Nokia isn’t out of the game yet, so very soon this year everyone will get a chance to use the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and the Nokia 6. Since all three of these phones are releasing around the same time, and they’re all in the same line, how do they stack up against each other? While it would be easy to say the Nokia 6 is objectively the best, let’s actually make comparisons. The three phones are separated by more than price since while their designs are similar, what each phone is working with has some important differences. I’m talking about the cameras, the screens, the storage, the processing power, and pretty much everything going on under the hood that’s important. I won’t declare a winner for each category, since in most cases the winner will be the Nokia 6, but I’ll give each phone enough time to show off their strengths and weaknesses.
Differences in Battery Life
While two of the phones in this line, the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6, have the same battery inside, the Nokia 3 is working with a smaller one. Since the Nokia 3 has the biggest difference out of the three phones, let’s talk about that one first.
The Nokia 3’s Battery
First things first, the Nokia 3’s has a 2650mAh Li-Ion battery, which is a little on the small side, but works perfectly for the kind of phone we’re working with.
The Nokia 3 undeniably has a smaller battery than both the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6, but with less power requirements, and reduced capability, a small battery isn’t a dealbreaker. I’ll talk more about the Nokia 3’s power in the processor section, but 2650mAh is plenty to carry you through the day with moderate use. The battery in the Nokia 3 is non-removable, but it’s the same sad story with both the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6.
The Nokia 5 and Nokia 6’s Battery
Inside of the Nokia 5 is a 3000mAh Li-Ion battery, which is the exact same battery inside of the Nokia 6. This is a bit of a bump up from the Nokia 3, but at the same time, both the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6 have more power under the hood that you’ll need that battery for to last through the day.
If you’re looking to use either your Nokia 5, or your Nokia 6 for more than simple processes, you’ll need some help to get a full charge to last until the day is over. If you’re checking social media constantly, or playing games throughout the day, try looking at some good ways to conserve your battery. The batteries on the Nokia 5 and 6 are non removable, so it’s important to take proper care of them, and conserve as much power as you can.
Different but Similar Processors
While I mainly want to talk about the processors here, it’s a good time to mention RAM on the side. All of the phones in this Nokia series have RAM differences, and when it comes to RAM and processors, at least for these phones, there’s an objective best.
The Nokia 3’s Processor
The chipset inside of the Nokia 3 is the Mediatek MT6737. One of the major differences here is the Nokia 5 and 6 use a Snapdragon variant, but the MT6737 is a great budget option for a good looking budget phone.
The MT6737 has 2GB of RAM to work with, which while small, is good enough for simple games, and most apps as long as you aren’t running too much at one time. This isn’t the phone to buy if you want to try VR, but neither are the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6.
The Nokia 5’s Processor
Like I mentioned above, the Nokia 5 and 6 use a Snapdragon variant. Inside the Nokia 5 is the Snapdragon 430, and then much like the Nokia 3, you have 2GB of RAM to use. Only having 2GB of RAM starts to become more of a problem when you jump up in price, and have more processing potential.
Fortunately, this is solved, for the most part, with the Nokia 6, for a bit of a price increase.
The Nokia 6’s Processor
The Nokia 6 is running the same chipset as the Nokia 5 with the Snapdragon 430, but has double the RAM to work with on the most expensive model. While this means that the Nokia 6 has the most power objectively, it isn’t the best value for every Android user. The Snapdragon 430 is more than old by today’s standards, so having the newest phone of your line sporting it, while being the most expensive phone in the line, is a little disappointing. This doesn’t mean the Nokia 6 is slow, but don’t expect it to be as snappy as the Galaxy S8, or a Google Pixel.
Comparing Storage Sizes
Internal storage is something very important to someone like me. I have a hard time deleting anything, so the more I can keep crammed into my phone the better. Luckily, all of the Nokia phones here have microSD card slots, but their internal storage sizes are still different.
The Nokia 3 and 5’s Internal Storage
Putting the microSD card aside, you only have 16GB of internal storage to work with inside of both the Nokia 3 and the Nokia 5. This sounds like plenty at first, but this space gets taken up quickly, and some of that 16GB is already taken up by required apps and systems.
Investing in a microSD card is essential when you only have 16GB to work with, so get one as soon as possible and pop it in next to your SIM card to rest easy.
The Nokia 6’s Internal Storage
With the most expensive model of the Nokia 6 comes 64GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot, so you’ll be set on space for quite some time. If you don’t hoard as many apps and files as I do, even the 64GB of internal storage will be enough without an upgrade.
Camera Comparisons with Poor Contrasts
This section is going to be a little different, since the only difference between the cameras is the amount of megapixels, and the resolution. The biggest issue with Nokia cameras, weak colors and contrasts, remains the same throughout. The Nokia 3 has an 8MP camera on both the front and the back, letting you take 1080p pictures, even though the screen on the Nokia 3 is only 720p. On the Nokia 5 the camera on the back is 13MP, while the camera in the front is the same as the Nokia 3 at 8MP. Then the Nokia 5 comes in with a camera sitting at 16MP on the back, and another 8MP on the front. The differences in these cameras are pretty minute, but are at least worth mentioning here. Each one has an eye for detail, but if you want shots with fantastic color composition and accurate contrasts, look elsewhere, or touch them up yourself.
Different Screens and Resolutions
Since the Nokia 3 and the Nokia 5 are essentially budget models of the Nokia 6, screen resolution is one of the downgrades when you buy one of the other models.
The Nokia 3 and 5’s Resolution
I mentioned it briefly above about the Nokia 3, but both the 3 and the Nokia 5 have 720p screens instead of full HD. This isn’t unreasonable considering their price, but I was hoping that at least the Nokia 5 would have a full HD screen as a more substantial upgrade from the 3 a tier below it.
The Nokia 6’s Resolution
The Nokia 6, when compared against the others, thankfully has a full HD screen at 1080p that looks great on the device. If the display is important to you, then it’s hard not to want the Nokia 6 over the other phones since it has the best resolution out of the line.
The Make and Body of the Phone
All three Nokia phones are made from a strong aluminum base that is sure to last through a drop or two, but the Nokia 3 isn’t completely metal. Instead of having an aluminum back like the other phones in the line, it’s made from a smooth polycarbonate.
This gives the Nokia 3 a slightly different feeling to hold from the Nokia 5 and 6, but if you’re going to fit a case around it, this won’t matter much, and even helps make the Nokia 3 a cheaper option.
The Price Difference
With most of the important stuff out of the way, let’s talk about prices. Without going into specifics yet, the cheapest of the three is the Nokia 3, and the most expensive is the Nokia 6, predictably.
The Nokia 3 is expected to retail at most locations for around $150, making it a fairly affordable option as a budget phone with enough features to make it competitive. Moving a step up is the Nokia 5 at around $200, which leaves the user to decide if the marginal upgrade is worth a $50 increase. Last but not least is the Nokia 6 with two different models, one at around $250, and then another at $300-350 depending on the retailer. The main difference between the two models is a boost in RAM, and internal storage. If you’re fine with just 32GB of storage, and 3GB of RAM, then the $250 model is a safer choice.
Which Nokia Phone is the Best Value?
Now here comes the most important point of the discussion, and the comparison, which phone is the best value? While the cheapest phone out of the three, or four in this case, is a good value for the price, the 32GB version of the Nokia 6 is the best bang for your buck.
You miss out on an extra GB of RAM, and another 32GB of internal storage, but with proper RAM management, and a good microSD card, you aren’t missing out on much. The extra RAM is always nice, but the jump from 3GB to 4GB isn’t worth a possible extra hundred dollars.
Conclusion
The Nokia 6 is still the best phone out of the line after a quick comparison, but that shouldn’t be surprising. The Nokia 3 and the Nokia 5 still have their merits, but between just those two, I feel like the Nokia 3 is the better deal unless you feel like spending the extra money. All of these phone still have their problems, but it’s good to see Nokia still in the game. If you have any questions, or just something to share about any of these Nokia phones, please let us know about it down below! Featured Image Credit – Public Domain
