Nokia 5.3 review
Summary
As long as you have reasonable expectations for its price point, the Nokia 5.3 does not disappoint. It’s one of the better value smartphones, with its bright screen and capable rear quad camera setup.
In many ways, the Nokia 5.3 defies expectations for what a budget device can be, proving once again that if you look around, there’s always a gem to be found in the sea of ever so expensive smartphones out there.
Design
The volume and power buttons are placed on the right side of the device, in a similar fashion to most other smartphones, so there’s no learning curve needed there. A smooth, breathing notification light is uniquely embedded in the power key. On the left, the phone has an extra button dedicated to Google Assistant, unfortunately non-customizable.
The fingerprint on the back gets the job done, although it’s not perfect in terms of accuracy and speed. It can additionally be used to bring down the notification shade by swiping down on it.
Display
From a technical standpoint, while the display achieved high scores for its maximum brightness and contrast, it’s performing poorly in our color temperature benchmarks, and appears noticeably more blue than the average smartphone display. The good news is, color temperature can be tweaked in the phone’s Display settings.
Display measurements and quality
Camera
The Nokia 5.3 appears to have a great focus on portrait mode photography, with portrait shots taken on both its selfie shooter and back cameras often turning out quite impressive, with nice blurred backgrounds. Subjects generally look crisp and sharp, as long as there’s enough light available, preferably natural.
In addition to Portrait mode, the Nokia 5.3’s camera app includes a Night mode for low-light photography, which delivers generally decent results by processing the photo and boosting its brightness after it’s taken. Night mode on the Nokia 5.3 is available on the main, and wide-angle cameras.
Video recording from the main 13MP camera can go up to 4K, with its default resolution being 1080p. Videos come out satisfyingly sharp from the main camera, albeit a bit shaky and sometimes with too strong contrast.
Audio and Call Quality
Call quality on the device is well above average, with voices sounding crisp and clear on both ends.
Software and Performance
Performance from the on-board mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 665, is smooth and snappy. Casual games run great, with even the more demanding and large titles such as PubG Mobile performing smoothly at medium settings.
In addition, Android 10’s gesture navigation works great on this device. A double-tap to wake the screen gesture can also be activated and works reliably. Having the option to remap the extra Google Assistant button would have been nice, but currently, it can only either be used as intended or be disabled.
Battery life
The Nokia 5.3 lasts through 11 hours and 53 minutes of continuous web browsing, 9 hours and 47 minutes of YouTube playback, or 7 hours and 27 minutes of 3D gaming on a single charge, according to our benchmark tests. It outperforms the likes of iPhone 11 Pro, Galaxy S10+ and Pixel 3a.
Best Nokia 5.3 alternatives
Motorola Moto G8 Power – Motorola’s new budget battery king is a great alternative to the Nokia 5.3 for those who need reliable battery life above all else.
Google Pixel 3a – Although higher priced, Google’s budget Pixel offers unrivaled camera quality for the sub-$400 phone category, and it too impresses with strong battery life. If quality photography is what matters to you the most, shedding a few more dollars for this smartphone is the better move.