The big-battery Nokia G50 is one of the most affordable 5G phones available in the US
There are a number of things that could explain why HMD Global is still not ranked among the world's top ten smartphone vendors nearly five years after taking over the marketing and distribution operation of the Nokia brand, but if there's ever been a device that can help make that happen, it's the hot new G50 mid-ranger.
Expected out two weeks from now, the ultra-affordable 5G handset has just gone official early, and what's perhaps even more surprising is that US pre-orders are already open at a reasonable price of $299.99.
Pre-order the Nokia G50 right here
That's obviously higher than what HMD is normally charging for the Nokia G10 and G20, both of which come without 5G connectivity on deck, while considerably undercutting the "life-proof" XR20 5G and making the Nokia G50 a prime candidate for our list of the best budget 5G phones available this holiday season.
Unfortunately, we don't know when the jumbo-sized 6.8-inch smartphone is actually meant to start shipping stateside, while the spec sheet holds no secrets, including a modest Snapdragon 480 processor, modest HD+ screen resolution, and... modest 4GB RAM count paired with a more than respectable 128 gigs of internal storage space.
In addition to the low and mid-band 5G support for AT&T and T-Mobile's networks, the G50 does also have a hefty 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging capabilities going for it, as well as a triple rear-facing camera system headlined by a 48MP primary imaging sensor, a microSD card slot, and a good old fashioned headphone jack.
Powered by Android 11 out of the box on the software side of things, the Nokia G50 5G also comes with a promise of three years of monthly security patches and two years of major OS upgrades, which is pretty good but not great by HMD's old standards. There's no mention of how fast you can expect those OS promotions to be delivered either, which is certainly not very encouraging.
Still, this is one of the cheapest unlocked 5G handsets in the US right now, going toe to toe with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G and OnePlus Nord N10 5G to make as many holiday shopping lists as possible and finally put Nokia back on the global smartphone map.
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