Some makers have a dozen of series of smartphones, a handful of models in each - the new Nokia has just three models, with a 4th one allegedly on the way. But even with these three currently in existence, the reborn Finnish brand covers the low-to-mid tier quite efficiently.
We sort of established a couple of weeks ago, that you probably don't want the Nokia 3, but the 5? The 5 you can't really go wrong with, though it does inevitably come at a premium over the rock-bottom 3.
For the extra cash you'd be shelling for the Nokia 5 you'd get a chipset that can actually do some number crunching, a brighter and larger display, and a pair of cameras that are each better than the Nokia 3's. And all of that will be packed in a nice aluminum unibody. Sounds like a reasonable deal.
Of course, the Nokia 6 still has something to offer on top of the 5 - that's why there are three models in the lineup. For a nominal bump in price, the 6 delivers a larger and higher-res 5.5-inch 1080p display - the choice is clear if that's top on your list of priorities. It won't last as long on a single charge though, you can't have it all.
A Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017), which unfortunately we haven't had the chance to test yet, might be a worthy alternative, albeit a slightly more expensive one. Its 14nm Exynos 7870 chip should be more frugal and with a 3,000mAh battery and 5.2-inch 720p SuperAMOLED display, battery life could be in its favor - though that's just speculation at this point. The Galaxy does offer higher-resolution selfies, but looking at the specs alone, those are the only key differences.
You can pick up a Moto G5 for about as much as the Nokia 5 costs. That'll get you a FullHD display over the Nokia's 720p, though the diagonal of the G5 is smaller at 5 inches. The G5's primary camera is perhaps the superior one, but not the selfie shooter - the Nokia wins there. As for battery - the Nokia 5 will likely outlast the Moto G5 on a charge, but the G5's power pack is user replaceable. Having in mind how rare that is these days, it could settle things in the G5's favor for some users.
You could also look at the Sony Xperia XA1 for an alternative to the Nokia 5. The slightly more expensive Xperia has a more powerful chipset, more RAM, and twice the storage of the Nokia, plus a 23MP camera to the Nokia's 13MP. The Finnish smartphone wins in battery life, by a rather wide margin, and is, after all, more affordable.
If you want to be more adventurous, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 might be the way to go. After-sales support may not be stellar in all regions, but the Redmi is cheaper, and can be had with more RAM and storage than the Nokia. Regardless of which side you take in the stock Android/MIUI argument, there's no escaping the fact that the Redmi is running Marshmallow, while the Nokia is on the latest Nougat.
An affordable vanilla droid with solid build, great battery life, bright display, and camera output that won't leave you embarrassed - that would have been enough to seal the deal for any smartphone. This one? This one can claim all of the above, but adds something even sweeter - a Nokia badge. Yes, we kinda fancy the Nokia 5.
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