Nokia’s latest budget Android phone has a 50MP camera, 3-day battery life

The phone is launching in Europe first.

What you need to know

• HMD Global has unveiled a new budget phone.
• The Nokia G21 comes with a 90Hz screen, a 50MP main camera, and a large 5,050mAh battery.
• It will soon go on sale in Europe for a starting price of €170.

HMD Global has quietly unveiled the Nokia G21, a follow-up to the Nokia G20 that it rolled out in April last year (via GSMArena). While it isn't a huge upgrade, the phone does have a refreshed design with a thinner frame.

Nokia G21 is HMD Global's first G series phone to come equipped with a high refresh rate screen. Its 6.5-inch HD+ LCD panel has the same 90Hz refresh rate as some of the best budget Android phones, with an adaptive mode that can lower it down to 60Hz for longer battery life.

The Nokia G21 is powered by a 12nm Unisoc T606 chipset, which is a significant upgrade over the Helio G35 inside the G20. The chipset features two Arm Cortex-A75 cores and six A55 cores. It has been paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Another key selling point of the Nokia G21 is its large 5,050mAh battery, which is claimed to last up to three days on a single charge. While the battery capacity remains unchanged, the phone does support faster 18W charging speeds. Unfortunately, buyers will only find a 10W adapter in the box.

While its predecessor came with a quad-lens camera system, the Nokia G20 has a triple-camera setup on the back. There's a new 50MP main sensor, joined by a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The 5MP ultra-wide lens has been dropped for some reason.

The biggest disappointment, however, is the phone's software. It will ship with Android 11 out of the box, although HMD Global says it is "ready for Android 12." The phone is promised two major OS upgrades and three years of security updates.

The Nokia G21 will "soon" be available in Europe for €170 in Nordic Blue and Dusk color options.