Nokia G21 review – Wrapping Budget Reliability and Stamina in Style

We’ve discussed Nokia‘s change of tack in its approach to its devices. No longer do the Finnish marque compete on specs. While other brands will cut costs on build or reliability, or worse, offset the cost by selling devices filled with bloatware, Nokia G21 is pitched a simple, secure smartphone that they will support for three years.

The device is the latest of the G-series, devices occupying the lower of the market but offer that bit more than true entry level.

Style Standard

As always, Nokia have not aped upmarket design cues for G21. Rather than simulating premium materials, a strategy that usually makes devices look cheap, they have crafted something distinct and attractive from an aluminium frame and good-quality plastic.

The colour and rear texture Nokia G21 fit the company’s current design language while avoiding being too derivative. The device sports steep, straight edges around its chassis, something that stands out from their line-up.

The rear has a little curve as the panel meets the straight edges.

The triple-lens island is set in a clear plastic surround with one step inlaid vertically when in portrait mode. This is more of less the one major design element that is fashionable or trendy on the device but it’s harmoniously worked into Nokia’s own style.

The device wears a simple look, relying on its macro detail, striking colourways and that fine rear texture for its visual intrigue. Nokia are masters of the minimalist style and G21 is another beautiful effort on a budget.

Our Nordic Blue review model looks so ‘Nokia’, a shade that’s seems like a cousin of the ‘Deep Ocean’ of recently-reviewed Nokia T20 Tablet.

Hand-Feel

The build quality of Nokia G21 is excellent. Its sturdy with minimal flex despite its large surface and slimline build. The aforementioned rear texture and curves make the phone easy to hold on to.

Their is little chin bezel that does little to eat into the pleasing screen-to-body ratio of Nokia G21 but helps a lot with one-handed operation. A combination of ergonomics and build quality make the device feel good in the hand, beyond what you’d expect at less than €200.

Nokia G21 starts at just €149 for the 3GB RAM, 64GB storage model but it certainly does not feel like a budget model.

Price Display

The display of Nokia G21 is not bad all around and competitive in its price bracket. The 720 x 1600 resolution gives the 6.5″ screen enough detail to avoid being grainy. The display is bright with a typical level of 400 nits – enough for decent sunlit legibility.

The IPS LCD has a natural tone rather than vivid one and doesn’t have particularly deep blacks. Contrast is about average at this price. The screen refreshes at 90Hz, lending a nice smoothness to scrolling.

Nokia G21’s display is not deficient in any way nor does it have any particular strengths. The device’s screen is functional, versatile and reliable; traits that suit the rest of the hardware.

Unisoc Inside

Nokia G21 sports the Unisoc T606 chipset and generally has enough juice for a smooth user experience. There’s some delay when hopping between apps or opening larger ones but it’s never sluggish.

Coming from a premium device you may notice that slight hesitation here and there.

Gaming in 2D is generally smooth but can falter with strategy games or other genres with tons of CPU-hungry calculations on the go. 3D gaming will generally run in low-medium setting at acceptable framerates.

It’s not a gaming powerhouse by any means but most games are entirely playable.

One Android

Nokia G21 runs a minimally modified Android 11. It’s clean and intuitive with some nice quality-of-life features and options baked in. One of G21’s biggest selling points against its rivals in the sub-€200 handset market is that it’s devoid of bloatware and baked-in ads.

Bloatware and ads baked into core apps are often used to offset the cost of low-end phones, enabling manufacturers to offer a better deal on paper. Some consumers learn to live with these anti-features, others can not.

Along with a clean, bloat-free experience, the handset offers two years of Android feature updates as well as three years of security updates.

The only gripe I have with Nokia G21’s software is the Google Search Bar on the home screen. It’s tough to get rid of and most consumers will end up leaving it there.

Workhorse

Nokia G21 sports a massive 5,050mAh battery should allow a sizeable number of users to reach bed-time on day two on a single charge. Casual users may make it to day three.

The device can be charged at up to 18W which will fill the device in just under two hours.

Depending on your region the device comes bundled with a 10W or 18W charger. The 10W charger of our review model takes almost three hours to fill the device from 0%.

Camera Contrasts

Nokia G21 sports a three-lens main cam system which snaps from a 50MP lens which bins pixels in an attempt to produce a sharper 12MP image. It also allows for a decent 2x digital zoom.

The second lens is a 2MP depth sensor which aids in focus and background effects but is otherwise not used for capture. The third is a 2MP macro lens which is more for show than of any practical use.

In good conditions, the phone produces a sharp but somewhat noisy image. Fine details near the edge of the imaging system’s ability to resolve them can be either too sharp or smudged out.

G21 doesn’t handle fine colour gradients all that well. Bold, majestic skies can be a little artificial. On the other hand, it handles human faces well with the capacity for pleasant group shots.

The overall palette of the imaging system leans towards warm. Images seems to be a little redder than usual by default.

Video tops out at 1080p30 and mostly enjoys the same benefits and suffers from the same drawbacks as stills.

Specifications

Everyday performance on the clean Android operating system is more than adequate even if other brands can do more on paper for the same money.

Nokia G21’s build quality is excellent while three years of security updates offers peace of mind. For users after something designed to last, the device certainly marries suitable hardware and software.

There is more to the proposition, of course. It’s a gorgeous device that won’t go out of fashion next time Apple release a phone.