Could Nokia 4.2 claim the spot for the best budget mid-range smartphone? Read here.

The new Nokia 4.2 is yet to make to Nepali market, however, considering the specs, the price for the similar smartphones, we have mentioned the expected price for Nokia 4.2 in Nepal.

Since Nokia’s acquisition by HMD Global, Nokia has focused on producing and manufacturing features phones, entry-level and mid-range phones. Only fewer phones like Nokia 9 PureView are being launched with flagship-level specs. And so, recently in MWC 2019, Nokia unveiled their another budget mid-range smartphone; Nokia 4.2.

Nokia 4.2 Highlights

Reasons to Buy	Reasons Not to Buy
Nice build quality and dual-glass design	Sluggish camera performance
Bloat-free stock Android	Mediocre mid-range CPU
Reliable service centers	Relatively lower battery capacity than competitors for a similar price, and slower charging

Design and Display

Nokia 4.2 looks very much similar to other mid-range smartphones that are priced in between 15000-20000 in Nepal. The phone has glass on the front and the back, sandwiching a plastic frame body, and it’s relatively compact and not so heavy.

The fingerprint scanner rests on the back of the phone, just below the center camera module. And the microUSB and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom of the handset. There’s a dedicated physical Google Assistant button on the left edge of the device and a power button with a light-up surround— that doubles as a notification LED— on the right edge.

As aforementioned, like most of the other mid-range smartphones, the Nokia 4.2 also has a less obtrusive teardrop notch on the top confining a selfie camera, and a large chin at the bottom with Nokia logo.

Coming to display part, the handset has a 5.71-inch 720-by-1520 resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio display. It has adopted IPS LCD display tech and has no whatsoever screen protection.

Nokia 9 PureView: a penta-lens rear-camera setup, in-display fingerprint sensor and more

Camera

The cameras on the Nokia 4.2 aren’t great but respectable. The phone houses a dual-camera setup on the back, a 13MP main camera is aided by a 2MP depth sensor module. And on the front, there’s an 8MP selfie camera.

From the reviews reported, the phone has a sluggish camera performance issue. The shutter button is relatively slow and delaying after pressed. Apart from that, the camera does a good job at Bokeh mode and lets you play with the degree of blur you prefer around the main subject of the image.

The rear camera can shoot 1080p videos at 30 frame-per-second.

Performance, Software, and Battery

Nokia even called the phone as the “mini flagship” during MWC 2019 launch event, so, basically, it does the job. The Nokia 4.2 equips a Snapdragon 439 CPU and Adreno 505 GPU, which is accompanied by 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Honestly, the CPU performance could have been better if it had Snapdragon 632 like the similar priced Redmi 7, Moto G7 Play, and Moto G7 Power.

There was a time when Nokia wouldn’t touch Android OS, and now this rebooted Nokia is totally in love with Google and the Android. The new Nokia 4.2, like the Nokia 9 PureView, comes with near-to-stock Android 9.0 Pie based Android One out of the box. Which means no bloated apps and guaranteed updates for several years.

However, a little to Nokia 4.2’s downside, the phone packs a 3000mAh battery, which isn’t enough by today’s standards. Most of the phones for this price range, at least, pack a 3300-3500mAh battery. Besides, the phone doesn’t have any fast charging tech involved.

Nokia 4.2 Price in Nepal and Availability

The phone is already available in India for INR 10,490, however, it has yet to make its way to Nepali market. The Nokia 4.2 is expected to be available in Nepal by end of July or mid-August and should be priced no more than Rs. 17,000.

The handset comes in two colors; Pink Sand and Black.

Nokia 4.2 Specs Overview

Release Date: Feb 2019
Display: 5.71 inches IPS LCD, 720 x 1520 pixels resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio
OS: Android 9.0 (Pie), Android One
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 439
Memory: 3GB RAM, 32GB storage
Primary camera: 13MP, f/2.2, PDAF + 2MP, depth sensor
Selfie camera: 8MP, f/2.0
Battery: 3000mAh
Colors: Black, Pink Sand
Misc: Fingerprint scanner (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity
Nokia 2 Price in Nepal: Rs. 17000 (expected)