Nokia 5.4 Smartphone Review - With Android One to the top of its class?
The latest mid-range smartphone from HMD Global features new accents. However, it still comes with old hardware. The Nokia 5.4 has an MSRP of 219 Euro ($260) and is intended for price-conscious buyers. When compared to its direct predecessor, the Nokia 5.4 does not look particularly new.
When compared to the Nokia 5.3, the main distinguishing feature of the Nokia 5.4 is the punch-hole display, which still has the same 720p resolution and the same 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Nokia 5.4 comes with a quad-camera system, 4 GB of RAM and 64 or 128 GB of internal memory. The Nokia 5.4 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662. However, this is actually a downgrade when compared to the Snapdragon 665 in the Nokia 5.3.
Likely Competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2021 | Nokia 5.4 SD 662, Adreno 610 | 180 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.39" | 1560x720 | |
| 77.2 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2021 | OnePlus Nord N100 SD 460, Adreno 610 | 188 g | 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.52" | 1600x720 | |
| 75.2 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2021 | Samsung Galaxy A12 Helio P35 MT6765, PowerVR GE8320 | 205 g | 64 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 81.8 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2020 | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC SD 732G, Adreno 618 | 215 g | 64 GB UFS 2.0 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 77.9 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2021 | Wiko View5 Plus Helio P35 MT6765, PowerVR GE8320 | 201 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.55" | 1600x720 |
Case - Nokia smartphone with a punch-hole display
The case of the Nokia 5.4 is made of plastic. The smartphone comes in the colour schemes known as "Polar Night" and "Dusk". When pressure is applied to the slightly convex plastic back, it bends in, particularly in the area around the fingerprint scanner. The Android One smartphone does not feel premium in the hand. However, the plastic buttons have a clear actuation point and sit firmly in their cutouts.
Unlike its predecessor, whose screen featured a notch, the Nokia 5.4 comes with a punch-hole display. The side bezels of the Android One smartphone are quite thin, but the top and bottom bezels are not. This is why the Nokia smartphone has a screen-to-body ratio of only 82 %.
Connectivity - Nokia 5.4 with a 3.5-mm jack
The Nokia 5.4 features 128 GB of eMMC memory. However, only 105 GB thereof is available to the user. The Nokia smartphone can take two nanoSIM cards and one microSD card with a capacity of up to 512 GB. The 4000-mAh battery is charged via the USB-C port, which supports OTG functionality.
The Nokia 5.4 also features a fingerprint sensor, a 3.5-mm headphone jack and an FM tuner. Moreover, the device also supports Wi-Fi direct and Miracast.
Software - Nokia smartphone with Android one
The Nokia smartphone runs a simplified version of Android known as Android One. HMD Global promises to provide monthly security updates for three years and major software updates for two years. However, at the time of our review, the Nokia 5.4 still ran on Android 10.
Communication and Geolocation - Nokia 5.4 with NFC
The integrated Wi-Fi module supports the following IEEE 802.11 standards: b, g and n. Unfortunately, it can only operate in the 2.4-GHz networks. The Nokia smartphone offers very poor data transfer rates with our reference-grade router Netgear Nighthawk AX12, even when compared to other 200-Euro ($238) smartphones. Moreover, the Wi-Fi reception quality is rather poor. The Nokia 5.4 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC.
As is usual for smartphones in this price range, the number of supported LTE frequency bands is rather low. The Nokia 5.4 supports only 10 LTE bands. However, for those living in Germany this should not present any problems.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Wiko View5 Plus | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| Nokia 5.4 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| Wiko View5 Plus | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Nokia 5.4 | |
For geolocation, the Nokia 5.4 relies on the following global navigation satellite systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and SBAS. Outdoors, the Android One smartphone manages to establish a connection with the satellites without any major issues. Howbeit, in some cases, it may take a while for the smartphone to connect to the satellites.
In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to geolocation, we take it with us on a bike ride. During this ride, we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500. There is a 200-metre difference between the Nokia 5.4 and the Garmin Edge 500, which is an acceptable result.
Telephony & Call Quality - Nokia smartphone with Wi-Fi Calling
The quality of video and phone calls is on a good level. The maximum volume of the ear-speaker is satisfactory. The voices on either end of the call sound clear and intelligible.
Cameras - Nokia smartphone with a quad-camera system
Under good lighting conditions, the 48-MP main camera of the Nokia 5.4 produces photographs, which are marred by a slight rose tint and appear somewhat washed-out. The sharpness is on a good level and the autofocus works well. Thanks to an f/1.8 aperture (the f-number reflects the ratio of the focal length to the diameter of the lens), the image sensor gets a lot of light. However, under low-light conditions, the images are poorly illuminated and the device starts to have trouble with focusing.
The ultra wide-angle lens is good enough for occasional snapshots, but that is all it is good for. The images taken with the 5-MP sensor are blurry and noisy, and are marred by image processing artefacts.
We like the 16-MP front-facing camera better. The image quality is on a good level for a cheap mid-range smartphone. All in all, it produces perfectly usable selfies. It can also record video at 1080p30, just like the wide-angle and ultra wide-angle cameras.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Wide angle lensWide angle lensLow-light photography5X zoom
Accessories and Warranty - Nokia 5.4 with a headset
The box of the Nokia 5.4 contains a 10-W charger (5 V/2 A), a USB cable and a headset.
The Nokia smartphone comes with a 24-month warranty.
Input Devices & Handling - Nokia 5.4 with FaceUnlock
The fingerprint reader is neither fast nor reliable. The Android One smartphone also supports face unlock functionality. However, the face recognition technology in the Nokia 5.4 is neither fast nor secure.
The touchscreen works without any issues. Just like its predecessor, the Nokia 5.4 features a dedicated Google Assistant button.
Display - Nokia smartphone with an LCD panel
The 6.39-inch IPS display of the Nokia 5.4 has a native resolution of 1560x720 pixels and a pixel density of 269 PPI. The screen brightness peaks at 522 cd/m², which is not bad for a smartphone in this price range. In the APL50 test, in which the screen displays a pattern of alternating black and white squares of equal size, we measured a peak brightness of 520 cd/m².
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 522 cd/m²
Contrast: 1631:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.1 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 8.1 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
95.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.27
| Nokia 5.4 IPS LCD, 1560x720, 6.4" | OnePlus Nord N100 IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Samsung Galaxy A12 PLS-LCD, 1600x720, 6.5" | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC IPS, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Wiko View5 Plus IPS, 1600x720, 6.6" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 18% | -4% | 16% | 5% | |
| Brightness middle | 522 | 474 -9% | 458 -12% | 623 19% | 555 6% |
| Brightness | 494 | 456 -8% | 427 -14% | 600 21% | 522 6% |
| Brightness Distribution | 91 | 86 -5% | 85 -7% | 93 2% | 88 -3% |
| Black Level * | 0.32 | 0.35 -9% | 0.53 -66% | 0.54 -69% | 0.35 -9% |
| Contrast | 1631 | 1354 -17% | 864 -47% | 1154 -29% | 1586 -3% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.1 | 2.7 56% | 4.04 34% | 1.8 70% | 6.3 -3% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 11 | 4.89 56% | 6.84 38% | 4.7 57% | 9.9 10% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 8.1 | 1.9 77% | 4.8 41% | 3.3 59% | 5.5 32% |
| Gamma | 2.27 97% | 2.31 95% | 2.293 96% | 2.26 97% | 2.22 99% |
| CCT | 8673 75% | 6430 101% | 7535 86% | 6712 97% | 7909 82% |
* ... 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 8445 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Thanks to a low black value of 0.32 cd/m², the screen of the Nokia 5.4 has a good contrast ratio of 1693:1. In the APL50 test, the contrast ratio stays the same. However, the black value increases very slightly. Our CalMAN analysis reveals poor colour (Delta E: 6.1) and grayscale (Delta E: 8.1) performance. Moreover, the colour temperature of 8673 K is way too high. This is why the screen suffers from a slight bluish cast.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 33.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 18.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 89 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 50.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 23.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 26.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 86 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms). | ||
Thanks to a high contrast ratio, the display of the Nokia smartphone makes a good impression outdoors. However, the screen content is rather hard to read in direct sunlight, because of screen reflections. Users should also be aware that the maximum brightness falls to 442 cd/m² with the ambient light sensor disabled. The IPS panel of the Nokia 5.4 offers wide viewing angles.
Performance - Nokia 5.4 with Snapdragon 662
The Nokia smartphone comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662. It is made using the 11-nm manufacturing process and offers eight Kryo 260 cores (fours Cortex-A73 cores and fours Cortex-A53 cores). The Qualcomm Adreno 610 serves as the GPU.
In day-to-day use, the Snapdragon 662 provides a decent level of performance. However, users are likely to encounter some slowdown when multi-tasking.
In our benchmarks, the Nokia smartphone performs as well as many other competing devices. Howbeit, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G in the Poco X3 NFC is much faster and the Nokia 5.3 also beats our current review device.
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 5.4 | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (11 - 26, n=10) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.9 - 166, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 5.4 | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (13 - 14, n=10) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.4 - 365, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Nokia 5.4 | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
| Xiaomi Poco M3 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (167471 - 185542, n=9) | |
| Jetstream 2 - 2.0 Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 387, n=165, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (30.4 - 32.4, n=10) | |
| Nokia 5.4 (Chrome 88) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (51 - 59, n=11) | |
| Nokia 5.4 (Chrome 88) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (8893 - 10247, n=14) | |
| Nokia 5.4 (Chrome 88) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Samsung Galaxy A12 (Chrome 88) | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 (Chrome 87) | |
| Nokia 5.4 (Chrome 88) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (3779 - 4650, n=11) | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC (Chrome 85) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=166, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
| Nokia 5.4 | OnePlus Nord N100 | Samsung Galaxy A12 | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | Wiko View5 Plus | Average 128 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 27% | -16% | 19% | -19% | -8% | 483% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 288.9 | 504 74% | 269.7 -7% | 506 75% | 292 1% | 294 ? 2% | 2054 ? 611% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 187.2 | 219 17% | 211.6 13% | 173.1 -8% | 187.2 0% | 195.8 ? 5% | 1667 ? 790% |
| Random Read 4KB | 112.1 | 106.1 -5% | 65.4 -42% | 123.4 10% | 72.4 -35% | 83.9 ? -25% | 286 ? 155% |
| Random Write 4KB | 68.8 | 120.8 76% | 39.1 -43% | 112.6 64% | 18 -74% | 56.7 ? -18% | 327 ? 375% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 85.9 ? | 85.2 ? -1% | 77.4 ? -10% | 75.2 ? -12% | 82.9 ? -3% | 78.1 ? -9% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 64.1 ? | 64.3 ? 0% | 61.6 ? -4% | 55.6 ? -13% | 62.2 ? -3% | 61.8 ? -4% |
Gaming - Nokia smartphone with Adreno 610
Thanks to a low display resolution, the Android One smartphone is suitable for gaming. Nevertheless, users will still have to turn down the visual settings to get playable frames. The Adreno 610 struggles to achieve stable frames in very demanding titles such as Asphalt 9 even on low settings.
Emissions - Nokia 5.4 stays cool
Temperature
The Nokia 5.4 stays relatively cool even under load.
| 3DMark - Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Nokia 5.4 | |
| OnePlus Nord N100 | |
| Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC | |
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.5 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 32.1 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.7 °C / 87 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The mono speaker on the bottom is quite loud (91 dB(A)). However, the lows are almost completely missing. All in all, the audio quality is typical of a device in this price range.
The 3.5-mm headphone jack of the Nokia 5.4 allows users to enjoy music with some bass. However, the signal-to-noise ratio of 57 dBFS is quite high, which means that there is a lot of background noise.
Nokia 5.4 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.8% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 44% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 49% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 62% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 32% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 13% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 79% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 34% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 58% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life - Nokia smartphone with a 4000-mAh battery
Energy Consumption
The power consumption of the 6.39-inch smartphone is on a normal level. When idle, it even draws less power than other competing devices with the Snapdragon 662. The smartphone takes about 2.5 hours to fully charge.
| Off / Standby |   0.01 / 0.11 Watt |
| Idle |  0.49 / 1.91 / 1.94 Watt |
| Load |
3.57 / 6.42 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Nokia 5.4 4000 mAh | OnePlus Nord N100 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A12 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC 5160 mAh | Wiko View5 Plus 5000 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -5% | -34% | -43% | 4% | -39% | -39% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.49 | 0.56 -14% | 1.1 -124% | 0.93 -90% | 0.63 -29% | 0.846 ? -73% | 0.872 ? -78% |
| Idle Average * | 1.91 | 1.8 6% | 1.6 16% | 2.47 -29% | 1.91 -0% | 2.51 ? -31% | 1.415 ? 26% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.94 | 2.3 -19% | 2.6 -34% | 2.51 -29% | 1.92 1% | 2.72 ? -40% | 1.556 ? 20% |
| Load Average * | 3.57 | 3.9 -9% | 4.5 -26% | 5.62 -57% | 2.74 23% | 4.99 ? -40% | 7.04 ? -97% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.42 | 5.6 13% | 6.4 -0% | 6.93 -8% | 4.8 25% | 7.16 ? -12% | 10.6 ? -65% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our practically oriented Wi-Fi test, the Nokia smartphone achieves a decent battery runtime, despite having only a 4000-mAh. However, other competing smartphones offer even longer battery runtimes.
| Nokia 5.4 4000 mAh | OnePlus Nord N100 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A12 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC 5160 mAh | Wiko View5 Plus 5000 mAh | Nokia 5.3 4000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | ||||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 815 | 1149 41% | 1288 58% | 1116 37% | 1646 102% | 876 7% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict for the Nokia 5.4 - Mid-ranger with weaknesses
The Nokia 5.4 scores some major points thanks to its beautiful design, decent hardware and a solid IPS screen. The main distinguishing feature of the smartphone from HMD Global is Android One. This is what sets it apart from the rest of the competition in the mid-range space. Whether this is enough in 2021 is an open question since our opinion is that the Nokia 5.4 does not provide as much value as other competing devices that cost 220 Euros ($262)—the Poco X3 NFC and the Redmi Note 9 bring more to the table hardware-wise but do not provide such comprehensive software support.
Fans of stock Android can learn to look past the weaknesses of the Nokia 5.4, in time.
Why the successor of the Nokia 5.3 features a significantly slower Wi-Fi module and a slightly slower SoC is totally beyond us.
Price and Availability
The Nokia 5.4 is currently available on bhphotovideo.com for $249.99, but it is temporarily out of stock on bestbuy.com and amazon.com.
Nokia 5.4
- 03/04/2021 v7 (old)
Marcus Herbrich
Price comparison
