Nokia 3.2

Pairing the Nokia brand name with the Android One system, Nokia 3.2 arrives as a probable favourite for Android purists and Nokia nostalgics. Priced at ₹ 10,199, the phone does not stand as a match with its contenders.

Nokia 3.2 has a weak processor, unattractive design and mediocre camera. It only stands tall due to its brand name and fantastic battery. It is not a poor phone from a trusted brand.

Nokia 3.2 does not arrive with any stark design signature. It has a redundant Android phone look with a large screen and a water-drip notch. The phone is light-weight and can be used for single-hand use. It is of a plastic build, and the edges are curved, making it sit on your palms without digging into them. The plastic does have a glossy finish, making it looks slightly premium. The screen has thin bezels on the left and right, but there is a thick chin which lowers the screen size to work with. The phone is covered with a 2.5D glass to prevent scratches. The camera module is on the rear panel, and underneath it, the fingerprint scanner is fitted. The phone also hosts a dedicated Google Assistant button on its left. The phone hosts a micro-USB port which is slightly dated considering that USB Type-C ports are already in fashion for quite some time. Design-wise, the phone is average.

The Nokia 3.2 arrives with a 6.26-inch HD+ TFT LCD with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The screen presents sharp colours, and it doesn’t distort at extreme angles. However, the phone has some issues. While it does have an option to regularize brightness, it doesn’t work well. The brightness remains either at minimum or maximum. The Adaptive brightness feature also doesn’t work at times. Plus, the display is a bit reflective. On the other hand, the phone has a Night Light feature which makes the screen colour warmer.

Nokia 3.2 arrives with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 processor. It is a disappointing processor since most phones come with a Snapdragon 600 series, even at budget rates. The phone has Android One, which does lend to fast Android performance. But due to the weak processor, the phone fails to speed up. It registers a 2435 performance rate on Geekbench 4. Running multiple apps on this phone makes it slow and lag too. Plus, the phone comes with a fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock technology, both of which are slow due to the inferior hardware.

Nokia 3.2 has one single camera on its back. It has limited features like HD mode and flash. Portraits are not present. The quality of the camera images was inferior. The photos lacked details, and there was an excess of contrast present. Improper colours made the photos look artificial. The low-light photos were just beautiful and perhaps a bit better than expected from a budget offering.

In the front, the phone comes with a 5MP front camera. It captures available images, and the colours are more intact than the pictures clicked by the rear cameras. Plus, the phone comes with beautification, which does enhance the image quality.

Nokia 3.2 has adequate fuel due to is large 4000mAh non-removable battery. The battery takes only about an hour and 30 minutes to get charged, and it remains active for more than one day. According to the company, it can chug on for two days, but that is only with light use. Streaming videos and playing games will keep it active for one and a half days, which is quite good.

Nokia 3.2 has a big screen and has a long-lasting battery – but that’s about it. The phone does not offer anything out of the budget set, and it lags behind its competitors. The phone has a poor display, and the design is not attractive but somewhat redundant. The performance of this phone is abysmal. The rear camera fails to hold the colour accuracy, and though the selfie camera is decent, it is not powerful enough to save the phone from being a disappointment. Other phones like Redmi Y3 and Realme C2 will compete with Nokia 3.2 coming in a similar price range, and on paper, they have much better hardware. Nokia 3.2 is not a recommended phone, even for Nokia fans.