For a long time, Nokia was the only name synonymous with cellphones.
Still, at the dawn of the age of smartphones, the Hungarian manufacturer stepped out of the limelight.
Despite this, while not always coming out on top, Nokia remained a name in the mobile phone business with a series of efforts to revive the brand.
We saw the rebirth of the 3310 and a series of nostalgic favourites, but today one of the latest Nokia available, the G21, not only represents the modern-day offering of a traditional brand but a shift we are about to witness from the smartphone industry as a whole.
Given economies of scale, we can expect smartphones with better features to become more affordable in the years to come, but the Nokia G21 proves that that age is clearly upon us.
The simple reason behind this suggested theory is that the G21 packs a host of premium smartphone features into an affordable device – giving any smartphone user the opportunity to experience the power of today's most premium smartphones at a fraction of the cost, including one of its biggest highlights: a colossal 50MP camera.
Camera
While the smartphone's camera isn't the only feature to shout about – It is one of the most impressive. However, just because any smartphone is kitted with a high-megapixel camera doesn't necessarily mean it has better images. Bigger cameras mean bigger images, not better ones.
A megapixel, of course, is 1 million pixels, which means a million tiny squares of information to make a single megapixel of an entire picture. This means that the Nokia G21 can fit a LOT of information in a single image. While it could do better with some enhancement, this smartphone captures great photos, even in low-light conditions.
The device's 8MP selfie camera does well in similar conditions, but don't expect the power from the rear lens to translate to the power of the facing lens.
Display
Nokia once again outdid itself with the display on the G21 with an incredible 6.5-inch (16.5cm) screen with 720x1600 pixel resolution. However, a highlight of the display includes its 90Hz refresh rate.
This is an extremely high refresh rate given the affordability of this device, meaning that gaming, streaming and overall use of the device is smooth and fluid to the touch.
Ease of Use (Software)
Not many Android users can attest to the ease of use and responsiveness of the operating system in its purest form. This is because most top manufacturers running devices off Android often layer it with their own software, leading to it becoming bugged or crashing over time.
Thankfully, Nokia took heed of this in the G21, offering a vanilla form of Android, which provides a better user experience that will take the device a long way in terms of its performance.
Battery
Remember when your 3310’s battery lasted a whole week? Well, Nokia has come close to that with the G21, at least half as close.
Another key feature of the G21 is that it boasts up to three days of battery life through efficient use of its 5050mAh battery, another rarity in contrast to its rivals which typically feature a single day’s use of a battery with 4500mAh capacity or less.
To buy or not to buy
To be fair, the Nokia G21 doesn't fit in the high-end bracket of top-performing smartphones, and asking for more on top of its already generous offering would be unfair.
Listed on its website for just over R3 000, the Nokia G21 offers bang for your buck and makes for a great starter smartphone, one for those who are not too tech savvy, or aspiring mobile photographers on a budget.
IOL Tech