If you ever try to search for “Nokia G50” on the Internet, don’t be surprised to see some confusing or even misleading results. Earlier this year, Motorola launched the Moto G50, bearing 5G support inside a lower mid-range phone. More than just the name, however, the two share a few other similarities that only deepens the confusion even more.

Just like the Moto G50, the Nokia G50 is powered by a Snapdragon 480, Qualcomm’s lowest-tier 5G chipset. It gets 4GB of RAM, too, and 128GB of expandable storage. There’s also a generous 5,000 mAh battery that’s enough to power through more than just a day.

There are, however, also some differences, like the 6.82-inch HD+ display having no support for a 90Hz refresh rate. The 48MP main camera is joined by a 5MP ultra-wide shooter and a 2MP depth sensor, while the front camera only gets an 8MP sensor inside a waterdrop notch. The cameras are arranged inside a circular bump that HMD Global seems to be getting fond of, which leaves no room for a fingerprint scanner that, thankfully, has been relocated to the side.

The Nokia G50 is selling for R5499, which seems to be the standard for these low-tier 5G phones. It comes with Android 11, and HMD Global promises two years of Android updates and three years of monthly security updates during its lifetime. It is only available in Ocean Blue from Vodacom.

If you’re looking for a relatively affordable tablet that’s just about as simple as can be – this might be your best bet.

The Nokia T20 has vanilla Android 11 inside, right out the box. Nokia’s HMD includes a guarantee of two years of major OS updates (effectively Android 12 and Android 13, if that’s what Google runs with for OS names), and three years of security updates month-by-month.

The display is 10.4-inches diagonally with 1200 x 2000-pixel resolution. There’s a 5-megapixel front-facing camera on the tablet above the display landscape-style. On the back is an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash. It’s important to note, here, that Nokia’s logo on the back is placed in landscape mode. It should be clear, here, that the company expects that you’ll be using this device in such a position most of the time.

This tablet has an IP52 rating for resistance to water and dust. This means you’re most probably OK using it on the beach, so long as you don’t bury it in the sand or allow it to be fully dunked under water. A cup of water dropped on top, or a walk in the rain will be fine.

The Nokia T20 tablet is already in stores as you read this. The Nokia T20 price at launch is around R3999 for the WiFi and LTE version of the tablet in Ocean Blue.

 Dubbed as a “hero device”, the C30 comes with less spectacular features other than the screen and battery. Its main claims to fame are its Android 11 Go Edition software and a whopping 6,000 mAh battery that promises three days of battery life. It is, however, as entry-level as you can get, but, thankfully, it also comes with an entry-level price tag.

The screen comes in at a whopping huge 6.82” and is a HD+ display. At the back there is the dual 13MP camera – highest resolution on a C-series device yet. The added depth sensor will give your portraits the quality they deserve, said Nokia.

The Nokia C30 will be available in South Africa priced from R2,299 from early October in selected retail stores in either white or green.

That said, it has furtunately kept the floodgates open to its mid-range Nokia smartphones locally, like the new-ish Nokia 5.4. HMD might not be making a big deal out of it, though, considering it’s one of the many mid-range phones that fill up the market. Inside there’s the Snapdragon 662 with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The 6.39-inch screen also goes only as far as HD+ resolutions.

There are a few highlights that HMD Global likes to brag about, like the quad-camera system led by a 48MP sensor. And then there are HMD’s promised software updates for its phones.

The Nokia 5.4 is available locally in the Polar Night colour and will set you back R3 799.

The Nokia X20 and Nokia X10

The high end, mid-range X20 and X10 push boundaries for Nokia. Both devices are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform and come with Android 11 straight out of the box. There’s ZEISS Optics and AI to help power up the camera system.

The Nokia X20 comes with a 32MP front camera and 64MP quad camera on the rear. Meanwhile, the Nokia X10 features a 48MP quad-camera with Cinematic capture.

Complimenting the devices is a wide 6.67” Full HD+ punch-hole display. Both the Nokia X20 and Nokia X10 also come with a 100% compostable case in the sales box, to console you for the missing charger.

The Nokia G20 and Nokia G10

The G10 and G20 slot into HMD’s G-series of Nokia phones, with even longer battery life: up to three days, the company claims. They have side-fingerprint sensors and a 6.5-inch display. The G20 has a triple rear camera system, while the G20 steps up to a 48-megapixel main camera and OZO surround sound.

The G20 will go on sale from May while the G10 will arrive in April. HMD is yet to confirm local pricing.

The Nokia C10 and C20

Finally, the C10 and C20 are focused on the affordable end of the scale. They run Android 11 Go Edition on a 6.5-inch HD+ display, and will go on sale from June and April, respectively, pricing is yet to be confirmed too.

Today’s launch wasn’t just about handsets, though, but also a new carrier. HMD Global is launching in the UK first, from the end of April, as an MVNO relying on the EE network. As with current Nokia phones, the focus will be affordability. Local plans are yet to be announced.

We can see how the power of technology improves our daily lives and we know that the speed at which new technologies is introduced is, if anything, going to speed up exponentially. These technologies will keep getting better, faster and fit more seamlessly into our lives to enable us to do more and stay connected in a rapidly changing and uncertain world.

How then are we going to see this play out in the coming months and years? What can we expect, and what should we be looking out for as the pace of tech innovations continue to accelerate?

Critically, mobile technology is increasingly going to be harnessed for good. Aside from mobile’s obvious benefits of bringing the world to us in the palm of our hands, it also increasingly acts as a driver for good. We are seeing some incredible advances in using the processing power of smartphones to analyse massive amounts of complex data to speed up vital cancer and coronavirus research – all while the owners of these smartphones sleep.

It is truly taking the notion of “I could do it in my sleep” to another level. And it is only one example of the work that is taking place to use technology for good. More broadly, mobile and other emerging technologies will help improve healthcare. The World Economic Forum (WEF), for example, predicted that AI-powered technology and 5G will shift our approach to healthcare, our diets and underlying health, as well as drive more high-capacity services like telehealth, telesurgery and ER services.

The power and potential of 5G is by no means a new phenomenon; it first emerged in 2018 and has since grown into a force for change. According to WEF Technology Pioneer Maha Achour, “the roll-out of 5G creates markets that we only imagine – like self-driving bots, along with a mobility-as-a-service economy – and others we can’t imagine, enabling next generations to invent thriving markets and prosperous causes”.

Bringing people together even when we’re apart

These new markets, services and causes will also drive greater connections in an age where being and staying connected is so critical and will not necessarily be possible in-person. There are already countless examples of technologies and apps that are helping bring people together even while we are apart, letting us sync our screens, watch and talk about our favourite programmes with each other, or play games with each other while we video chat, or even exercise together.

Being able to come together virtually and still share our interests with our loved ones requires an underpinning ecosystem – such as Android – which provides us with the opportunity to tap into hyper-personalised experiences that empowers us to make memories and chase success. An example of this is how HMD Global ambassador, professional skateboarder and 3X Guinness World Record holder, Jean-marc Johannes uses his mobile phone for good through sharing inspirational content about his passions with his community and is able to realise his dreams of helping others through his humanitarian initiative, Fill The Gap.

Digital ecosystems are becoming ever more interconnected to allow their users to become more connected and embrace our passions and have them seamlessly fit into our lives – and it is becoming more and more clear that this is the case with the blurring of physical and virtual worlds.

Of course, when we’re dealing with connected worlds that blur the physical with the virtual, safety and security become a key concern. In a digital-first world rife with cybercrime, trust, privacy and security need to act as the solid foundation of every technology’s function and capability.

We invest heavily in security updates and patches – leading the ranks for the second year running in the most and frequent software and security updates – to ensure that our customers are able to continue to connect with each other and benefit from the power of technology safely and securely. Our products are built to last and designed with human happiness in mind, providing the most relevant, up to date and secure technology without compromising on service and durability.

Charles Dickens famously said: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times”. This has never been truer: despite the ongoing uncertainty and disruption caused by the pandemic, technology and the continuing innovations we are seeing in this space are helping bridge the gap, keep us connected with each other and make the world more human.

By Justin Maier, Vice President: Sub Sahara Africa at HMD Global

The good news on the low pixel density on the display is that, combined with a 4000mAh battery, you’re going to have a LOT of battery life. The charging speed isn’t anything special at 5V/2A, but again – that battery is big for this display.

The back-facing cameras aren’t as spectacular as those presented on the Nokia 7.2, but they’re still going to produce some results at least as good, if not far better than those of other devices in this price range. They consist of 13 MP f/1.8 + 2 MP depth sensor + 5 MP ultra-wide + 2 MP Macro on the back, and there’s an 8MP f/2.0 camera up front.

You’ll be able to purchase the Nokia 5.3 in three colours: Cyan Green and Charcoal. The’ll all roll with Android 10, and “up to 3 years of software updates.” We’ll have to investigate a bit more before we’re entirely solid on what “up to” entails.

The Nokia 5.3 is already available on Takealot. This 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage size edition will cost you R4999.

The phone offers several other great features too. Notably, the device has a built-in Google Assistant button, giving users easy access to Assistant without always having to use the “Hey, Google” wake word. We got to spend some time with it over the month of June and behold, it has lived up to Nokia mobile’s reputation of providing entry level devices that are worth every cent.

With that, here are some of the features we are loving on the Nokia 2

It has a fantastic design

The device features a small teardrop-shaped notch at the top for the front-facing camera and a chin at the bottom — but apart from that, it’s got a nice edge-to-edge display with rounded corners. The display measures in at 6.2 inches, with an IPS LCD HD+ resolution. Despite its 6.2-inch screen size, the Nokia 2.3 is usable with one hand (though I do have large hands).

Other aspects of the design look great, too. There’s no camera bump on the back, making for a much smoother look. There’s a beautiful effect that plays upon the rear when it catches the light, which gives the back an appearance of having ridges, especially on the Cyan Green colour, where the Nokia 2.3 looks more sophisticated. It also comes in Charcoal, but Cyan Green is the one we have for review.

Build quality is HMD Global’s strength, and it continues to deliver phones that feel like they deserve a higher price tag.

All that power

Powering the Nokia 2.3 is a Mediatek Helio A22 SoC with a PowerVR GPU and 2GB RAM. While it performs most day-to-day tasks without too much of a struggle, it does stutter here and there and also freezes occasionally (particularly when switching apps). Do not expect apps to launch at rocket speed or games to load up and run well, either.

If you’re not a power user, you only use a handful of apps, and you don’t play demanding games, the Nokia 2.3 will be sufficient.

As is the case with most Nokia mobile phones, the Nokia 2.3 is a part of the Android One program. That means you get a promise of three years of security updates and two operating system upgrades. We touch a bit more on that later on in this piece.

The Nokia 2.3 will get you through a full workday with medium use and a full day with light use with its 4000mAh battery. I often arrived home around 6pm with 40% remaining. Battery anxiety starts to creep in whenever I decided to extend my night out, though — around 9pm it hit 20%.

AI features in the camera

Nokia mobile focused a little on improving camera quality, ensuring that you’ll get decent shots even in an affordable phone. In the Nokia 2.3, you’ll get a Portrait Mode that blurs out the background of your photos, making for a more professional-looking photo. The phone features a dual 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel camera. It also adds features like image fusion technology that allows the phone to combine details from multiple photos — making for a more vibrant image overall.

Given the market placement of the device, it can take adequate photos during the day, with decent detail, though colours can look a bit muted at times. Problems start to creep in as the day goes on. The phone can barely take solid low-light photos, but it’s not consistent. You need to stay as still as possible because there is no optical image stabilization. Any movement will result in a blurry photo. It does not help that the phone isn’t the fastest to snap photos.

Android 10 for the win

The device comes with Android 10, which is the latest and greatest version of Android. Further, Nokia mobile says that the phone is guaranteed to get monthly security updates for three years, and full operating system for two years — so the device should get both Android 11 and Android 12 when they’re released and become available.

The phone comes with Android One, so Android, in general, it is relatively clean, and updates should be available quickly after they are released. It is one of the first things you’ll notice once you power on the device and start browsing.

In conclusion

The Nokia 2.3 is great build quality with a nice design, a strong screen experience, along with decent performance and battery life. Its camera system is solid. Perhaps the best thing about the phone is the price — you can purchase the Nokia 2.3 from R1999.

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Now along comes HMD Global and its mission to corner all the corners of the market on all tiers, announcing the Nokia C2 as the newest and so far the only new Android Go phone in the market.

Android Go, more formally “Android (Go Edition)”, isn’t exactly a flavor of Android and more a set of default configurations and apps to make the platform more usable on hardware-constrained devices. It was Google’s attempt to wean users away from “feature phones” and onto Android and the rest of its ecosystem. After a brief period of hype, that seems to have gone silent.

Part of that may be from the lack of appeal, as the Nokia C2 exemplifies. Android Go phones are pretty much your run-of-the-mill cookie-cutter entry-level phones. This one, for example, has a relatively lesser-known Unisoc processor with 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of memory. Forget all the talk about cameras too, as it only has a single 5 megapixel camera on its back and 5 megapixels on its front.

Its main appeal, of course, is the budget price, coming in at R1 499, that comes with a lite Android experience. Strangely enough, the phone is launching with Android 9 Pie (Go Edition). The latest, of course, is Android 10.

To be fair, comparing the Nokia C2 to even mid-range phones is apples to grapes as the core focus of Android Go phones is to get people online and on Google in the cheapest way possible. That price is still unknown but it is even more unknown whether Android Go has any appeal left at all. It comes in charcoal and cyan green.

Officially dubbed the Nokia C1, it seems that the biggest selling point of this phone is its support for Android Go and the lightweight apps that come along with it.

Specifically, the Nokia C1 will be running Android 9 Pie (Go Edition) out of the box, which means that it’s compatible with apps like YouTube Go and Google Maps Go. The phone has been outfitted with a FWVGA+ IPS display that clocks in at 5.45-inches, with 1GB of RAM and an unnamed quad-core 1.3Ghz processor running the show.

Storage comes in at 16GB, though Nokia prefers to describe it in terms of how many songs or hours of video you can store on the phone, something we haven’t seen for quite some time. “Store up to 24 hours of video or up to 3000 songs thanks to lighter apps taking up less space on your phone,” the company writes on the C1’s press release. If 16GB isn’t enough storage, you can use a microSD card to expand on it further, but the C1 only supports cards up to 64GB.

The rear and front-facing cameras both use 5MP lenses, so you’re not going to be taking a lot of stellar shots with this phone. Nokia says that the C1’s 2,500mAh battery is capable of lasting all day, and with the rest of these specifications in mind, we believe it. The battery is even removable, which is a rare sight among phones these days, so the C1 certainly wins some bonus points for that.

In the end, these specifications are more or less what we’d expect from an Android Go phone. What matters most, however, is pricing and availability. You can grab the C1 in either black or red from select retailers supporting the MTN network at a retail price of R999.

Those with less constrained resources will naturally feel a bit left out but, fortunately for them, smartphone hardware is getting cheaper as well too. At least that seems to be what HMD Global is trying to sell with the Nokia 2.3, perhaps one of few if not first entry-level Android phones to claim AI-powered features, particularly in the camera.

HMD definitely paints an enticing picture of an AI-rich budget smartphone. These days, AI on mobile is used for things like scene recognition and automatic settings in cameras, assistants like Google Assistant, and even down to intelligent battery management. Those are exactly the things that the Nokia 2.3 is advertised to bring but sounds too good to be true considering the hardware the phone actually has.

The Nokia 2.3 is powered by a MediaTek Helio A22, a year-old chip comparable to the Snapdragon 450, with 2 GB of RAM that may call into question how much processing an AI can really do on it. No AI, however, will be able to magically create spectacular photos from a 13 megapixel camera with a 2 megapixel depth sensor. A 6.2-inch HD+ 19:9 display, 32 GB of storage, and an admittedly large 4,000 mAh battery round up the core specs of the phone.

That said, there are definitely a few things going for the Nokia 2.3, primarily the more or less vanilla Android 10 experience. Then there’s the promise of two years of OS updates and three years of security updates. Usually.

Available in Cyan Green, and Charcoal and sporting an odd 3D nano-textured cover that gives the back an appearance of having ridges, the Nokia 2.3 is available at select retailers for R1 999.

If you simply judge by specs and numbers, you’ll probably walk away disappointed. The Nokia 4.2 is powered by Snapdragon 439 with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. The 5.71-inch HD+ screen comes with a waterdrop notch at the top and a thick bezel at the bottom for branding. There’s a dual camera setup on the back, 13 megapixel and 2 megapixel sensors, and an 8 megapixel camera on the front.

The 4.2 is going to be largely defined by its software. With Android One, it’s guaranteed a clean and updated experience with updates for at least two years. New to the fold, however, is a dedicated Google Assistant button for quickly summoning the helpful AI silently. A single press is enough to start Google Assistant while two presses give you an overview of the day’s flow, with smart suggestions and personalised info included. A long press, on the other hand, will let you speak with Google Assistant in walkie-talkie fashion.

The Nokia 4.2 will go on sale this week with a cash price of  R2999 or R199/month on a 24-month contract at Vodacom.