Nokia 3 review: Un-Finnished Business

30 June 2017
A Nokia for the masses! And not the 3310. Risen from the ashes, the legendary Finnish brand makes a fresh start. "Connecting people" the Android way. It's a nice sentiment for sure, but one that’s mostly fueled by collective nostalgia over the Nokia golden age, back in the 90s.

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AnonD-14584, 30 Jun 2017Nokia in the past was the best mobile phone manufacturer in... moreYes, i sorely miss Symbian but destroying it after merge is too harsh to say. 950/950XL beats most of phones till nowadays, especially camera. And we don't start with apps flame war, do we? All i need are there.

    • Q
    • Qwerty2017
    • 6ck
    • 01 Jul 2017

    AnonD-143546, 01 Jul 2017"Value is the name of the game nowadays and it's really tou... moreXiaomi has great software updates and has HUGE line-up of devices with FANTASTIC price/performance value (bang for buck), although their OS developer are quite slow on releasing OS upgrade.

    Meizu has become one of alternatives for "flagship killer" Chinese brand, and now focused more on low-to-mid-range device, by releasing M and M note series.
    Similar to Xiaomi, their Flyme OS software updates are also good, but I could not tell how good it is, compared to MIUI, as I never had Meizu's device.

    So, the ONLY valid point in ur argument is the "after sales" support, which WILL ALWAYS be the cons of MOST Chinese brands, BUT u also meed to remember that

    "AT THIS PRICE POINT, IF U COULD GET A DEVICE WITH GREAT SPECS, U HAVE TO ACCEPT THE "ALMOST NON-EXISTENCE" AFTER SALES SUPPORT, AS THAT'S WHERE THEY CUT CORNER" (well, I owned Mi Max for a year and never had ANY HARDWARE problem, though)

    So, which one do u chose:

    -) Devices with good to great specs, good software support, but limited after sales, OR
    -) Devices with crap to mediocre specs with bottleneck issue, "promised" software support, but better "promised" after sales?

    I, for one, has choose & recommended the "former" several times, with no issue

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      • Qwerty2017
      • 6ck
      • 01 Jul 2017

      Recent Nokia 3 user, 01 Jul 2017Thank you for the review, but I must say the benchmark comm... moreWhat a FAILED logic...

      IF all u ever do with Android smartphone are calling and texting, without the need for several apps to run on the background OR gaming a game with graphic-intense gaphics,
      WHAT U NEED IS NOKIA 3310 (2017), not Android smartphone, DUDE...

      Believe it or not, u are not only use Android for social media which runs on background.
      at the same time, u might also run other apps, like music player, PDF reader, office suite, and so on.

      "Does everyone need more than couple of apps running in the background?" Yes, Android device can do multitasking since ICS, and people subconsciously used it ALL the time
      (look at 'setting' > 'apps' > 'running')

      "Does everyone play games on their phones?" Yes, believe it or not, ALL people who buy Android phone have game(s) installed in their device, and play it occasionally.
      People who don't play game, only for calling & texting, avoiding smartphone, cause the battery endurance of smartphone are sucks compared to FEATURE PHONES.

      "In my opinion with rational use many people can be too"
      "rational use" are an ABSTRACT thing, as u can't expect EVERYONE to have the same value of "rational" as you.
      For me, "rational use" are when my Android phone capable of handling multitasking with ease, capable of running graphic-intense games, and have big battery as well as long standby time, even after heavy use (Mi Max, for example).

      ALL Nokia current line-up, however, cannot do ALL of this, especially 3, the TRUE successor of Nokia X, XL, and X2, the trio POS

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        • AnonD-143546
        • PA7
        • 01 Jul 2017

        "Value is the name of the game nowadays and it's really tough to keep up with the likes of Moto, Xiaomi and Meizu selling at heavily discounted prices"

        Value isn't all about specifications etc., after sales and software updates also included (Like hundreds Nokia Mobile care in India for example and Android 8 update guarantee), even there's only little mention about NFC that even a midrange devices doesn't have.

          • Q
          • Qwerty2017
          • 6ck
          • 01 Jul 2017

          Anonymous, 01 Jul 2017Well, chipset and amoled screens are going to be the bigges... moreUr guess s right.
          Mediatek's SoCs are ALL power-hungry, especially the ones with 28nm fabrication process...

          The ONLY MediaTek SoC worth mentioning is Helio X20, as the CPU is pretty powerful (above SD652/653), and the GPU is on par (occationally better) with Adreno 510.

          IF only Nokia chose the "legendary" MT6752 which have pretty decent performance for low-end device, it will sell like hotcakes...

          Here's a FUN FACTS:

          Nokia 3: sold at US$150, the ACTUAL PRODUCTION COSTS are sub US$100 (~$80-$90)
          Nokia 5: sold at US$200, the ACTUAL PRODUCTION COSTS are sub US$150 (~$100-$130, based on Xiaomi Redmi)
          Nokia 6 3GB: sold at US$240, the ACTUAL PRODUCTION COSTS are around US150 (~$130-$150, as 3GB RAM and FHD display, as well as a piece of metal inside the phone are costly) based on Xiaomi Redmi
          Nokia 6 4GB: sold at US$300, the ACTUAL PRODUCTION COSTS are around US$160 (~$150-170, well, the difference of 4GB RAM and 3GB RAM in price is not big, as 4GB RAM are the norm today at China)

          So, how expensive Nokia flagship will be priced? The rumor said around US$700, but if they could sell it at $850, why not?
          as u can see, Nokia 6 standard profit is around US$90 per device, and the Arte ones are around US$130 per device with difference only in RAM, color, and "premium" gimmick...

          If they can make Nokia 8/9, the "flagship" device, around US$400, the same as OnePlus 5, why should they HMD priced it US$700 when their potential buyer are willing to pay MORE (near iphone price tag)?

          Fanboys, don't forget about Nokia X, XL, and X2, which are all POS devices that Nokia had abandoned before after sold it at CRAZY price tag...

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            • AnonD-214858
            • fsP
            • 01 Jul 2017

            CM3, 01 Jul 2017You will be surprised at how blind the nokia fanboys can be.most of Nokia fans are geeks and Old smartphone users, Apple fans should take that crown

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              • AnonD-214858
              • fsP
              • 01 Jul 2017

              AnonD-234961, 01 Jul 2017Just to put it in perspective: the Galaxy A3 2017 manages 9... moreone word mediatek,

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                • nokia12
                • gN$
                • 01 Jul 2017

                Anonymous, 01 Jul 2017Well, chipset and amoled screens are going to be the bigges... moreBattery standby results are odd... there is likely an issue with battery drain.. Xperia l1 with same higher clock chipset Mt6737T with same screen and battery gets 63h rating... I was expecting 70h rating with this lower clocked chip. And it should easily get that given web browsing and Video battery ratings are good...

                I hope Google play services aren't consuming all the battery.. they are the biggest battery hog if accounts aren't sync properly or something is trying to access location..

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 3Y6
                  • 01 Jul 2017

                  I Sincerely hope Microsoft didn't ruined Nokia's good

                  standards very much otherwise I still believe Nokia can

                  do better.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • m5k
                    • 01 Jul 2017

                    Ouch! That was a pretty damning review. Really looking forward to the N5 and N6 reviews. Want to see if there is a pattern or whether the N3 review is an isolated case.

                    Plus Nokia - where is the other models 7/8/9?

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • m5k
                      • 01 Jul 2017

                      AnonD-234961, 01 Jul 2017Just to put it in perspective: the Galaxy A3 2017 manages 9... moreWell, chipset and amoled screens are going to be the biggest factors - both of which Samsung have an advantage in - but still, there is a standby/battery drain issue. Either that or the Mediatek chip is really power hungry.

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                        • AnonD-234961
                        • ndn
                        • 01 Jul 2017

                        Just to put it in perspective: the Galaxy A3 2017 manages 93h from a 2350 mAh battery. The Nokia 3 manages only 53h from a 2600 mAh battery...

                          that;s sad. what does it take for it to be an Android One device?

                            • R
                            • Recent Nokia 3 user
                            • p7u
                            • 01 Jul 2017

                            Thank you for the review, but I must say the benchmark commentary could be more helpful. You wrote the performance is on the level "your grandma could use". The author should see beyond his way of using tech and notice that there are people who can find this device to perform well enough. Does everyone need more than couple of apps running in the background? Does everyone play games on their phones? After a week of using this phone I must say I'm satisfied with it. In my opinion with rational use many people can be too.

                            It's very difficult to find a well done review these days. Instead of showing how much device lack to the top reviewers should describe what kind of user could find a particular device useful.

                              • I
                              • Indian
                              • ut2
                              • 01 Jul 2017

                              Camera Quality Good...Separate Memory SD Card Slot.. 10 hrs Browsing Time, 8:30hrs Video Is Very Good......Hardware Quality Good..... Display Looks Very Good And 2.8 Ratio In Sunlight Not Bad (Check Other Phones Ratio U Will Understand).....Software UI Custom Rom ( Very Smooth) Like U Feels In Moto Phones...... Performance Good For Normal Users...... Audio Good.... Good Build Quality Premium Feel...... If Ur A Normal User Go For Nokia Otherwise Many Chinese Out There Redmi Note 4, Lenovo K6 Power Etc :)

                                • J
                                • Jake
                                • X$P
                                • 01 Jul 2017

                                Flop show. Gsmarena thanks for honest review.

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                                  • AnonD-656673
                                  • gMJ
                                  • 01 Jul 2017

                                  This thing is priced at 9.5k INR in India!!

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                                    • Vijay
                                    • uwX
                                    • 01 Jul 2017

                                    I am purely depending on Nokia brand, non others are not durable, like quality, battery life, sound etc., I was waiting long for relaunch Nokia. I first brought New 3310 and Nokia 3 continuously, best wishes to Nokia to shine better and long last........

                                      no one will buy this after read this review LoL..

                                        The 3, is one thing. The 5, has a very different and beautiful smooth edge to the body. I like it. Great test phones.

                                        Nokia 6, super tough.
                                        For me I am looking to the flagship.

                                        Nokia 9 is coming with the exclusive Nokia OZO Audio enabled. Significantly different from the normal phone audio. https://ozo.nokia.com/eu/nokia-ozo-audio

                                        Solid. New horizon. Bring it on.

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