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MagyarNokia 4.2 Review: An affordable smartphone with a Google Assistant button
With smartphones such as the Nokia 2.1, the Nokia 3.1, and the Nokia 5.1, HMD Global covers a large area in the segment of affordable smartphones. While the design and workmanship are high-quality throughout, there is often some corner cuttings in terms of the storage equipment.
Our first impression of the Nokia 4.2 confirms this impression, since there are only 3 GB of working memory and merely 32 GB of eMMC flash storage. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 ensures smooth system operation, and the display of graphical content is handled by a Qualcomm Adreno 505 graphics unit.
In the price range around 200 Euros (~$228; about $190 in the US), there are also numerous competitors. We therefore select comparable smartphones from other manufacturers for this test and compare them with the Nokia 4.2. These include the Samsung Galaxy M20, Sony's Xperia L3, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, and Motorola's Moto G7 Power. You can add more devices from our database underneath each of the charts for comparison.
Case - A robust Nokia smartphone
The Nokia 4.2 has a metal frame and a back made of plastic. The workmanship is of very high quality, and the affordable smartphone gives a very robust impression. Only the physical control buttons sit in their frames with some slight play. On the back are a fingerprint sensor and the dual-camera system in the top third of the Nokia smartphone. The front is dominated by the display, which takes up most of the area with its small bezels and the relatively small notch. Buyers can choose between black or pink color.
At a weight of 161 grams (~5.7 oz), the Nokia 4.2 is one of the lighter devices in our test field. The dimensions are also fairly small, with our test unit being slimmer than comparable smartphones.
Equipment - An affordable smartphone with Full-HD streaming
HMD Global has equipped the Nokia 4.2 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 and the integrated Qualcomm Adreno 505 graphics unit. These are accompanied by 3 GB of working memory and 32 GB of eMMC flash storage. Optionally, the Nokia 4.2 is also available in a version with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of eMMC flash storage. The storage can be expanded by up to 400 GB using an internal microSD card reader. When using the card reader, the dual-SIM function still remains available, since the Nokia smartphone can accept two NanoSIM and one microSD card simultaneously. Both SIM cards support LTE connections and allow using VoLTE and VoWiFi as long as the network provider offers these functions.
For wired data transfer, there is a MicroUSB connection. However, this is only internally connected with the USB-2.0 standard. Thanks to DRM L1, users can enjoy streaming contents from Netflix, Maxdome, or Amazon Prime, for example, in Full HD resolution. The Camera2 API is completely enabled at level 3.
Software - A solid smartphone with pure Android
Since it is an Android One edition, users of the Nokia 4.2 are greeted by a pure Android-Pie system of version 9.0, and the security patches are on the level of Mai 1, 2019. The manufacturer has completely gone without installing any third party apps, giving users complete control over the installed apps. However, apps installed by the user cannot be moved onto a storage card, which can also not be reformatted as internal storage. It is also not possible to set up any additional user accounts.
Communication and GPS - A smartphone with NFC and LTE
The Nokia 4.2 is able to communicate in the GSM, 3G, and LTE networks, the latter being possible with LTE category 4, allowing it to reach download speeds of up to 150 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 50 Mbps. For close range communication, there are NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, and WLAN in the b, g, and n standards. This only allows WLAN connections in the 2.4-GHz band, so you also will not get the faster transfer rates of the ac standard.
Correspondingly, the Nokia smartphone only achieves lower transfer rates in the WLAN test with our Linksys EA8500 reference router. At an average of 52.6 Mbps while receiving and 35.2 Mbps while sending data, it places next to last in our test field.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (16.9 - 1368, n=69, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (32.7 - 953, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
Using the "GPS Test" app, we evaluate how accurately the Android smartphone is able to locate itself. The Nokia 4.2 is able to use GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou. With these systems, we are achieving an accuracy of up to 3 meters (~10 ft) outdoors. Indoors, it is unable to create a satellite connection.
In our mandatory bike tour, we compare the GNSS in the Nokia 4.2 with our Garmin Edge 500 reference device. Even in longer straight stretches, the recorded route is often next to our actual route. In addition, curves and fast direction changes are only registered with a significant delay. The GNSS in the Nokia 4.2 is therefore more suited for simpler navigation tasks.
Telephone Functions and Voice Quality - Good connections with the Nokia 4.2
The Nokia 4.2 offers Google's standard Telephone app to users. This directly shows favorite contacts and provides quick access to the dial pad for phone number input. Two additional tabs provide access to call lists and your own contacts. During the conversation, the Android smartphone offers a good sound quality and a relatively high volume. While noises are suppressed reliably, there can be some slight communication problems in very loud surroundings.
Cameras - A Nokia smartphone with good image quality
The Nokia 4.2 has a dual-camera with one 13-MP sensor, f/2.2 aperture, and 1.12 µm pixel width and one 2-MP sensor with an f/1.75 aperture on the back. For selfie pictures, there is an 8-MP front camera with an f/2.0 aperture and 1.12 µm pixel width. This allows you to take portrait pictures with sufficient quality in good light conditions. Fine details and structures are easily recognizable, but already start looking slightly blurry at low zoom levels. In addition to a beauty effect that makes surfaces appear slightly softer, users can also choose a professional mode to influence the recording of the front camera. With this mode, you can adjust the white balance, ISO values, focus, and brightness according to the conditions.
In good light conditions, the main camera of the Nokia 4.2 allows you to take acceptable panorama pictures. They show many details, and strong differences in brightness are balanced well. However, the objects in the image already appear blurry at low zoom levels and the surfaces show some coarse graininess. This effect is not as strong at close ranges, but you can still see some graininess in the object edges and uneven structures. Colors, on the other hand, are reproduced well. While you can still recognize the selected object in recordings under bad light conditions, colors are reproduced much too dark and the border transitions are blurry. The same options that we described above for the front camera are available to influence the image quality.
Video recordings taken with the Nokia 4.2 show a similar quality as our test images. An image stabilizer reliably prevents blurriness, and the change from bright to dark image areas succeeds quickly and without delay. However, colors appear slightly pale. The user can choose between the FHD 1080p and HD 720p resolutions. A high frame rate mode or anything like that is not available.
Using the ColorChecker Passport, we evaluate the accuracy of the color reproduction of the Nokia 4.2 camera. This shows that most colors are reproduced brighter than they are in the original. Only dark gray tones and one purple color tone are reproduced darker than they they should be.
Under controlled light conditions, the Nokia smartphone is able to reproduce our test chart well. Fine details and structures are easily recognizable, but colors appear slightly too bright. In addition, there is some significant paleness in the bottom corners.
Accessories and Warranty - A 24-month warranty on the Nokia smartphone
Included in the box of the Nokia 4.2 are a USB charger with the corresponding MicroUSB cable and a SIM tool. For additional accessories, users would need to look at the offerings from third party manufacturers.
HMD Global offers a warranty period of 24 months to buyers of the Nokia 4.2.
Input Devices and Operation - The Nokia 4.2 with a Google Assistant key
To input text, Google's standard GBoard keyboard app is available to users of the Nokia 4.2. This allows to also type in longer sentences quickly and without any complications. The touchscreen responds very reliably to touch inputs and transfers them directly to the system. The surface of the display offers a slight resistance to the sliding finger tips, making longer drag-and-drop movements slightly more difficult. There is an extra button on the left side of the device to start Google Assistant. It does not matter whether there is a short or long key press. However, you cannot program other functions for this key.
In our test, it happened on some occasions that the Nokia 4.2 took a very long time to wake from standby. While this did not happen anymore after a reset of the smartphone, we should still mention it.
The fingerprint sensor on the back can be used to unlock the smartphone. While it recognizes stored fingerprints reliably, this only works if you place the stored part of your fingerprint quite accurately on the sensor. The position sensor also responds quickly to movements of the phone, adjusting the display orientation to the position of the Nokia smartphone.
Display - No PWM in the Nokia 4.2
The display of the Nokia 4.2 consists of a 5.71-inch IPS panel offering a resolution of 1520x720 pixels. At 424 cd/m², the average brightness places it at the bottom of our test field, while the brightness distribution of 91% is sufficient for a place in the middle of the field. In the APL50 test, the affordable smartphone achieves a slightly higher value of 442 cd/m², and we measure a brightness of 450 cd/m² without the brightness sensor. The lowest possible brightness that it can be adjusted to is 1.93 cd/m². We were also able to determine that PWM is not used for controlling the brightness in the Nokia 4.2.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 445 cd/m²
Contrast: 1712:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.9 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 6.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
92% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.2
| Nokia 4.2 IPS, 1520x720, 5.71 | Samsung Galaxy M20 PLS TFT, 2340x1080, 6.30 | Sony Xperia L3 IPS, 1440x720, 5.70 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 IPS, 2340x1080, 6.30 | Motorola Moto G7 Power IPS, 1570x720, 6.20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -10% | 30% | 22% | 9% | |
| Brightness middle | 445 | 452 2% | 533 20% | 541 22% | 608 37% |
| Brightness | 424 | 445 5% | 533 26% | 540 27% | 585 38% |
| Brightness Distribution | 91 | 92 1% | 89 -2% | 91 0% | 92 1% |
| Black Level * | 0.26 | 0.41 -58% | 0.25 4% | 0.33 -27% | 0.36 -38% |
| Contrast | 1712 | 1102 -36% | 2132 25% | 1639 -4% | 1689 -1% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.9 | 5.3 10% | 2.8 53% | 2.7 54% | 5.08 14% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9.3 | 9.5 -2% | 5.1 45% | 4.6 51% | 8.74 6% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.8 | 6.8 -0% | 1.9 72% | 3.1 54% | 5.9 13% |
| Gamma | 2.2 100% | 2.23 99% | 2.11 104% | 2.26 97% | 2.219 99% |
| CCT | 8443 77% | 8355 78% | 6149 106% | 6853 95% | 7772 84% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19046 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Our measurements attest the Nokia 4.2 with a very good contrast ratio of 1712:1 and an also good black value of 0.26 cd/m². With both these values, the Android smartphone places second in our test field.
The CalMAN analysis also shows that colors are reproduced with a significant blue tint. In addition to a night light mode that can be activated on a timer, users can also adjust the color display in the settings menu. This offers a freely adjustable slider for the white balance, allowing users to adjust the color temperature between warm and cold.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 28.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13.2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 15.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 71 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 55.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 27.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 27.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 91 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.1 ms). | ||
Outdoors, the Nokia 4.2 can be used easily, as long as users keep to shady places. The brightness is not sufficient to display the image content readable in direct sunlight. In addition, there are strong reflections of the surrounding objects, which also hinder the view.
The viewing angles of the IPS panel in the Nokia 4.2 are very stable. The image contents can be read from almost any viewing angle, without becoming distorted or the colors being distorted. As long as there are no reflections hindering the view, the Nokia smartphone can also be used from unusual positions.
Performance - A simple Android smartphone for everyday use
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 and 3 GB of working memory handle the system operation of the Nokia 4.2. A Qualcomm Adreno 505 graphics unit is responsible for the display of graphical content, and 32 GB of eMMC flash storage offers space for installation of apps and storage of user data.
In the benchmarks, the Nokia smartphone achieves results that place it at the lower end of our test field. In both the system and the graphics heavy tests, it places ahead of the Sony Xperia L3 and behind the Motorola Moto G7 Power. In everyday operation, the Android smartphone can be navigated smoothly and apps are opened quickly. We did not encounter any stutters or such during our testing period.
| Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (863 - 903, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (783 - 8424, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (2987 - 3267, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 21505, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (2505 - 3199, n=3) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 14785, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (5880 - 6228, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9875 - 19297, n=4, last 2 years) | |
| Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (4412 - 4791, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5279 - 13282, n=28, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (21 - 35, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=186, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (22 - 23, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (19 - 497, n=186, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (9.3 - 19, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 161, n=187, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (9.7 - 19, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 331, n=188, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (6 - 14, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 143, n=188, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (6.4 - 6.6, n=6) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 223, n=188, last 2 years) | |
| Basemark GPU 1.1 | |
| 1920x1080 Vulkan Medium Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 | |
| Vulkan Medium Native (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 | |
| 1920x1080 OpenGL Medium Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 | |
| AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Sony Xperia L3 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (75175 - 79792, n=3) | |
| VRMark - Amber Room (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (734 - 9793, n=27, last 2 years) | |
| Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 4.2 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (177 - 5296, n=59, last 2 years) | |
In the browser benchmarks, the results of the Nokia 4.2 are only sufficient for the second to last place in our test field. While the Android smartphone is able to surpass the Sony Xperia L3 here as well, it is surpassed by the rest of the competitors. In everyday operation, users are able to browse websites smoothly and media content becomes available after a short time.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (17.3 - 282, n=164, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 (Samsung Brwoser 9.2) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (15.9 - 16.9, n=5) | |
| Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74) | |
| Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.3 - 375, n=153, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (17.4 - 18.5, n=5) | |
| Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - --- | |
| Average of class Smartphone (34 - 292, n=144, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 (Chrome 72) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (32 - 38, n=6) | |
| Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 74261, n=193, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 (Chrome 72) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (4512 - 4958, n=6) | |
| Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Sony Xperia L3 (Chrome 72) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 (9768 - 10143, n=6) | |
| Nokia 4.2 (Chrome 74) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 (Chrome 72) | |
| Samsung Galaxy M20 | |
| Average of class Smartphone (414 - 10031, n=167, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
The Nokia 4.2 offers 32 GB of eMMC flash storage, about 25 GB of which are still available for installations by the user and storage of user data. In the storage benchmarks, the read and write rates remain significantly below the values of comparable devices. However, we did not notice any delays in everyday operation that would point to slow data access rates. In terms of the file systems, FAT and FAT32 are available, but exFAT is not supported.
According to the manufacturer, the internal storage can be expanded via microSD card by up to 400 GB. Using our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference storage card, the card reader achieves good speeds that are at the same level as the rest of the devices in our test field.
| Nokia 4.2 | Samsung Galaxy M20 | Sony Xperia L3 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 | Motorola Moto G7 Power | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 312% | 124% | 281% | 495% | 162% | 2612% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 220.4 | 300 36% | 290.9 32% | 283.4 29% | 292.4 33% | 242 ? 10% | 1183 ? 437% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 18.17 | 137 654% | 87.5 382% | 204.7 1027% | 215.2 1084% | 100 ? 450% | 743 ? 3989% |
| Random Read 4KB | 17.51 | 64 266% | 28.83 65% | 82.9 373% | 67.5 285% | 42.9 ? 145% | 208 ? 1088% |
| Random Write 4KB | 4.31 | 44 921% | 16.36 280% | 16.06 273% | 72 1571% | 21.8 ? 406% | 217 ? 4935% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 86.7 ? | 81.5 ? -6% | 80.9 ? -7% | 83.2 ? -4% | 86.7 ? 0% | 71.8 ? -17% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 65.9 ? | 65.3 ? -1% | 61.7 ? -6% | 59.5 ? -10% | 65.4 ? -1% | 52.9 ? -20% |
Games - Only simple games with the Nokia 4.2
HMD Global uses a Qualcomm Adreno 505 graphics unit for the display of graphics content in the Nokia 4.2. This GPU is often used in mid-range smartphones and suitable for games with simple to medium demands on the performance. The "Arena of Valor" and "Shadow Fight 3" games that we tested using GameBench ran smoothly at low detail levels, and the frame rates remained mostly above the 30-FPS mark even at higher setting levels. However, more demanding games such as "Asphalt 9: Legends" showed occasional performance drops that became noticeable as less than smooth gaming operations.
The touchscreen of the Nokia 4.2 always responded reliably and even longer drag-and-drop movements did not give us any trouble. The position sensor also translated the movements of the smartphone reliably into control commands.
Emissions - A smartphone with a 3.5-mm audio port
Temperature
Our measurements attest the Nokia 4.2 with surface temperatures of up to 35.5 °C (95.9 °F) during idle operation and up to 37 °C (98.6 °F) under load. The smartphone feels merely warm, but never becomes too hot to hold in the hand, for example. During our test, we did not notice any limitations that could be traced back to too-high temperatures inside.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 34.9 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 52.9 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.9 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.9 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The speaker of the Nokia 4.2 offers a relatively high volume. The sound spectrum emphasizes the high mids and drops significantly in tones below the mid-range. While the quality is suitable for voice transmission, media content sounds feeble and anemic. We therefore recommend using external speakers or headphones, which can be connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth 4.2 or a 3.5-mm audio port. This accepts the corresponding plugs tightly and has no negative impact on the sound quality.
Nokia 4.2 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 34.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.4% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.8% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 73% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 83% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Sony Xperia L3 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 47% of all tested devices in this class were better, 11% similar, 42% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 23%, worst was 65%
Compared to all devices tested
» 68% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Battery Life - Low power consumption in the Nokia smartphone
Power Management
Our measurements attest the Nokia smartphone with a minimum power consumption of 0.74 watts in idle operation and a maximum of 4.15 watts under load. This puts the power consumption at the same level as that of the rest of the devices in our test field.
The included charger offers a nominal performance of 5 watts and is thus powerful enough to be able supply the Nokia 4.2 with sufficient power.
| Off / Standby |   0.02 / 0.16 Watt |
| Idle |  0.74 / 1.9 / 2.21 Watt |
| Load |
3.04 / 4.15 Watt |
    
| |
| Nokia 4.2 3000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy M20 5000 mAh | Sony Xperia L3 3300 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 4000 mAh | Motorola Moto G7 Power 5000 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -22% | 15% | -29% | -35% | -18% | -17% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.74 | 0.94 -27% | 0.57 23% | 0.61 18% | 1.1 -49% | 0.82 ? -11% | 0.883 ? -19% |
| Idle Average * | 1.9 | 2.37 -25% | 1.5 21% | 1.95 -3% | 1.9 -0% | 2.21 ? -16% | 1.487 ? 22% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.21 | 2.42 -10% | 1.51 32% | 2.03 8% | 2.8 -27% | 2.49 ? -13% | 1.701 ? 23% |
| Load Average * | 3.04 | 3.83 -26% | 3.09 -2% | 4.56 -50% | 4.1 -35% | 3.78 ? -24% | 4.26 ? -40% |
| Load Maximum * | 4.15 | 5.07 -22% | 4.15 -0% | 9.15 -120% | 6.9 -66% | 5.24 ? -26% | 7.1 ? -71% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our realistic WLAN test, the Nokia 4.2 achieves a battery life of 11 1/2 hours, before it has to be reconnected to the charger. This puts the battery life above that of the Sony Xperia L3, which does not last as long with its larger battery.
The included charger does not offer a quick-charge function, and it takes about 3 hours to completely recharge the 3000 mAh battery.
| Nokia 4.2 3000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy M20 5000 mAh | Sony Xperia L3 3300 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 4000 mAh | Motorola Moto G7 Power 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | |||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 696 | 928 33% | 641 -8% | 768 10% | 2143 208% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - The Nokia 4.2 offers a good price-performance ratio
In our test, the Nokia 4.2 presents itself as a reliable smartphone at an affordable price. Despite the small storage equipment, the system runs smoothly and has no difficulties running simple everyday apps such as the Internet browser, WhatsApp, or Mail apps. The battery life also corresponds to our expectations on the capacity, and the camera performance is more than adequate for this price-range.
Buyers of the Nokia 4.2 receive an affordable smartphone with good hardware equipment. The dedicated Google Assistant key is a useful, unique feature.
In addition, there is the ability to use two NanoSIM cards and a microSD card at the same time. This means that users will not have to decide between using more storage or a second SIM card. The fact that apps cannot be moved onto the storage card represents a small blemish, meaning that there is only little space for installing apps. Also, you cannot create user accounts, which limits the ability to share it among several people.
Nokia 4.2
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06/24/2019 v6(old)
Mike Wobker
Pricecompare
