Nokia G60 Review : A Slightly Different Approach To Sustainability | Tech Reviews
HMD Global demands almost 350 euros for the Nokia G60 and promises a lot of sustainability. The concept doesn’t sound bad on paper. Since the comeback, I’ve had a lot of Nokia smartphones on my desk. They weren’t perfect, but always offered a lot of bang for the buck. Before we get to the topic of sustainability, let me quickly summarize my impressions of the Android smartphone.
Robust everyday companion
The Nokia G60 feels good in the hand. The 6.58” display has flat edges. As a result, incorrect entries are only very rarely made even with one-handed operation. The back made of recycled plastic offers a good grip and minimizes the risk of the G60 being dropped from your hand.
The back is slightly grained. This ensures nice visual effects and a good grip
The display has a good brightness, so that content can also be read well on the go. As is now customary, different refresh rates are available. The standard with 60 Hz and an adaptive setting with up to 120 Hz. For example, 120 Hz is used for scrolling. This ensures a smooth user experience. For images, the refresh rate is then lower and thus saves battery. The resolution is FHD+ with 1080x2400px. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects it from minor scratches.
The Nokia G60 feels good in the hand and has a bright display
The Finns use the Snapdragon 695 5G as the SoC, which was presented at the end of 2021. There is also 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The operating system is Android One and thus an almost pure Android. Unfortunately, there are also a few pre-installed apps. But you can uninstall them all without any problems. Out of the box, 14 GB of the 128 GB memory is occupied.
At least there are no pointless games preinstalled on the Nokia G60
The performance of the Snapdragon 695 5G is perfectly sufficient for everyday use. Apps start quickly and gaming with high graphics settings is also not a problem. The Nokia G60 doesn’t get overly warm and you can easily hold it in your hand.
The battery life offers no surprises. Unless you gamble for hours, you can get through the day without any problems. But for me it was over after 1.5 days at the latest and the G60 asked for a socket. The 4500 mAh battery is charged with a maximum of 20 watts.
In the best case, the G60’s battery lasts for around 1.5 days
Decent triple camera
The camera setup also corresponds to what can be expected in 2022 in this price range. There is a 50 megapixel (MP) wide angle, a 5 MP ultra wide angle and a 2 MP lens for depth information. The front camera has a resolution of 8 MP.
Three cameras are installed in the Nokia G60.
The performance is also in line with what can be expected. The ultra wide angle is nice, but the photos are not really convincing. They offer accurate colors in daylight, but quickly start to rustle in adverse lighting conditions. The zoom levels are 0.6 (ultra wide angle), wide angle and double zoom directly available in the app. A maximum of eight times zoom is possible. But it’s only good as a magnifying glass on the display. Photos with it are many things. But not handsome. You can see the three zoom levels just mentioned in the following slide show.
The 50 MP wide angle, on the other hand, delivers well. In daylight, the photos are perfect. Personally, I find the colors a bit too bright. But that’s a matter of taste. Just make up your own mind. The sample images are as they come out of the camera and have not been edited.
Night mode hasn’t been Nokia’s greatest strength so far. But they made a good improvement here. I was surprised how well the G60 did in the dark streets of Berlin.
Nokia has improved a lot in the last few years when it comes to night mode
The main camera records videos in full HD with either 30 or 60 fps. In line with the price range, they are a bit washed out and the level of detail could be higher. However, this also applies to all competitors.
Standard modes such as “Portrait” or “Night” are available in the app for photos. A Pro mode with more setting options is also on board.
The camera app offers all important modes
HMD Global uses plastic for the most part for the Nokia G60. Despite this, the G60 doesn’t feel rickety or unstable. But on the contrary. It makes an extremely robust impression. It is IP52 certified. In plain language, this means that it is protected against harmful amounts of dust and dripping water. However, you should not expose the Nokia G60 to dust and water too much.
The fingerprint reader is located in the power button and can also be easily reached with the left hand
The scope of delivery is manageable. Nokia is now also leaving out the charger. SIM picks and a USB-C cable are included in the packaging along with the obligatory paperwork. The SIM card slot offers space for a nano SIM and a microSD card. A second SIM card can be used via eSIM.
Expandable memory is now becoming rare in smartphones
Sustainable for 350 euros?
Nokia does not sell its own ecosystem into which the smartphones fit. Nokia focuses on sustainability. They were the first to advertise three-year updates in the lower price ranges. They are no longer alone in this price range, but they are still far ahead. Only Samsung offers longer software support here. The plastic used is 100% recycled on the back and 60% on the frame. That is also something to be proud of.
Content can still be seen well on the G60 outdoors
The actual point of sustainability is the so-called circular subscription. Here you pay a certain amount monthly, in the case of the G60 it is 15 euros. After three months you can cancel the subscription or have a new device sent to you. HMD Global promises that if your smartphone is damaged, a replacement will be obtained more quickly. A new device after three months doesn’t sound like much sustainability at first. However, there is a kind of loyalty points that you get if you use the smartphone longer. You can then use these points to donate to environmental organizations.
The back consists largely of recycled plastic
If you send your device back, all data on the device will be deleted and it will be sent to another user. After three years it will go to a charity. From there it will go to those in need. If you are interested, you can take a look at all the details here. https://www.nokia.com/phones/de_de/subscription
Doesn’t sound bad on paper. Whether it works remains to be seen.
Conclusion Nokia G60: Good middle class with an interesting approach
Nokia is one of the few manufacturers that does not provide a complete ecosystem. This makes it a little harder for the Finns to assert themselves on the market. After all, you can’t boast about great features from other devices. However, if you don’t care about seamless integration into a manufacturer’s ecosystem, you should take a closer look at the Nokia G60. It offers quite a lot for the money.
All in all, the Nokia G60 has no weak points
I haven’t found any fundamental weakness that speaks against the device. It is solidly built, offers all the important functions and also updates for a long period of time.