Is the Nokia 6.1 Plus A little too late for 2018?

With HMD Global acquiring the rights to market smartphones under Nokia’s brand name, we’ve seen a new lineup of Nokia smartphones, the rebirth of a legend and even a flagship Nokia device. Now with the Nokia 6.1 Plus, the smartphone manufacturer is stepping into the world of 2018. But is it too late for them?

What’s the deal with the Nokia 6.1 Plus?

As we said above, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is the company’s entrant to everything that is 2018 about smartphones. Starting things off, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 636 processor and is backed up by either 4 or 6GB of RAM.

Nokia 6.1 Plus

Checking out the Nokia 6.1 Plus

Measuring 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.31”, the Nokia 6.1 Plus weighs around 150g. This makes it not so heavy but also means that it’s not a lightweight either. Going into more detail about the body, the Nokia 6.1 sports an aluminum frame with glass in the front and rear. While this gives the device a premium look, it also acts as a fingerprint and smudge magnet. The best solution for this is to use a case, both for protection and also to keep the phone looking clean.

Let’s take a look at that screen and other things

The display on the Nokia 6.1 Plus packs a 5.8” Full HD+ (2280×1080) IPS LCD screen. The 19:9 ratio display comes complete with a notch at the top (like most phones of 2018). Thankfully, if you’re not a fan of the notch, it can be hidden from the settings of the device. While the aspect ratio may feel weird for some, after a while you get used to it. If you’re a mobile gamer or you watch videos on YouTube or Netflix, then the display truly shines (pun intended) giving you a more immersive experience.

Nokia 6.1 Plus

The Nokia 6.1 PLus packs a 5.8″ Full HD+ notched IPS display.

A 3060mAh battery coupled with Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0 and a USB Type C port means that if you find your phone low on battery, you can be back up and running in a little under half an hour. The Nokia 6.1 Plus also packs other features such as a fingerprint reader (on the rear of the phone) and 64GB of inbuilt storage that is expandable via a MicroSD slot if you’re not using the second SIM slot.

A smarter camera?

The Nokia 6.1 Plus boasts that it is the first phone from Nokia and HMD Global to have assisted AI inbuilt into the camera. This too is a feature that we’ve been seeing on smartphones throughout 2018. Featuring a 16MP/5MP dual-sensor rear camera, the Nokia 6.1 packs a number of unique features into its camera.

Nokia 6.1 Plus

The Nokia 6.1 Plus packs a 16MP/5MP dual-sensor rear camera (Image Credits: Firstpost)

The HDR or High Dynamic Range gives captured images a better contrast and also gives them more depth. With Bokeh blur, you can add a Bokeh effect for portrait images after the picture has been taken. In addition, the Nokia 6.1 Plus enables you to use both the rear and 16MP front camera simultaneously.

This means you can take a picture from the rear camera and the front camera and fuse them together, creating what Nokia calls a “Bothie”, as opposed to a Selfie. The  Dual sight feature adds to this by allowing you to stream bothies to social media in real time. To add that extra touch of creativity, the Nokia 6.1 Plus makes use of AI to add filters, masks and even portrait lighting, adding some creative lighting effects to captured images.

Other features of the cameras include Full HD video recording at 30 FPS on the rear camera. Strangely, there seems to be no video recording option available on the front camera.

A Pure Android experience

One feature that I like about the Nokia 6.1 Plus is the fact that it ships with Android One. As opposed to the Nokia X6, which is an almost identical twin of the Nokia 6.1 Plus, the latter runs the stock Android operating system. So there’s no bloatware or unwanted system apps.

Nokia 6.1 Plus

The Nokia 6.1 Plus runs Android One which is a bloatware free, unmodified Android operating system. (Image Credits: AndroidGuys)

In addition, because the Nokia 6.1 Plus is part of the Android One program, that means it is eligible for three years of monthly security patches and two years of guaranteed OS updates after being launched. Speaking of OS updates, the Nokia 6.1 Plus ships out of the box with Android 8.1 Oreo. It is also all set to get the Android 9 Pie update within the coming weeks as well.

Looking to get your hands on a Nokia 6.1 Plus?

Launched yesterday, the Nokia 6.1 Plus retails for LKR 48,000/- and Is available at all Nokia authorized resellers and mobile shops across Sri Lanka. In terms of colors, you can take your pick from Gloss Black, Gloss White, and Gloss Midnight Blue.

The question here is whether or not the phone is actually worth the price. If you missed, it, Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer launched their Pocophone F1 smartphone a few days ago. Costing roughly around the same as the Nokia 6.1 Plus, the Pocophone packs the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and a larger 6.18” display

Nokia 6.1 Plus

The Pocophone F1 retails for about the same price as the Nokia 6.1 Plus but has a much faster processor, more RAM, and storage. (Image Credits: GadgetMatch)

It also packs 256GB of internal memory which is expandable and a 12MP/5MP dual rear camera setup. It also supports 4K video recording at 30-FPS and comes with Quick Charge 3.0. We’ve seen some Huawei devices such as the Huawei Nova 3i as well, that cost about the same.

Granted, one advantage that the Nokia 6.1 Plus has over other phones by other brands in this price category is the priority for security updates and OS updates for the next 2 years. But if that alone is the primary reason you’re looking to get this phone, you can get the same thing done by installing a custom ROM.

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is a good looking phone, yes. But is it worth paying almost 50k for a phone that is mid-range, when you there are much better alternatives out there? That is of course unless you happen to be a diehard Nokia fanboy/fangirl. But even then , you have to ask yourself, is it really the best option available out there?

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