Anyone who experienced the early days of the mobile phone will fondly remember the Nokia brand. Its handsets were great to use, durable and of course, they included the brilliant game Snake if you had a few minutes of boredom to pass (who are we kidding, sometimes hours went by playing that). This nostalgia was part of the reason behind the huge buzz when it was recently announced that Nokia is back on the scene and producing mobile phones again. Okay, so the parent company and production is now different, but the name is there and fans felt excited to have another choice when it came to smartphones. Not only is there now a new Nokia 3310 (cue excited squeals), but there are also Android smartphones the first ever from this brand. The Nokia 3 came first back in February and next, it's the turn of the Nokia 5 on August 16th in the UK. So, if you're thinking of splashing some cash on a new Nokia and have the 5 in your sights, you might be wanting to know just how good it is. With this in mind, we've rounded up a few reviews and comments from tech experts to help you. The basics First, the specs and basics. The Nokia 5 offers: A choice of blue, matte black, silver and copper casing 5.2-inch, 720p display 13 megapixel rear camera 8 megapixel front camera 16GB storage microSD slot Fingerprint scanner for security Punches above its weight The Independent's David Phelan has been testing the Nokia 5 and he's been especially impressed by the sleek design of the handset, commenting that it "punches well above its weight" for the price around 179.99. He pointed out that the phone is created from a single piece of metal, the same technique used by Apple, resulting in a solid design despite the external antenna band. The expert also praised the camera for well-lit situations, although he acknowledged that it is no match for really high-end camera phones, as you'd expect from a budget device. Battery life and general performance also came in for high marks in this review. However, Mr Phelan did pick out the borders at the top and bottom of the screen for slight criticism, stating that they look quite noticeable at a time when other brands are offering wall-to-wall displays. "Overall, this is a highly attractive phone. Though it can't match the super-fast processors or dual-lens cameras of flagship phones, it looks fantastic and performs better than the price point suggests," he concluded. The best-looking phone at this price point John McCann of Techradar also had praise for the Nokia 5's ergonomic design, commenting on the "surprisingly premium construction" for the price point. He also spoke favourably of the clear display, Android software, fingerprint scanner and cost. However, Mr McCann was perhaps more critical of the phone's performance, pointing out that load time and battery life can suffer when the handset is used for things like streaming and gaming as opposed to just emails, calls and social apps. The writer also warned that a microSD card is a "must", as 7.5GB of the storage space is taken up by the operating system and so the device will soon fill up once you start taking photos and uploading music. "It is the best-looking phone at this price point [and] aimed at anyone who's looking for an affordable smartphone from a brand they can trust," Mr McCann concluded. Cheap and cheerful with an impressive design You'll no doubt spot a running theme here, as Max Parker of Trusted Reviews also praised the good looks of the Nokia 5, as well as the price. He commented favourably on the software too and suggested that this may well prove to be the best product in the brand's line-up. The one feature the writer suggested might be detrimental to this was the 720p display, which he said should probably have been upgraded to 1080p at a slightly higher price. Mr Parker concluded: "The cheap and cheerful Nokia 5 doesn't impress in every area, but it's a good-looking device with clean software and an impressive design." Consider us impressed Finally, Ashleigh Macro of Tech Advisor was another expert to praise Nokia's design and Android OS, as well as the price. However, she criticised the 720p display too, suggesting it's the one thing that lets the handset down. On the whole, though, the writer concluded: "Consider us impressed. We expect the Nokia 5 could become a really popular choice for anyone in the market for a mid-range phone, and a strong contender for the Moto G5." So, there you have it: hopefully everything you need to make an informed choice on whether or not the Nokia 5 is for you. Happy shopping!

Mazuma Mobile is the UK's most trusted mobile phone recycling service.

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How good is the Nokia 5? - Mazuma Mobile (blog)