- Nokia will release the 5.4 in the US on February 15th.
- The budget phone packs a Snapdragon 662, a 48MP main camera and some style for $ 250.
- It ships with Android 10, but Nokia promises OS feature updates for two years.
You don’t have to wait long if you’re looking for a budget phone in the US that still has a reasonably fast performance. HMD Global is bringing an unlocked version of the Nokia 5.4 to the US with a February 15 release date for a reasonably affordable price of $ 250. It is available to pre-order now from Amazon.
As with the international version, the US-bound Nokia 5.4 strives to strike a balance between the usual staples of cheap phones with a touch of style and speed. The 6.4-inch 720p display isn’t going to thrill you, but that’s paired with a solid Snapdragon 662 chip, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a 4000 mAh battery that can supposedly be used for up to two days. You can also get the phone in a striking 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 camera are common for phones in this class, but the 16MP hole punch selfie shooter might be more than you expected. The most notable outward design compromise is a fingerprint reader on the back instead of the in-display sensors that reach many recent phones.
Part of the allure may come from the software. The Nokia 5.4 comes with an Android 10 that’s mostly in stock, 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 may not offer as much bang for your buck as Google’s Pixel 4a, but you’ll also save $ 100 – this might be just what you want if you’re less concerned about camera quality and CPU speed than basics like screen size and battery.