Nokia G10: A Budget Smartphone That’s Big on Display, Battery, and Updates

It’s been over a decade since I’ve held a Nokia phone in my hands, so it was interesting to see what the newly launched Nokia G10 has to offer. Priced below P10,000, the Nokia G10 is poised as a budget-friendly starter smartphone, with an emphasis on family moments as its key messaging across different online stores and its official website. The most impressive promise is its robust battery life: advertised to last up to three days.

Big Screen, Big Battery

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The Nokia G10 comes in two colors, its material sporting a matte finish and reflective of the minimalist Nordic design of the brand. The device also has triple rear cameras for different photo needs: main, macro, depth; and a selfie camera with 8MP. Photo quality greatly improves with daylight, while it results in less vivid colors when lacking available light. For a budget phone, the photo quality is decent, just lacking overall sharpness.

What’s a standout upon your first look and use of this budget phone is its display: 6.5-inch HD+ that makes streaming videos more comfortable, as even under bright lights/direct sunlight it doesn’t give glare. While the box includes a headset, I’d recommend using your own pair of favorite earphones or Bluetooth audio devices for listening in, as the free headset is entry-level and not the most comfortable type for the ears for long use. Audio quality is fairly decent from the loudspeaker located at its bottom. Sound is okay for streaming shows and movies, but for enjoying music, the bottom speakers produce faint bass, so it can be a bit tinny. Bluetooth speakers or a good headset will do the trick.

Let’s move on to a highlight of this device, which is its long-lasting battery. While it promises as much as three days without charging, realistically with everyday use that includes using the wifi and/or data, video calls and streaming, it would be probably much less. Putting the device to the test, one full charge of the G10 lasted just a little over 2 days on my end. I used the device to stream Netflix, HBO Go, Spotify; browse social media, shoot a couple of test photos, and take a couple of group video calls on Messenger. 2 days is still pretty impressive, because you won’t have to worry about charging for a long time!

Google Assistant, Digital Wellbeing

A couple of other noteworthy features of the Nokia G10 is the inclusion of Google Assistant, so you can just call out ‘Hey Google’ to activate the feature that will help you with your everyday activities and answer your random questions. This budget phone can now be your device to control compatible smart home devices. The phone also has a Digital Wellbeing feature thanks to its Android 11 OS, which was released last year. You can set the Nightlight to keep your eyes safe with a yellow-tinted screen and turn on Bedtime mode which sets the display on greyscale and lowers the volume. This second feature helped in keeping me from extending my usual screentime while in bed, as it makes you feel like your phone is ending its operating hours and is ready to sleep like yourself!

Other Features

The Nokia G10 also has a fingerprint sensor on the side to unlock the screen, as well as face recognition for the same function. The face recognition was very easy to set up, while the fingerprint sensor was a little bit trickier, as the sensor is a small area where you have to repeatedly press your fingertip on, and unlocking through this method will most likely require repeated presses just like what I experienced. I read up afterward that it will only accurately scan when your skin is not too dry nor oily, so my dry thumb may be the culprit!

The G10 is also Dual SIM capable, can access FM Radio with a compatible headset, and it also has a dedicated micro SD card slot that supports up to 512 GB. Lastly, the Nokia G10 comes with a solid promise: major Android updates are included with your device for two years. Not all Android smartphones, especially budget phones in the under-10k price range, are able to get the latest OS.

Verdict: Affordable Starter Smartphone That’s Senior-Friendly

With impressive battery life, a big-screen display, two years’ worth of Android updates, and the additional perk of Google Assistant, the G10 is a great smartphone for those who are looking for a long-lasting device. While it does come in more youthful colors (Night and Dusk), this smartphone is actually a great option for older folks, if you’re looking for a device to gift your parents or grandparents to keep them connected whilst keeping safe during the pandemic.

First, the battery life is definitely a big bonus, as, through experience, I observe more seniors tend to forget their phone’s battery percentages and/or leaving their cable chargers wherever. In addition, if they’re not tech-savvy, they most likely do not use power banks (I had to give one to my dad just recently, as he is always forgetting to fully charge his phone before leaving the house). The software updates of up to 2 years mean the smartphones will be there to stay, even if there may be new device rollouts in the future. This is another low-key come-on for the senior market, because younger gadget users may just get bright-eyed every year when a new smartphone rolls around. And of course, a bigger screen will always be friendlier to their eyesight, too! All the better for when they’re on a video call with relatives, reading and forwarding what’s the latest on multiple Viber groups, and catching up with friends on Facebook. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Nokia G10 is a device you can lend to your kids and the younger ones for their allowed screentime of the day. Its big screen will be great for children-friendly content such as video streaming and kid-friendly apps to keep them entertained.

All in all, this is a solid starter smartphone covering all the basics, and then some. The G10 is big-screened for everyday entertainment and conversations, built to last with its promised regular updates in software and security, and is Google Assistant-enabled to boot. So if you’re on a budget, the Nokia G10 is something worth checking out.

Quick Specs

Price, Where to Buy

The Nokia G10 is now available online through Nokia Mobile’s official e-commerce sites, and online shops: the Nokia mobile store website, Lazada, Shopee, and Zalora. It is priced at P6,990 (SRP).

For more information follow Nokia Mobile on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.