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Announced as far back as February 2019, it wasn’t until June that the mid-range Nokia 3.2 finally hit the shelves in stores around the world. We have one here at Mobility Arena for review and have made its acquaintance. What kind of personality does it have? This is the objective of our Nokia 3.2 hands-on review. But before we dive in, let’s have a look at the specifications and features that it comes with.
Nokia 3.2 specs
- Body: Polycarbonate shell;
- Screen: 6.26-inch, 720 x 1520 pixels, 19:9 apsect ratio, IPS LCD with a notch.
- Rear Camera: 13MP, f/2.2 lens; LED flash; 1080@30fps video recording,
- Front Camera: 5MP; 1080p@30fps video recording
- Chipset: Snapdragon 429 platform, octa-core CPU clocked at 1.8 GHz, Adreno 506 GPU
- Memory: 2/16 GB or 3/32 GB, plus dedicated microSD slot for up to 400GB expansion
- OS: Pure Android 9 Pie;
- Battery: 4,000mAh, with10W charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (4G), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/GLONASS, Wi-Fi b/g/n, FM radio, microUSB 2.0
- Colors: Black; Steel.
- Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner (on 32GB model only).
You can access a more detailed specs page HERE .
With the specs out of the way, it is time to meet the Nokia 3.2 in person. What kind of personality.
Nokia 3.2 hands-on review
The Nokia brand has been known for well-built and durable hardware. That fact jumps at you again when we picked up the Nokia 3.2.
It is made of a lightweight polycarbonate that feels very solid in the hand. The 3.2 gives the impression that it can weather a few storms without breaking. Which is always a good thing. Yet, it does not feel tank-heavy. Which is a good thing too.
The 6.26″ display is beautiful and has one of those small notches sitting at the top, where you will find the 5MP selfie camera.
Flipping to the back, we find a 13 MP camera and LED flash. There is no fingerprint reader here; the 32GB variant of the Nokia 3.2 has that. This review unit is the 16GB variant. You will have to make do with Face Unlock or a good old PIN, pattern or password for security on this variant.
Setting up the phone after first boot, we experience the nice haptic feedback that we have come to know with Nokia smartphones.
Speaking of storage, out of the box, “System” and pre-installed apps used 10 GB out of 16 GB. That leaves the user with just 6 GB storage for photos, videos, more apps, and other files. You will need a memory card with this one.
The hardware Google Assistant button on the left edge of the phone is an interesting feature. Personally, I’d rather a button to activate Assistant than have Assistant listening for a keyword. We do have to confirm though whether or not the presence of a button means Google Assistant won’t listen.
It would be bad taste not to mention that knowing that the Nokia 3.2 has a beefy 4000mAh battery is comforting. Without bloatware and a custom UI to put more load on the battery, and with AI Adaptive Battery built in, this should be a phone that goes on and on and on before the battery empties.
And more good news: that 10W fast charging is built in to help speed up the first 30 minutes of charging it from zero. Lastly, let’s touch briefly on photography. The few quick photos we took with both selfie and rear cameras of the Nokia 3.2 came out good. Here is a sample taken with the 13 MP rear camera:
Cloudy skies – shot on Nokia 3.2
Not bad at all for a photo taken in full weather. We will provide more details and sample photos in our in-depth review. The Nokia 3.2 16 GB sells for ₦40,000 in retail stores across the country. Outside Nigeria, it is also available all over Africa. Both variants of the phone are also on sale in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
That’s it for our Nokia 3.2 hands-on review. Feel free to ask us about questions you would like answered in our in-depth review.
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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In a world dominated by data-hungry smartphones, the Librem 5 offers a radically different approach. The manufacturer says it is focused on security by design and privacy protection by default.
- Privacy Features
- Specs and Features
- Price and Availability
- Who Is It For?
- Librem 5 on Verizon
- Librem 5 on AweSIM
Privacy Features
Librem 5 is equipped with three (3) hardware kill switches (for cellular modem, WiFi/Bluetooth, camera/microphone). If all three switches are turned off at the same time, then GNSS and all sensors are also turned off. The specially designed hardware enables the user stay in control of the flow of information.
It comes in two versions – the global Librem 5 (designed in the USA and manufactured in China), and the Librem 5 USA (designed and manufactured in the United States). Both versions have the same specs, but differ in places of manufacture and prices.
Librem 5 was first shipped in November 2020, following several delays. While PureOS supports convergence, performance may vary depending on app optimization and hardware limitations.
Liberty Phone is a variant with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage memory, and was announced in July 2023.
Specs and Features
Wireless Network and Software
- 2G mobile network bands : GSM, GPRS, EDGE 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz.
- 3G mobile network bands : UMTS, WCDMA, HSDPA 900 / 2100 MHz
- 4G mobile network bands : LTE VoLTE 1(2100) / 2(1900) / 3(1800) / 5(850) / 7(2600) / 8(900) / 20(800) / 25(1900) / 26(850) / 28(700) / 38(2600) / 40(2300) / 41(2500) – differs across variants
- 5G mobile network bands : No.
- SIM Type : Nano-SIM
- Software / OS : PureOS
Design, Form Factor, Appearance
- Dimensions : 150 x 75 x 15.5 mm
- Weight : g
- Display : 5.7″, 720×1440 pixels, IPS TFT screen.
- Colours : Dark Grey.
- Physical Build :
Internal Hardware Specs
- Processor Type : 64-bit 1.5GHz Quad-Core, Cortex-A53.
- Processor Name : NXP® i.MX 8M
- Graphics Processor : Vivante GC7000Lite
- RAM : 3 GB
- Internal Storage : 32 GB
- External Storage : microSD storage expansion
Photography, Video Recording
- Rear Camera : 13 MP camera, f1.9 Aperture, LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording
- Front-facing Camera : 8 MP, f2.0 Aperture, 1080p@30fps video capture.
Audio, Video Playback
- Music Support : PCM, AAC / AAC + / eAAC + / MP3 / AMR – NB / WB / APE
- Audio : 3.5 mm audio jack
- Loudspeaker : Mono speaker
- Video Support : H.264/MP4/MPEG4 player
- FM Radio :
Sensors
- Digital Compass : Yes.
- Accelerometer : Yes.
- Proximity Sensor : Yes
- Ambient Light Sensor : Yes
- Barometer : No.
- Pedometer : No.
- Heart Rate Monitor : No.
- Gyroscope (G-Sensor) : Yes.
- Fingerprint Scanner :
- Face Unlock :
- Iris Scanner : No.
- Motion Sensing / Gesture Control :
- Voice Control : No.
- Intelligent Digital Assistant : No.
- Infra-red Sensor : No.
Connectivity Options
- Bluetooth : v5.0, A2DP
- WiFi : Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot
- GPS : Yes, Teseo LIV3F GNSS.
- USB : USB 3.0 data, Charging (Dual-Role Port), Video out
- NFC : No.
Miscellaneous Specs and Features
- Battery Type and Capacity : Removable Lithium-Ion 4500 mAh
- Battery Charging : 5V/2A (10W) Fast Charging; USB Power Delivery
- Reverse Charging : Yes.
- Announced : August 2017
- Market Availability : Q4 2019
Price and Availability
- Country Availability : USA, Global.
- Price : It had a pre-order price tag of $649 and has recorded several increases since release. From March 2022, the price goes up to $1299. A US-only version, called Librem 5 USA , is manufactured in the United States, carries a heftier price tag starting from $1,999.
Who Is It For?
If you value digital autonomy over app convenience, the Librem 5 might be the phone you’ve been waiting for.
Librem 5 on Verizon
It supports Verizon’s LTE bands (LTE B2, B4, B13). However, this is no guarantee that it will work, as you can’t activate a new SIM on the carrier without a device on their approved equipment list.
A workaround COULD be to use an already activated Verizon SIM in it to see if it works. If you are getting a new Verizon SIM card, it can only be activated in a recognized/approved device.
Librem 5 on AweSIM
It works on Purism’s new AweSIM cellular service in the United States.
