Nokia G42 Smartphone Review – Nokia launched its new budget smartphone called Nokia G42 on June 2023 and it went on sale the same month. This is a bit of a premium budget smartphone as it sports 5G connectivity to deliver near gigabit speeds. In terms of design, it doesn’t look too different from other smartphones, so fans of Nokia will probably like this design. Apart from this, the device equips a massive battery to back you up the entire day. The latest device from Nokia is lightweight and arrives with almost all necessary comms and sensors.
The Nokia G42 is a new smartphone on a block where various types of smartphones already exist with a similar price tag. The smartphone looks decent on paper but that does not mean the device is worth buying. So, let’s review the Nokia G42 smartphone and see if it has what takes to rival other smartphones in the same category and deliver a great experience to the user. Let’s begin with a detailed review of the Nokia G42 smartphone.
Table of Contents
Nokia G42 Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The Nokia G42 has a 6.56-inch IPS LCD display with 90Hz refresh rate support.
- The chipset inside the smartphone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480+ SoC capable of reaching up to a 2×2.2GHz clocking speed.
- The smartphone comes with the latest Android 13 OS with a stock experience.
- The Nokia G42 has a 50MP triple camera system with an 8MP selfie camera system.
- The smartphone is powered by a Li-Po 5000 mAh battery with a 20W fast-wired charger.
Design and Display
The design is one area where you won’t see much difference in the Nokia G42 when compared to other smartphones from Nokia in the budget lineup. You essentially get what you paid for, which is a solid build quality but the same cannot be said for the design changes. It’s a plastic build through and through. The side frame is flat while the rear panel is chamfered around the edges for a better grip. The Nokia G42 is available in two colors, Gray and Purple. Besides this, the device is lightweight at 192.8 grams and also arrives with dust and water-resistant coating.
On the front, you will find the Nokia G42’s display, which is a 6.56-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution. The display has a refresh rate of 90Hz, which would smooth out the animations on the screen and provide for a much smoother UI, which is not the case with smartphones in this price range. The display also gets plenty bright at 560 nits of peak brightness under direct sunlight, which is good enough for most users. However, the low 720p resolution is a downside of this device and the nits brightness could have been better. Anyways, you are going to receive Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on the device.
Memory and Internal
The smartphone features the 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 480+ SoC that can reach up to a 2×2.2GHz clocking speed. This is a 5G chipset While most other smartphones in the same price range come with a MediaTek chipset, you get a decent Snapdragon chipset that can easily handle all your favorite apps and games while also providing a smooth 90Hz user experience. The Adreno 619 GPU in this SoC has more than enough power to run all your favorite games at smooth framerates.
So, play your games favorite games like PUBG Mobile or CODm with smooth framerates but remember this is not a gaming smartphone. The smartphone may get warm but it is far from overheating. On top of that, the smartphone is also 5G-ready for near gigabit speeds. For RAM and storage, the smartphone is available for purchase with 4GB to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. When it comes to the software, the smartphone is running on the latest Android 13 OS with a stock user interface for a lag-free experience. All in all, you can use daily apps on the device while the software interface is also free from bloatware for a clean experience.
Camera
The Nokia G42 sports a 50MP triple-camera system at the back. The 50MP sensor is the main rear camera, which is optimized by Nokia and is capable of capturing some decent pictures. These pictures tend to have a higher dynamic range, accurate colors, and incredible details when compared to other smartphones in the same price range. However, there can be a tiny shutter lag when taking pictures with night mode, Anyways, you can’t expect much from an entry-level smartphone.
The other two rear cameras are 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensor, which is just for the show. That’s because they are pretty useless as quality is just not good enough to be kept in the photo gallery of your new smartphone. On the front, you will find an 8MP sensor for the selfie camera. The selfies coming out of this camera look sharp enough unless you start zooming into the pictures. As for video recording, the phone can only shoot at a maximum of 1080pvideos@30FPS from the rear camera.
Battery and Others
The smartphone has a Li-Po 5000mAh battery, which is a high-capacity battery for a smartphone of this caliber. So, the Nokia G42 delivers an excellent battery life and can easily last for 2 – 3 days, even with light usage. But if you have a habit of playing games a lot, then it will last less than that. When you do run out of battery, there’s nothing to worry about as the smartphone supports 20W wired fast charging.
This fast charger should fully charge the smartphone in 1 and a half hours to 2 hours max. Also, this 20W fast charger is included in the box, you don’t need to buy it separately. The smartphone also supports both Quick Charge 3.0 and Power Delivery 3.0 charging standards. Apart from that, the phone also has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, GPS, and a USB Type-C port. The smartphone is available for purchase at $150 (Rs 10,199 in India) approx.
Nokia G42 Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Nokia G42 smartphone.
| Specifications | Nokia G42 |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | June 2023 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.50 x 2.98 x 0.34 inches |
| Weight | 193.8 g |
| Size | 6.56 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 90Hz 450-560 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~269 PPI density |
| Protection/Others | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Dust and splash resistant QuickFix user-reparable design |
| Resolution | 720 x 1612 pixels |
| OS | Android 13 |
| Chipset | 8nm – Qualcomm SM4350-AC Snapdragon 480+ 5G |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Kryo 460 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 460 |
| GPU | Adreno 619 |
| Card slot | microSDXC |
| RAM | 4GB, 6GB |
| Internal | 128GB |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), AF 2 MP (macro) 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh 20W wired, PD3.0, QC3 |
| Colors | Gray, Purple |
| Expected Price | $150 (Rs 10,199 in India) approx. |
Conclusion
The Nokia G42 is a surprisingly attractive smartphone of 2023 that is also 5G ready. Its closest alternative smartphone is the Motorola Moto G32, which may provide a slightly better display and camera system but is not 5G-ready. In 2023, we believe every smartphone should be 5G ready, but then again the price constraints come in. So, if you want a decent  5G and an excellent battery backup, then the Nokia G42 is the smartphone to get.
But if you are not sold out on the idea of 5G and rather the quality of other components, then the Nokia G42 is not for you. In that case, you should go for the Motorola Moto G32, which offers a better camera system, and an excellent battery life. Judging by the specs, the pricing of the Nokia G42 seems decent and justified unless we don’t talk about a low-resolution display. On top of that, the inclusion of 5G in the Nokia G42 does make it future-proof. So, keep that in mind when deciding which smartphone you should go for ultimately. Therefore, the final decision is up to you and your requirements for a smartphone.
