Smartphones that support 5G still remain a feature designated for flagship devices, but a handful of manufacturers have begun filtering down the connectivity to more affordable price ranges.
One such manufacturer is HMD Global and its latest locally available phone, the Nokia G50, also happens to be the brand’s most affordable 5G supporting phone to date.
The Nokia G50 lands in SA this month and is listed to retail for a recommended R5 499. Vodacom is confirmed to be the first carrier to sell the G50 in South Africa, with the specific model setup being a device in Ocean Blue, with dual SIM, 4GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
As for the rest of the phone, it features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset, which also delivers the 5G functionality.
Up front there is a large 6.82″ HD+ display (1560×720), along with a teardrop screen notch that houses an 8MP selfie camera. On the rear the camera array has a 48MP primary lens, 5MP ultra-wide and 2MP depth sensing options. Also of note is a 5 000mAh battery with 18W fast charging.
While ongoing spectrum allocation issues mire the rollout of 5G in South Africa, the fact that HMD Global has a 5G device in its lineup for under R6k is quite impressive, especially as more expensive mid-range and flagship phones cannot support 5G.
