Nokia 5 review – CNET

There’s a lot to like about Nokia’s midrange Nokia 5 handset. Its slim, metal design is very comfortable to hold and looks smart. There’s not much of a bezel around the display either, which means the body hasn’t had to balloon out too much to accommodate its 5.2-inch display.

That display is bright and bold and while the 720p resolution isn’t sharp enough to make details pop, it’s fine for reading stories online and chatting with your friends. The fingerprint scanner below the screen works well and doubles as a home button too.

The phone runs Android Nougat, which Nokia has left completely untouched. It results in a clean, fuss-free interface that’s easy to use and nippy to navigate thanks to the phone’s octa-core processor. The Nokia 5 falls a little below the Moto G5 Plus in benchmark terms, but apps like Gmail load quickly and games like Asphalt: Xtreme are handled well enough for casual mobile gamers.

The 13-megapixel rear camera takes sharp shots, with a good exposure balance. Colours aren’t very bold and the white balance can be hit and miss, but for quick snaps for Facebook, it’ll suit fine. There’s quite a lot of image noise in low-light shots, so wait until you’re outside in the daylight to take your best shots. There’s an 8-megapixel front camera, too, with an HDR mode that gives sharp, well-balanced selfies.