- Nokia is releasing the 5.4 in the US on February 15.
- The budget phone packs a Snapdragon 662, a 48MP main camera and some style for $250.
- It ships with Android 10, but Nokia is promising two years of OS feature updates.
You won’t have to wait long if you’re looking for a budget phone in the US that still delivers reasonably brisk performance. HMD Global is bringing an unlocked version of the Nokia 5.4 to the US with a February 15 release date at a fairly affordable $250 price. It’s available to pre-order now at Amazon.
As with the international version, the US-bound Nokia 5.4 aims for a balance between the usual staples of low-cost phones with a dash of style and speed. The 6.4-inch 720p screen won’t thrill you, but that’s paired with a solid Snapdragon 662 chip, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a 4,000mAh battery that supposedly provides up to two days of use. You can also get the phone in an eye-catching purple (“Dusk”) or deep blue (“Polar Night”).
Read more: The best budget phones you can buy
The 48MP main camera, 5MP ultra-wide sensor and 2MP macro cam are common for phones in this class, but the 16MP hole-punch selfie shooter might be more than you were expecting. The most conspicuous outward design compromise is a rear fingerprint reader instead of the in-display sensors reaching many recent phones.
Part of the allure may come from the software. The Nokia 5.4 is shipping with a largely stock Android 10, but there are promises of two years of OS feature updates and three years of security patches.
Whether or not the Nokia 5.4 is a good value depends on your budget and priorities. It might not offer as much bang for the buck as Google’s Pixel 4a, but you’re also saving $100 — this may be just what you want if you’re less concerned about camera quality and CPU speed than basics like screen size and battery.