How much does a smartphone have to cost? The Nokia G42 is as solid as back in the day

Inexpensive smartphones are often incredibly polished. At first glance, they look much classier and higher-quality than they really are. Finnish manufacturer HMD Global, which produces Nokia’s phones, has taken a different approach with the new G42.

Despite being on a tight budget, Nokia promises above-average performance in three areas: sustainability, camera and battery. That’s what I want to put to the test in my review.

Incidentally, the G42 is already available despite only being announced in early July.

Smartphones

EUR180,79

Nokia G42 5G

128 GB, Grey, 6.56", Dual SIM, 50 Mpx, 5G

72

Smartphones

Nokia G42 5G

128 GB, Purple, 6.56", Dual SIM, 50 Mpx, 5G

72

Sustainability promise: Nokia’s almost fully delivered

The manufacturer gave me the more striking of the two colours. While the purple back is an eye-catcher, it’s unfortunately also susceptible to fingerprints. Foregoing glossy packaging, the smartphone comes in a plain, brown recycled cardboard box.

Like the box, the iridescent plastic back is made of 65 per cent recycled material, allowing Nokia to kill three birds with one stone. Since only the front of the G42 is made of glass, it’s less vulnerable to breakage if dropped. The recycled material contributes to HMD Global’s sustainability efforts, while the plastic back can be easily removed to allow for repairs.

In fact, the G42 has prompted Nokia to team up with repair specialists iFixit for the first time. You can buy repair kits and find step-by-step instructions on their website. The goal? To enable you to change the battery, display, USB-C charging port and back cover yourself – at prices ranging from 25 to 55 Swiss francs. I’ll give that a whirl another time.

Aside from its recycled materials, robust build and repair options, there’s a fourth thing that contributes to the phone’s sustainability. If you want to use a smartphone for as long as possible, it needs regular updates. When it comes to phones under 300 Swiss francs especially, this has rarely ever been guaranteed.

The G42 gets three years of security updates and two years of new Android versions. So, since it comes with Android 13, Android 14 and Android 15 will also be available. That’s better than nothing – but for sustainability’s sake, an extra year would’ve been even better. Still, perhaps the processor, which is a little on the weak side, might not manage that. But we’ll get to that later.

Overall, Nokia has kept its promise: the G42 is supposed to be a phone you can use for as long as possible. As far as it’s been able to within the parameters of a low-cost device, the manufacturer has taken many steps in the right direction.

Camera promises: pleasant surprises – and one weak point

Nokia has installed four sensors for photos and videos:

• Main camera: 50 megapixels, aperture f1.8
• Depth of field: 2 megapixels
• Macro: 2 megapixels
• Front-facing camera: 8 megapixels

Could the camera be the Nokia G42’s weak spot? After all, that’s often the case in this price range.

Let’s start with the main camera. This one takes decent pictures in good light. However, the colours look very washed out. The comparison photo taken on the much more expensive Google Pixel 7 Pro is much closer to reality on this beautiful summer day.

Otherwise, the Nokia fares astonishingly well. The 50-megapixel sensor captures a lot of detail and is almost on a par with the Pixel 7 Pro in this respect. The G42 goes to town on the brightness when faced with high contrasts, which may or may not be to your liking.

The really good shots are the ones taken in night mode. This is where the Nokia’s fast sensor really pays off. Sure, the Google Pixel’s software manages to bring out even more details in the dark, but that’s also to be expected from a device that costs three times as much.

The macro mode is also a pleasant surprise. Basically, the extra 2-megapixel mini-sensor isn’t just for show, as is often the case with the competition. You really can shoot lovely close-ups. They’re not quite as bright, not quite as detailed, but they’re consistent.

The selfie camera gives the opposite impression. At only 8 megapixels, it’s no surprise that it’s a little pixelated. Even so, the resolution pretty much does the job for standard use. What annoys me more is its substantial yellow tint. Sure, this can be corrected after the fact, but that’s not the point. Hopefully, Nokia will fix this with an update.

Overall, Nokia is about halfway to keeping its promise. The cameras’ hardware is okay, but the software could use some fine-tuning to make it a little less pale, a little less yellowish. Nevertheless, the G42’s photo capabilities are good for a smartphone under 300 Swiss francs.

Battery life promise: almost like the Nokias of yesteryear

At 5,000 mAH, the G42’s battery is no bigger than those of many other smartphones. In spite of this, the manufacturer has managed to get the maximum runtime out of it. That’s probably also down to the fact that neither the screen nor the processor need much power.

Nokia promises a runtime of three days. Having reviewed the phone, I can definitely attest to that. As long as you don’t watch TikTok or stream Netflix all day, you’ll only have to charge the G42 every other night. If you only use the phone occasionally – which isn’t uncommon for customers shopping in this price segment – you might even be able to get by for three days on one charge.

When I put the battery to the test, it only gave up after about 20 hours of YouTube streaming via Wi-Fi. That’s seriously good.

The large battery is charged with a maximum of 20 watts. And that’s just via cable – you have to make do without wireless charging.

My verdict? The Nokia G42 has one of the best battery runtimes currently available on the market. If you’re looking for a device that can keep going, the G42 is the right choice. Whether you’ll really only need to charge it every three days, however, will highly depend on what you use it for and how much.

Nokia has scrimped on the processor

However, given the device’s price range, it’s clear the manufacturer had to cut costs somewhere. And the benchmark test clearly reveals where that’s happened. The Nokia’s Snapdragon 480+ processor with 6 GB of working memory doesn’t have much computing power.

Performance-wise, the G42 is exactly where it’s positioned in terms of price. It’s around 100 Swiss francs or euros cheaper than the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite or the Samsung Galaxy A34 – but these models also have much stronger processors. Compared with entry-level devices we’ve tested, the G42 only outperforms the Motorola Moto G13 – then again, it’s also 50 Swiss francs or euros cheaper. For comparison, you can also see how a top model like the Samsung S23 Ultra fares.

I did notice the lack of processing power from time to time during everyday use. The camera app will suddenly be slower to launch, or there’ll be some jerkiness while scrolling. You can live with that. The drawback, however, is its impact on the device’s lifespan. In two or three years, the processor will have much more difficulty with the updated Android versions and apps.

Screen and features A-OK

The 6.56-inch screen has a 90-hertz refresh rate, but only has a resolution of 1612 × 720 pixels. Though, that doesn’t bother me during everyday use. The screen is also surprisingly easy to read outdoors thanks to a peak brightness of 560 nits.

The phone has 128 GB of internal memory. Plus, you have the option of upgrading it with a memory card (up to 1 TB). The thing is, using a memory card means you lose one of the two slots for SIM cards. Not only that, but the G42 has another feature that’s fallen out of fashion these days: a headphone jack.

The housing is water-resistant as defined by the iP52 standard. This means it’s protected against harmful quantities of dust, as well as water droplets falling at an angle i.e. a rain shower.

I like the fingerprint scanner on the power button on the side of the device. It unlocks the device quickly, with a high level of precision. Some scanners on top-of-the-range smartphones struggle with this.

The slimmed-down operating system, which is very reminiscent of pure Android, also adds to my positive impression of the device. Free of superfluous gimmicks, there’s only one preinstalled app – Netflix.

The verdict: an entry-level device with a clear focus

Nokia has invested a lot into three areas in particular – and I certainly noticed as much during my review. Anybody who places importance on battery life, sustainability and cameras will like the G42. The slimmed-down operating system is also quite unique for this price range.

That being said, the 200 to 300 franc price range is teeming with competitors. If, for example, the processor is more important to you, you can get a Xiaomi Poco X5 with the much stronger Snapdragon 690 5G for a similar price.

Among the upper mid-range and top-level devices, you’ll find smartphones that perform well in every area. When it comes to cheaper phones, you’ll have to make some trade-offs. At the end of the day, your choice of model will depend on what you can live without – and what you can’t. You can find more tips on buying a cheap smartphone here: