In 2026, Nokia has made a strong statement in the premium smartphone market with the launch of the Nokia Premium 5G. The company is positioning this phone as an attractive alternative to established flagship brands. Priced at around Rs 35,000, it offers advanced technology, excellent build quality, and flagship-level features, showing Nokia’s ambition to regain its position in the high-end segment.
The Premium 5G is aimed at tech enthusiasts and power users who want top-tier performance for gaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking—without paying full flagship prices. By combining Nokia’s well-known durability and reliability with an upgraded display, powerful processing hardware, and a versatile camera setup, Nokia is clearly serious about competing in the premium mid-range category.
Exceptional Display Technology with High Refresh Rate
The visual experience of the Nokia Premium 5G is built around a 6.78-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with elegantly curved edges, creating an immersive viewing experience. It uses a 1.5K resolution, delivering extremely sharp text and detailed images across all types of content. The key highlight is the ultra-smooth 144Hz refresh rate, which beats most competitors in this price segment and ensures buttery scrolling, fluid gaming, and responsive touch interactions.
Peak brightness reaches up to 2600 nits, ensuring excellent outdoor visibility even under harsh direct sunlight, whether you are navigating in midday conditions or capturing photos. HDR10+ certification allows compatible streaming platforms to show better contrast with deeper blacks and brighter highlights for a more immersive video experience. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, offering scratch protection and improved drop resistance compared to older glass generations.
An ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor provides very fast authentication, unlocking the device in around 0.2 seconds. Ultra-thin bezels measure only 1.8mm, maximizing screen space while keeping the overall size manageable. Always-on display shows essential information like time and notifications without fully waking the screen, helping save battery. Eye comfort modes automatically adjust blue light emission during evening use to reduce eye strain during late-night browsing.
Powerful Processing Hardware for Demanding Usage
Performance is at the core of the Nokia Premium 5G experience. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which represents the latest flagship-grade silicon. This advanced chipset features an octa-core setup, including a prime core running at 3.3GHz, delivering high computational power for every type of task.
A refined vapor chamber cooling system prevents thermal throttling during extended gaming sessions or heavy workloads, ensuring consistent performance even under sustained load. The processor handles demanding mobile games, complex productivity apps, and heavy multitasking without any struggle.
In terms of memory, the phone includes a generous 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, enabling smooth multitasking across dozens of apps without slowdown or reloads. Storage uses cutting-edge UFS 4.0 technology with extremely fast read and write speeds, allowing quick app launches, rapid file transfers, and nearly instant system operations. Content creators especially benefit from these speeds while working with large video files or exporting edited content. The device runs on clean Android 15, without heavy pre-installed apps that consume resources.
A dedicated Game Space mode optimizes resources for gaming by blocking notifications and maximizing performance allocation. AI features include real-time call transcription and intelligent message summaries, improving overall productivity.
Versatile High-Resolution Camera System
Photography is a major focus for the Nokia Premium 5G, and the company has included a powerful camera setup designed for different shooting needs. The rear camera system features a 200MP primary sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), which mechanically compensates for hand movement to deliver sharp photos even in challenging conditions. The high resolution also allows heavy cropping while maintaining detail, and supports extremely clear image capture.
Alongside it is a 50MP ultra-wide camera that expands creative options by fitting wider scenes into the frame, making it ideal for landscape photography, architecture shots, and large group photos. The 12MP periscope telephoto camera provides true 5x optical zoom, allowing quality photography of distant subjects without digital loss.
The Zeiss optics partnership ensures accurate color reproduction and natural image rendering, avoiding the oversaturation often seen in some competing phones. On the front, the 64MP selfie camera supports AI-powered portrait mode and background replacement features, making it suitable for high-quality selfies and video calls.
For video, the device supports up to 8K recording at 60fps with Dolby Vision HDR. Advanced stabilization helps produce smooth, professional-looking footage. Night mode combines multiple exposures to reduce noise while maintaining detail, delivering strong low-light performance.
Outstanding Battery Life and Fast Charging
Battery endurance is one of the biggest strengths of the Nokia Premium 5G. It packs a large 6500mAh silicon-carbon battery that delivers impressive longevity, easily extending beyond two full days with moderate usage. Even with heavy usage—including 5G connectivity, gaming, photography, and continuous screen time—the phone comfortably lasts a full day without battery anxiety.
Silicon-carbon technology offers higher energy density than traditional lithium-ion cells, allowing Nokia to include a high-capacity battery while maintaining manageable dimensions.
The phone supports an impressive 120W HyperCharge system, which is among the fastest charging implementations available. It can recharge from empty to full in around 18 minutes. This speed means even a short charge during a coffee break can provide hours of usage. The device also supports 50W wireless charging, suitable for overnight charging or desktop usage.
Bypass charging routes power directly to system components during charging sessions, reducing heat and protecting long-term battery health. Reverse wired charging enables power sharing with compatible devices like wireless earbuds during emergencies.
Premium Build Quality and Rich Feature Set
The build quality reflects Nokia’s commitment to durability. It offers ceramic rear panel options in Cosmic Black and Lunar Silver finishes, providing a premium look while resisting fingerprints. The aircraft-grade aluminum frame helps protect the device against drops from heights up to two meters, supported by military-standard certification.
The phone also includes an IP69 rating, offering strong protection against dust and high-pressure water streams, making it suitable for outdoor use in tough conditions. A new secondary rear display shows notifications and music controls without needing the main screen.
Audio is handled by stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos enhancement, creating an immersive sound experience. Hi-Res Audio certification ensures high-quality output for audiophile-grade headphones. Connectivity features include satellite emergency SOS functionality, Wi-Fi 7 for ultra-fast networking, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC for contactless payments, an infrared blaster for device control, and dual 5G SIM support.
Competitive Market Position
The Nokia Premium 5G is priced at around Rs 34,999 for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage configuration, offering outstanding value compared to traditional flagship phones. This aggressive pricing makes it a strong competitor against options from Samsung, Poco, and Vivo, while offering advantages in display quality, camera resolution, and battery capacity.
This device is especially attractive for users who want a premium experience without compromising on performance. The 144Hz display is highly beneficial for gaming enthusiasts, while the 200MP camera appeals to photography lovers. The combination of long battery life and fast charging ensures users can rely on the device throughout daily tasks without interruption.
Overall, the Nokia Premium 5G successfully delivers flagship-level performance, excellent display technology, versatile photography, and strong battery endurance at an accessible mid-premium price—making it a compelling option for power users looking for maximum value.
Ramesh is a technology writer at gemch.in, covering smartphone launches, leaks, and comparisons. His articles focus on real-world features, performance, and value-for-money insights to help readers make informed buying decisions.