When it comes to mid-range smartphones, HMD Global offers some great value-for-money models that appeal to users looking for an affordable device. We take a look at the Nokia G21 mid-range smartphone and here are our thoughts about it.
Design
The Nokia G21 is a mid-range smartphone, sporting a 6.5-inch IPS display with a screen resolution that tops 720 x 1600. The viewing angles are decent and are still quite visible in outdoor situations, thanks to the 400 nits of brightness. The screen has an aspect ratio of 20:9 and the pixel density is 270ppi.
We should also mention that the display also features a 90Hz refresh rate for smoother visuals while you navigate through the system menu, scroll web pages, or during mobile gaming. The screen also has a selfie camera on the front that is designed as a water-drop notch. The rear portion of the device features a hairline finish, along with the Nokia branding placed vertically in the middle. The camera island is slim and does not protrude outwards.
The smartphone is 8.5mm thick and weighs 190g. On the left side, there is the SIM slot and the dedicated button for calling out Google Assistant or triggering the Google Search tool. On the right, there is the volume rocker and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that also serves as the power button. On the bottom, there is the USB-C port, speaker grill, and mic. On the top side, there is another mic hole and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Nokia G21 comes in Nordic Blue and Dusk colors. The device has support for Dual-SIM functionality.
Specs & Performance
When it comes to performance, the Nokia G21 comes powered by the Unisoc T606 octa-core processor, featuring six Cortex-A55 cores and two Cortex-A75 cores. The device also comes with 4GB of onboard RAM and 128GB of eMMc 5.1 storage. The smartphone also runs on a pure version of Android One 11 OS and is upgradable to Android 12.
Users will also be able to expand their internal memory with a MicroSD card. The performance is decent and there were fewer noticeable lags while using the smartphone for web surfing, video calls, video streaming, and some light gaming. We ran some benchmarks using Antutu, PC Mark, 3DMark, and Geekbench 5, and here are the results.
The Nokia G21 houses a 5050 mAh Li-Po battery and comes with 18W fast charge support. We ran the PCMark 10 Work 3.0 battery test and the device lasted for 12 hours and 39 minutes.
Camera
On the rear side, the smartphone comes with a 3-camera system and the main shooter is a 50MP sensor with f1.8 as the aperture. The second camera is a 2MP sensor for macro and the third is a 2MP snapper for depth sensing. Users will be able to record videos at FHD 30fps.
The front-facing selfie camera packs an 8MP shooter with f2.0 as the aperture. The front camera also is capable of recording videos at FHD 30fps. Check out some of the samples of the camera below.
Verdict
If you are looking for a decent mid-range smartphone with a pure Android experience, then take a look at the Nokia G21. The smartphone comes with a 6.5-inch IPS panel and a screen resolution of 720×1600 pixels. The device is 8.5mm thick and weighs 190g.
The smartphone also runs on Android 11 OS and is powered by the Unisoc T606 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, and 128GB of eMMc 5.1 internal storage, along with MicroSD card expansion. There are a total of three cameras on the rear with the main shooter featuring a 50MP shooter. And the battery comes with a capacity of 5050 mAh that can last almost a day of use.
