Nokia 3.4 First Impressions: Android One on a Budget

The Nokia 3.4 and Nokia 5.4 have just been launched by HMD Global to cater to the sub-Rs. 15,000 market. While the Nokia 5.4 caters to the higher end of that segment, the Nokia 3.4 slots in below that, priced at Rs. 11,999. The Nokia 3.4 is the successor of the Nokia 3.2, which the company launched in India back in 2019. With the Nokia 3.4, you get the promise of guaranteed Android updates and a clean stock software experience. Does this phone offer the best value? I got my hands on the Nokia 3.4 and here are my first impressions.

The Nokia 3.4 is a well-built smartphone and feels sturdy in the hand. I have the Dusk colour option, which has a purple finish. HMD Global also offers this phone in Fjord and Charcoal colour options. The Nokia 3.4 has a polycarbonate body with a textured finish at the back. This helps grip the phone better and also reduces chances of the back panel picking up fingerprints.

The Nokia 3.4 sports a 6.39-inch HD+ display with an 8-megapixel hole-punch selfie camera in the upper left corner. The bezels around the display are acceptable for the price but the bottom chin that has the Nokia logo is noticeably bigger. The Nokia 3.4 has rounded corners, and the back is also very slightly curved at the edges, making it comfortable to hold.

Pick the smartphone up and you will notice that it is relatively light at 180g and has a thickness of 8.7mm. HMD Global has positioned the power and the volume buttons on the right side of the Nokia 3.4. These buttons are easy to reach but are a little shallow. On the left, the Nokia 3.4 has its SIM tray and a dedicated button for the Google Assistant.

The Nokia 3.4 has a USB Type-C port

You get a USB Type-C port at the bottom and a 3.5mm audio jack on the top. The Nokia 3.4 packs in a 4,000mAh battery but you only get a 5W charger in the box. Given the battery size, you should be able to get over a day with it, but the low-spec charger will take a while to charge it fully. I will reserve my comments on battery life for my full review.

Just like the Nokia 5.4 (Review), the 3.4 also has a circular camera module. This houses a 13-megapixel primary camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 5-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. Right below the camera module is the fingerprint scanner. I found this to be well-positioned as my finger rests naturally on it.

HMD Global has picked the Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 SoC to power the Nokia 3.4. It is a decent processor but I am curious to see how it stacks up against the Snapdragon 662, which is quite common in this price range. There is only one configuration, with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage, priced at Rs. 11,999 in India. However, you do have the option to expand storage using the dedicated microSD card slot.

The Nokia 3.4 has a textured back

Software is one of the strengths of the Nokia 3.4. This phone runs stock Android 10 out of the box, and has no bloatware preinstalled, which is a big plus in my books. You also get the latest February Android security patch. The Nokia 3.4 is Android 11 ready and should get an update for it soon. HMD Global guarantees two years of software updates for the Nokia 3.4, so you can expect it to get Android 12 in its lifetime. It will also get three years of Android Security updates. Long-term software support isn't very common on smartphones at this price point, so the Nokia 3.4 stands out in that aspect.

The Nokia 3.4 offers a premium feel and decent specs for its asking price, and I am curious to see how it will fare in our benchmark and camera tests. If you want to know whether this phone is worth buying, stay tuned to Gadgets 360.