Nokia G50 5G - first impressions

Nokia G50 5G is not a high-end model, and yet its appearance can be considered attractive. Admittedly, the front is fusty - due to the wide "chin", which even has a logo, and a droplet notch at the top, which houses an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The rear looks great. It has an interesting colour and a satin texture that gets dirty much less than the smooth surface. At the top of the "back" of the phone there is a shapely, though slightly protruding, round frame for the rear camera. Its symmetry evokes positive feelings and is pleasing to the eye. Nokia G50 5G is not a compact device - it has dimensions of 175.2 x 76.8 x 9.4 (10.3 for the camera) mm and weighs 221 g - but in my opinion it is a handy device that fits well in the hand. Ergonomics is impeccable, the elements are positioned sensibly.

Nokia G50 5G - first impressions on the day of the launch video: GSMchoice.com via YouTube

On the left side you will find the Google Assistant button and a hybrid card slot (2xnanoSIM or nanoSIM + microSD), and on the top panel - a minijack and a microphone. On the bottom we have another microphone, USB-C and a loudspeaker, while on the right side there are volume keys and a fingerprint reader integrated with the switch. The reader is placed in a convenient place, and I have no objections to its work. Similarly - to the face recognition system. Both protections work as they should. The phone's display is quite good - it has quite good brightness and quite wide readability angles, the color reproduction is also nothing to complain about. Unfortunately, the display resolution is the budget HD+ with a diagonal of 6.82 inches, so it is not a "razor".

The Nokia G50 5G model features Android 11 with a security update dated August. The system takes almost 16 GB of 64 GB internal memory, so it's good that a microSD slot has been thought of. Nokia's interface is an almost raw Android interface - but some extras have also been smuggled in. We have the Spotify app preinstalled for access to 70 million songs and 2.6 million podcasts, as well as ExpressVPN with a 30-day free trial. There were also typical elements, such as the dark interface mode, eye protection and gesture support. There is also a system maintenance application. Nokia provides security updates for at least three years, as well as system updates to Android 12 and beyond for 2 years.

The heart of Nokia G50 5G is the budget Snapdragon 480, supported by 4 GB of RAM. Thanks to it, the phone can work in 5G networks and offers quite good performance for its price segment. Before the launch, I managed to subject the phone to a few tests and it turned out that the device only slightly heats up under load, and with increasing temperature inside the housing, the performance almost doesn’t decrease. So it looks pretty good, as does the 5000 mAh battery with 18-watt charging. Unfortunately, my test copy only had a 10 W power supply - but I hope that the "store" ones will get a more appropriate charger. My guest phone is too short to assess the battery's capabilities - but it looks like it will be able to work for two days. As a communication tool - it's fine. The sound quality doesn’t give cause for criticism, there is also an FM radio or a minijack. It is a pity that there is only one speaker - but it is also hard to complain about in this price segment.

In terms of photo and film capabilities, Nokia G50 5G promises to be average. It has an 8-megapixel selfie camera as well as three rear cameras: main 48 Mpx, 5 Mpx wide angle and 2 Mpx for background effects. Photos and videos taken during the day are decent - although those taken with a wide-angle camera are definitely inferior to those from the main matrix. The darker it is around - the worse it is. After dark - only photos from the main camera, taken in the night mode, can be considered satisfactory. The ones in the slot machine are just plain weak. Movies - just like photos - work best in daylight. You can record up to Full HD at 60 fps in the rear and 30 fps in the front. The possibility of filming with the front and rear cameras at the same time is planned, which will certainly be liked by videobloggers. There is also a slow motion recording, as well as a photo mode with manual settings. The transparent interface also includes beautification and additional background blur effects (e.g. hearts), but there is no possibility to change the order of shooting modes.

The smartphone is supported by an aesthetic housing and an uncluttered interface with long support provided, apart from the iconic brand. The smartphone allows you to use 5G, doesn’t overheat and has the ability to expand the memory. The display - although budget - is not the worst, as are the basic cameras. We will notice the budget of the phone only in night and wide-angle photos. Overall, Nokia G50 5G is quite nice equipment, but unfortunately, doomed to struggle with competitors. Nokia fans do not need to be convinced - but will it be possible to convince someone more...?