Stamina is important. Sir Mo Farah has made his name by having it in abundance; so too Alexander the Great, Margaret Thatcher and Genghis Khan. What a lineup.

Nokia can also claim to be a member of this influential list. Founded as a pulp mill in 1865, the company has come a long way since its paper mashing days, producing some of the most recognisable phones ever made: the 3210 is in the Science Museum’s permanent collection.

The company owes its business stamina in part to something that’s become a bit of a Nokia trademark: massive batteries. The 5G-ready G50 offers a 5000mAh battery that comfortably lasted a full weekend during our testing, sacrificing little performance for that beastly battery life. 

Released earlier this year, the Nokia G21 slightly edges the battery stakes, offering 5050mAh and promising a cheaper, no-nonsense, easy-life smartphone experience, thanks to AI camera magic, extra security and a meaty 6.5in screen.

Energy-saving tech and less powerful processing mean that Nokia claims you can wring three days of usage out of the G21 before reaching for the plug. Does the G21 manage to retain smartphone quality, or does its striving for extra juice affect the experience? We charged it (once, naturally) to find out.

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How we tested

The Nokia G21 is a budget smartphone. This doesn’t mean, however, that it should be given leeway when it comes to doing the basics – and more – correctly. After all, it might not be a big-budget monster, but Nokia is still asking you to part with £150. To this end, we approached testing in the same way we would any smartphone.

First up is always the design, from shape and weight, to looks and finishes. Does the G21 stand up to stress testing? Is water and dust a problem? How sturdy is the handset, and does it feel like a brick in the hand or offer a leaner, more premium experience? And most importantly: how many finger smudges will you have to put up with?

Then, we look at the nitty-gritty underneath the hood, to test the phone’s usability. From processing speed and power, to battery life, sound and display, we see how it stacks up against other models in the same price range and beyond, by subjecting it to heavy media usage, various camera settings and the gamut of scenarios in which you could sensibly expect to use a smartphone. Here’s what we made of it.

Nokia G21

Buy now £149.99, Argos.co.uk

Rating: 6/10
Dimensions: 164.6 mm x 75.9 mm x 8.5 mm
Weight: 190g
Display: 6.5in 720 x 1600 (HD+) with adaptive 90Hz refresh rate
Battery: 5050mAh
Chipset: 1.6GHz octa core UNISOC processor
OS: Android 11
Camera: Rear 50 MP Main 1/2.76“ CMOS, 0.64um, 5P lens, f/1.8, 2 MP Macro, 2 MP Depth; Front 8MP

Nokia is very good at creating good-looking budget phones. The G21 is no different, offering everything you want from a phone at this end of the market.

It offers a sophisticated enough silhouette, which borders on the boxy but stays clear of looking like a Rothko painting. The textured back is a winner, elevating the look and feel of the G21 while helping to stave off some of the dreaded smudge marks we greasy organisms invariably subject our phones to. Happily, Nokia knows that a big logo is a no-no, so the tag is subtle despite it being located in the middle of the back.

Beyond the aesthetic, it’s a light, sturdy phone, although there’s no word on water and dust proofing. There’s space for two nano SIMs and a microSD card, and Nokia has helpfully provided a headphone port, while the fingerprint unlock works well, and is still a nice touch for the price. Overall, it’s the sort of phone that you wouldn’t mind getting out at the dinner table or dropping on the street. It’s a win-win.

Display and sound

While the G21’s design delivers on Nokia’s stellar reputation, the phone’s display and sound bring it back into the comforting embrace of the budget market.

The biggest downside (although it’s by no means a deal breaker) of the G21 is unfortunately its screen. It’s not the crispest picture by any stretch, and the colours don’t particularly pop: the display in general actually seems quite low quality for the price, although this might just be because we expect better from Nokia.

The 90Hz maximum refresh rate is something rarely seen at this price point, but is let down by the 720p resolution on offer. It’s certainly not the worst screen we’ve seen on the market, but if you’re looking for a super-crisp experience, we suggest bumping up your budget a little.

The G21 offers mono sound, only emanating from the bottom of the phone when in landscape mode. Again, this is no different to the rest of this end of the market. The sound quality is fine, if a bit bass-light, and loses a little body compared to slightly higher-end phones. Overall, the G21’s display and sound do a job, but it’s nothing to especially write home about.

Performance

The clean Android 11 OS is a boost, providing an attractive blank canvas for your needs. It also means you won’t have to spend the first moments of your new phone’s life looking for and deleting sneaky pre-installed apps.

The G21 has enough processing power to keep up with the pre-installed Android 11, making regular usage a pretty hassle-free experience. Any more taxing processing and you might see the phone slow down a little as it tries to manage, but most gaming is also doable, if slightly affected by the display quality.

The battery does what it says on the box, lasting for a couple of days of normal use. Battery life obviously depends on how often you’re absentmindedly scrolling through social media, but the G21 offers a perfectly reliable companion for active weekends away from the sofa. The G21 also offers adaptive battery, flagging when a certain app is draining energy and reacting accordingly. Top marks for a budget phone.

Camera

The camera setup brings the G21 back into the good books, with a sophisticated range of features that makes for solid shots across the board, even if lighting is a slight issue. Video does a good job, too, with minimal blurring and sharp detail.

Portrait mode is especially impressive for the price, with much of what you’d expect from a higher-bracket phone. Background blur is subtle (no frosted glass effect, here), while your subject of choice remains crystal clear without there being any hint of jarring contrast.

The verdict: Nokia G21

The Nokia G21 is a decent phone. It looks good, feels nice in the hand and does the basics well enough to warrant consideration. The biggest advantage the G21 holds, of course, is the massive battery underneath the textured hood – with sensible use, it lasts much longer than the average handset, to the extent that you almost forget you haven’t charged it in a couple of days.

The trade-off for this is a slight lack of processing power and lower-quality display and sound performance, most notably with the rather dull display. The camera setup is neat, perfect for the odd social media post – with portrait mode in particular a refreshing highlight – but don’t expect to win at the National Geographic Photography Awards.

However, if you’re looking for a phone that will get you through a weekend of calls, internet and WhatsApp without much thought of finding a plug socket, the G21 deserves to be on your shortlist.

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Nokia’s G21 had us feeling nostalgic – and its battery life is as impressive as ever

The budget phone’s camera was also remarkable, with portrait mode as a highlight