Nokia 5.4 - many faults and software bugs - avoid

jewelie

I bought a Nokia 5.4 thinking I could trust Nokia given how good the Nokia 5.3's are that my partner and parents have been using for the past year.

Unfortunately, there's a series major issues with the phone, which I see many others here are describing. If Nokia are unable to fix them then I'm going to have to go the UK consumer law route and insist on a repair or refund.

Issues I've noticed so far are-

1. Ridiculously low microphone gain makes this smartphone unusable as a phone (I have a loud voice, but I have to SHOUT to be heard on telephone or via Google Duo, Facebook Messenger etc.)
2. The digitiser/touch input keeps stalling for four to five seconds randomly during use.
3. Ironically, the output volume is too loud: the lowest setting is still FAR too loud to not disturb other people around me, especially evenings and nights.
4. The phone random resets during use.
5. There's far too many software bugs with the base Android system itself. Bugs that don't seem to be present on the Nokia 5.3, which is also Android 10, and therefore shouldn't be present on the Nokia 5.4. For example, standard Android cloud backup doesn't work without using ADB/developer mode trickery, USB thumb drives are not recognised until you reboot, location based Smart Lock doesn't work at all, the issue with Google Play security patch level bootloops, and so on.
6. No 5GHz WiFi, only 2.4GHz bands. In 2021. Seriously. (Yes, of course, the 5.3 has 5GHz.)
7. Yes, unlike the Nokia 5.3 the 5.4 has gyros and is Google ARCore certified; however, it doesn't have a compass, which renders ARCore compatibility mostly pointless, as the phone isn't compatible with Google Maps AR / Live View -- the primary reason to want a phone with Google ARCore approval.

Nokia clearly rushed the 5.4 out during the Pandemic without anything like adequate testing; this might be understable if Nokia were making some effort to apologise and sort these issues out, but I'm seeing no evidence of that?

I'm kind-of glad that the microphone issue is serious enough that I can use the law to demand a repair or refund; but it's awful timing; I bought it just before leaving home for a few months to deal with a medical emergency: I need a working phone right now. I bought, and have been recommending Nokia because I thought I could rely on them.

-- Julie

gillianclayton

Thank you for this. I'm having the same problem with call volume.

Wepadium

+1 to the problems on call volume / low microphone gain.

Blocking microphone permission from the Google-app does seem to help a little. But still, it is bad.

Lonewolf2105

The moment i opened the box and there was the 5.4 looking at me and saying me that it was there to elevate troubles and mess my day. The 5.3 was far reliable. Need a software update ASAP.