By Rahul K. Singh
New Delhi, June 2 (IANS): The trend in the crowded sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone market is to offer bigger phones that last longer on a single charge. HMD Global, the house of Nokia phones, also appears to be relying on these features a lot to beat the competition.
The Nokia 3.2, launched last month, comes with a 6.26-inch HD plus display and 4000mAh battery.
These are, however, not the only attractive features that the phone offers. It also comes with a dedicated Google Assistant button, three years of monthly security patches and two major software updates, as guaranteed in the Android One programme.
The phone was launched in two variants -- the 2GB RAM+16GB internal storage at Rs 8,990 and the 3GB+32GB at Rs 10,790.
Let's see how the 3GB+32GB variant fared during our use.
The waterdrop notch display and polycarbonate glossy body make the phone look trendy. The fingerprint sensor placed at the back is fast and accurate. We also found no trouble in accessing the phone with the face unlock feature.
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 chipset, the phone runs Android Pie OS. At moderate usage, the device lasted for a day and a half, thanks to the 4000mAh battery.
The big screen, the thin bezels on sides and the big battery ensured that watching videos and playing games on the device was a decent experience, although it lacked a bit of sharpness. Overall, in terms of media consumption, the phone does not disappoint, considering the price point.
In adequate light, the 5MP front camera captured good selfies and didn't appear over-exposed. The 13MP rear camera, despite having a single lens, also surprised us with decent pictures.
What does not work?
The camera, however, was found wanting when it came to low-light photography. The polycarbonate body easily attracted fingerprints and there is nothing to write home about the sound quality.
Conclusion: The dedicated Google Assistant button, battery life and the big display are a huge plus for the Nokia 3.2, but they may not be enough to make the device stand out in comparison to Redmi Note 7, Realme 3 and Galaxy M20, which come with dual rear camera systems and some advanced features.