Nokia 5.3: Falling in love with Nokia, once again

If you are one of those who picked up their first mobile back in the late nineties or early 2000, chances are it might have been a Nokia handset—Nokia 5110 or Nokia 3210, if my memory serves me right. Both rugged and sturdy devices with excellent battery life; the Snake game became an entire generation’s obsession on these phones. The Finnish handset maker had a love affair with the Indian market during those days, with absolute market dominance. But competition soon caught up and as they say, the rest is history.

Recently, the new Nokia 5.3 brought back memories of that era to this reviewer. For the sake of record, Finland-based HMD Global is the home of Nokia phones. At first look, the device comes across as sturdy and durable with a sleek glass front with a durable composite back. I reckon it can withstand accidental falls and exposure to our dusty environs. It comes with Android 10 (with the promise of Android 11) and offers faster access to the Google Assistant via the dedicated button. The phone is available in three beautiful finishes—Cyan, Sand and Charcoal (our trial unit) and RAM/ROM variants of 4GB/64GB and 6GB/64GB for Rs 13,999 and Rs 15,499 respectively.