budget smartphone has to rely on its looks

A large screen, sturdy design, good battery and a nice Android One warranty: the Nokia 3.4 seems to offer a lot at first glance. But how does the device perform in practice? You can read that in this Nokia 3.4 review.

Nokia 3.4 review

In recent weeks we have extensively tested the Nokia 3.4. The main advantages and disadvantages are discussed in this review. Finally, with the final verdict, is the Nokia 3.4 a must or not?

A sturdy device with a striking color

The 3.4 is undeniably a Nokia phone. Due to the round camera bulge in particular, the design is very similar to the two tens of euros more expensive Nokia 5.3 and the James Bond phone, the Nokia 8.3 5G.

The affordable device has a fairly large HD screen of 6.39 inches, but fortunately it can still be operated with one hand. The edges are a bit on the wide side. Especially at the bottom, the device has a somewhat large chin, especially for the beauty standard of 2020. Furthermore, the device scores points with a sturdy and luxurious-looking housing. The color, we received a blue variant, is also striking.

Because the plastic back has some relief (a small ripple pattern, good for the ASMR fans) you will hardly see any stains, scratches or fingerprints. On the right side of the case are the volume buttons and the power button, on the left the Google Assistant button and at the top the headphone jack. You will find the fingerprint scanner on the back.

Large screen, but could be better

The 6.39 inch screen is large enough to watch videos and play games, but fortunately it is also reasonably in the hand. I can just operate the device with one hand. The resolution is 1560 x 720 pixels, which ensures relatively sharp images. Competitive phones, such as the Motorola Moto G9 Plus, do offer a sharper Full HD screen, which looks even better.

The edges of the Nokia 3.4 are not very thin, but the notch has disappeared in comparison with its predecessor, the Nokia 3.2. This has made way for a camera hole, which houses the 8 megapixel selfie camera. Because of this hole you have little trouble with the notch in practice and the whole looks very tight.

A little hiccup here and there

Under the hood, the Nokia 3.4 is equipped with a smooth Snapdragon 460 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage memory. The amount of RAM is a bit on the tight side, nevertheless the device performs well. Sometimes you notice some small hiccups while running multiple apps, but this is normal in this price range. If you are aware of this, it is certainly not disturbing.

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The fingerprint scanner can be found on the back of the device under the camera bump. During the test period, unlocking with my fingerprint went smoothly and often worked in one go.

Handy or unnecessary? The Nokia 3.4 also has a physical Google Assistant button, which you can use to quickly turn on digital help. You can also see this function in various Motorola devices. The question is how often you use the button. You can also call up the assistant by swiping your finger upwards at the bottom left of the screen.

Furthermore, the device offers extra micro-SD support and you can pay with your mobile thanks to nfc.

Old software, but with Android One warranty

Out of the box, the Nokia 3.4 runs on Android 10. Unfortunately you still have to be patient until Android 11 also comes to this device. The phone is part of the Android One program. This means you are guaranteed two years of Android version upgrades (through October 2022) and three years of security updates (through October 2023).

First, an Android 11 update will appear, although Nokia cannot yet tell when exactly. That’s a shame, you don’t have to expect some quick updates thanks to Android One. Also read the opinion piece by colleague Rens about Android One and why it is unfortunately a failed project in his eyes.

Three cameras on the back provide nice photos

The Nokia 3.4 is equipped with three cameras on the back. The device has a double 13-megapixel camera with a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a 5-megapixel wide-angle camera. This set of cameras provides reasonably sharp images. When it gets dark, unfortunately, the quality deteriorates quickly and you can almost count pixels. With the night mode, the images become a bit brighter.

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With the 5 megapixel wide-angle lens you can take extra wide photos. In some situations this can produce beautiful pictures, although the quality will not surprise you. In terms of color and image quality, the photos taken by the primary camera and wide-angle lens are quite different, as can be seen in the examples above.

The 5 megapixel sensor captures a lot less details and colors look a bit pale. With more expensive devices you often have less or no problems with this. The wide-angle lens of the Nokia 3.4 should therefore be regarded as a nice extra. With an optimal light situation, you will undoubtedly be able to take beautiful pictures, but do not expect too much from them on cloudy days.

About a week ago I started testing the camera. During a walk I take different photos in varying light conditions. I also regularly switched between the ‘normal’ lens and the wide-angle lens. This created a series of photos. After a week, some images are still ‘loading’. Because of this, I cannot view and open a few photos on the phone or my computer. This is where the somewhat small 3GB of RAM comes into play. So keep this in mind when you start with a photo reportage of, in my case, a tree.

No stress about battery life

The Nokia 3.4 has a good 4000 mAh battery. With this battery, the device will certainly last a day. So you don’t have to worry with normal use whether your battery will reach the end of the day. During the day I mainly use the device to send messages and spend just a little too long on social media.

The battery is certainly one of the biggest advantages of the Nokia 3.4. A big disadvantage, however, is that charging is not fast. With the 10 Watt charger, charging is not that smooth. In itself that is not surprising given the price segment in which the device is located, but it does take the convenience down a bit.

Conclusion Nokia 3.4 review

The Nokia 3.4 is an affordable smartphone that basically does everything right. The device has a good and large screen, long battery life and neatly fulfills its daily tasks from sending messages to checking social media.

However, the cameras are somewhat limited and the Nokia 3.4 is not a star in multitasking. Nevertheless, we definitely recommend this device if you are looking for an affordable and reliable smartphone. For the next three years, this device will provide you with up-to-date security, so you can make many family app groups unsafe for the time being.

Buy Nokia 3.4

Have you become enthusiastic after reading this review and do you want to buy the Nokia 3.4? In the comparison of Android Planet, we list the best deals for you. The device has a suggested retail price of 149 euros.

Compare the best offers for a separate Nokia 3.4 or get the Nokia 3.4 with a subscription.

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