has worked quite well. The long screen has made it easy for me to use an app like Twitter and even for me to read books on the Kindle app. The typing experience on the phone was also ergonomic and comfortable. Needless to say, if you type long emails on the go, then the ergonomics of this phone can definitely work well for you.

Going into gaming, as we said before, if you want to play Call of Duty: Mobile with all its fidelity, then this is not the smartphone for you. Call of Duty Mobile is playable and in low settings we get an average FPS of 44 with 77 percent FPS stability. So, you can definitely play the game, not only in high settings. However, games like Brick Breaker, or Galaxy Attack, or games like Ludo, Chess, Othello, etc., went perfectly well. So, if you want to do casual gaming on a smartphone, this phone does the job.

Nokia 2.4 runs on stock Android and that’s a good thing. There is no blotware that interferes with the experience on the device. With a 2 year Android OS update and a 3 year security update guarantee, you don’t have to worry about the longevity of the smartphone.

Nokia 2.4: Display

For video usage, the Nokia 2.4 can do a maximum of 720p at 60Hz on YouTube, and since it lacks the Widevine L1, it can only handle SD for services like Netflix. Watching YouTube on this phone was enjoyable while watching punch color and flashy videos at 720p but on services like Netflix, it was a slightly blurry image because it played on SD, lacking crispness for an enjoyable content usage experience. Coming to audio, the speaker is loud enough to enjoy a movie trailer, podcast or even occasional news bulletin, but it’s only single.

Nokia 2.4: Battery

Once the battery is gone, the smartphone can easily run on a 4500mAh battery for full 2 ​​days of use. Using an average of a few calls, messaging and social networking, the phone was ready to return to the charger on the evening of the second day – not bad. When automatically turning off the brightness and connecting a pair of headphones through the 3.5mm port, we lost a little over 5% of the battery on Netflix, including the consumables. So, this phone can definitely be your companion for those long binging sessions. My only problem with the battery is that the phone takes 3 hours to fully charge from 0 to 100% which means it’s best to plug the device into the wall before you go to sleep.

Document apps work well on this phone and YouTube works well, considering a decent speaker and battery life, Nokia 2.4 is a potential smartphone for kids who need to watch online classes. The display is also suitable for content use. The stock Android nature of the device also adds to this experience, but as we said above, heavy multitasking can stumble upon the device.

Nokia 2.4: Camera

Simply put, the camera does the job in well-lit situations. It has a decent dynamic range and you can get the color to pop if the lighting in the room is just right. It has a dedicated secondary camera for clicking portrait photos, and while objects like objects and your hair or ears can be combined with a background blur, it works well for the most part.

Less illuminated photos make noise and although we managed to get some social media-worthy photos from the camera in low light conditions, it was the extremely low light that weakened the camera. The images not only look very noisy but there are no details. Not to mention, shooting in low light can also cause shaky shots due to slow shutter speeds, your photos can’t be used.

The phone can record 1080p video at 30 FPS and easily capture audio from a distance of 6-8 feet. So kids running around should take their audio as well as shoot those family videos.

The following camera samples have been resized for the web

The last row

Nokia 2.4 is a jack of all trades and it seeks to cater to a very specific audience. I can see someone like my mom using this device. He calls, attends zoom meetings, chats with family on WhatsApp and reads a lot of news and occasionally takes pictures. He’s a guy who likes stock Android (without knowing what it’s called). If you’re a gamer who wants to spend all night playing CoD: mobile or photography enthusiast or looking for a performance beast on a budget, there are, of course, other options to choose from. But, if you are thinking of getting a phone for non-tech-savvy parents or a second phone for online classes for kids, this might work well. It has a good build, promises regular updates for a few years and a good display. The camera can also click some good pictures. The phone also has a decent battery life but can take a long time to fully charge from 0 to 100%.