Nokia 7.1 review: Not your father’s Nokia

HMD Global is at it again, making well-crafted, straightforward, and affordable mobile devices. The Nokia 7 Plus was undoubtedly one of the standout phones of the last year with a very attractive and sturdy design, the welcome implementation of Android One, and a big screen. It didn’t have any frills — just a mid-range phone done really well.

The Nokia 7.1 is not the successor to that phone. Rather, it is the successor to the Nokia 7, which is a much more budget device. It’s aimed at a slightly more budget audience, but still retains the same focus on affordable quality.

Find out if HMD has done it again in our full Nokia 7.1 review.

Specs

Nokia 7.1 Gaming

Before we dive into the Nokia 7.1 review proper and see what this device is actually like to use, we first need to get the specs out of the way.

The Nokia 7.1 sports a Snapdragon 636 chipset with either 3 or 4GB of RAM and 32 or 64GB of storage. The storage is expandable up to 400GB via a microSD card. It’s running Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. The battery is very average at 3,060mAh, but it will see you through a day no problem as neither the screen nor Android One are all that demanding. It’s not a standout here though, as it is with some other similarly-priced devices.

Nokia 7.1 Hardware

Also read

The PureDisplay screen is a 5.84-inch IPS LCD display, with a 1,080 x 2,280 resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. One of the standout features of the device is that it has the ability to playback HDR 10 content and will even upscale non-HDR video via a 16-bit pipeline. Brightness isn’t the best at 450 nits, but I didn’t notice this to be a problem in my time with it. This may be due to contrast tricks which apparently improve outdoor visibility.

The Zeiss-branded camera is a 12MP shooter with an f/1.8 aperture and secondary 5MP f/2.4 depth sensor. The front has 8MP going for it and an f/2.0 aperture. Video recording is available up to 2160p at 30fps. It can do all the usual tricks like live bokeh, AR emoji, Google Lens, pro mode, and more.

Unique to Nokia is 360-degree spatial audio, which lets you record video with surround sound — it’s actually quite cool. Nokia’s “bothie” mode also makes a return here, now letting you decide how to divide up your screen real-estate, though it is significantly more low-key this time around and harder to find in the camera settings.

Nokia 7.1 camera

What first stood out to me about the device is its design. From the front it’s fairly standard, with slim bezels and a bit of a chin. Around the back its look belies its 300 pound (~$350) price, with an attractive glass panel.

What’s more impressive about the device is its design.

What really stands out is the chrome detail around the central camera module. This 6,000-series aluminium band also goes around the sides. It contributes to a very handsome look and feel, and really gives you the sense you could probably stamp on this thing without damaging it. Nokias have been known for durability since the 90s, so it’s great this is still a feature. Its available in either midnight blue or steel.

The hardware also ticks three very important boxes with NFC, USB Type-C, and a headphone jack. Dual SIM is available too for those that need it.

Usage

Nokia 7.1 Useage

Of course, specs only tell half the story — it’s more important how the device is to use.

The Nokia 7.1 is no workhorse or power-user’s dream. Its performance is middling on the whole. Gaming is very average, though most things from the Play Store should work.

My bigger gripe is with browsing the UI, which really wasn’t smooth. Apps are slow to appear, animations stutter, and there are frequent crashes and bugs. I actually think there’s more than just weak hardware going on here —there seem to be some bugs in the firmware. That’s a shame (and it’s something I noticed on previous Nokias), but fortunately HMD has a good track record of addressing these kinds of issues. As it is though, the device was occasionally annoying to use — it certainly looks better than it feels!

I was very glad to go back to my daily driver when this Nokia 7.1 review was over, which hasn’t necessarily been true of other devices at this price point.

I’m surprised that we don’t see more phones with Android One.

Performance is helped along a little by Android One, a stripped-down, vanilla version of Android with no intrusive skin layered on top. While some people like their ColorOSs and their MIUIs, bare-bones Android generally performs better on lower-spec devices, simply because there is less going on. It also guarantees security and platform updates. As I’ve said in other reviews, I think it’s the perfect fit for a mid-range device. I’m actually surprised we don’t see more phones with it.

Nokia 7.1 Android One

Consuming media is nice on here, helped by HDR 10 support. Unfortunately, I didn’t really notice the difference with the upscaling, but we’ll be looking at that more closely soon. Web browsing could be a little speedier, which hurts media consumption on this device slightly. It’s a sign of the times that I personally like a bigger screen these days. I’m sure 5.84 inches is more than enough for most people out there, and its smaller size at least means it feels nice to hold. However, for a device somewhat focused on media, a big screen really would have been welcome. Of course how you feel about that notch will also play a part in determining how you feel about this device in general

Related: Nokia 7.1 camera: A closer look

As for the camera, it actually isn’t bad. Focusing is good, contrast looks good, and images come out bright and saturated – perhaps a little too saturated for some tastes. There’s a loss of detail when you zoom right in, and low-light performance isn’t the best (or worst to be fair). It’s a similar story we see on many cameras for this price.



When I reviewed the Nokia 7 Plus, I found the camera performance was good, but perhaps a little short of my expectations. The Nokia 7.1 is average, though it slightly exceeded my expectations this time. It will certainly do nicely for every day use and even grab some impressive shots from time to time. See more camera samples here.

Should you buy the Nokia 7.1?

But now for the most important part of this Nokia 7.1 review — the million dollar question (or 350 dollar question): should you buy this device?

On the face of it, the Nokia 7.1 does a lot of things right. It’s well made, simple, and built like a tank — an attractive one at that. In that regard, it pulls off the same trick as the Nokia 7 Plus.

Nokia 7.1 benchmarks

At the same time, even in the short amount of time since that device debuted, the game has changed. This category has become immensely competitive, and you now need to do an awful lot more to stand out in a saturated market. Unfortunately, this phone’s sluggish performance just isn’t up to scratch.

Don’t miss: Nokia 7.1 vs Pocophone F1, Honor Play, Moto Z3 Play

Perhaps the most obvious competition here in the U.K. comes from the Motorola One, which costs just a little less at 279.99 pounds (~$359) and runs on Android One, but involves some significant downgrades. The design is nice, but not as sturdy. The camera is somewhat inferior to this one. The Motorola One only has a Snapdragon 625, and its screen is just 720p. Between these two, the Nokia is a no-brainer to me.

Motorola One vs Nokia 7.1

The Honor Play on a table.

Then again, we now also have stiff competition from the likes of Honor. To be honest, the Nokia can’t really compete with the Honor Play. The Play is less expensive than the Nokia, with a Kirin 970 processor, which until very recently was the company’s flagship processor. The Play’s performance is in a different league, and also comes with a very attractive metal design, bigger screen, and a pretty strong camera performance with a whole host of cool features (light painting beats bothie mode!).

Then of course, there’s the highly disruptive Pocophone F1, which will set you back even less at around 260 pounds (~$333) if you order it online. These devices are almost unfair to other manufacturers.

Perhaps most damning of all though, is the fact that the Nokia 7 Plus is now only 239.99 pounds (~$305) unlocked and better in nearly every way.

Ignoring that, the reassurance of getting Android One is going to be a big selling point for some users. Others will like that it’s manufactured in Europe. The design is undeniably stand-out, and HDR support is nice if you like Netflix.

Nokia 7.1 Review

It’s a good phone in its own right. Casual users won’t be disappointed with its build, though the performance might be a gripe until HMD patch the bugs. Six months ago, I’d have said it was great value for money. If you’re interested in performance and you want to get the most bang for your buck, there are better deals to be found.

Let’s see what HMD does with the Nokia 7.1 Plus. I’m hoping it’s something special.

Next: Pocophone F1 review: Can’t argue with a Snapdragon 845 for $300

Source: Android Zone

The post Nokia 7.1 review: Not your father’s Nokia appeared first on TuneMaster.ml.

Opinion: The OnePlus 6T just isn’t a big enough upgrade

A leaked render of the OnePlus 6T. MySmartPrice

The OnePlus 6 may not be loaded will all the bells and whistles of more expensive flagships, but it’s easily one of the best phones you can buy in 2018. After reviewing the OnePlus 6 earlier this year I felt it would be pretty hard for the company to put together a compelling T iteration.

Turns out I was right.

The OnePlus 6T brings a few changes to the table, but I argue most of them aren’t all that interesting.

A smaller notch is still a notch

The OnePlus 6T shrinks the notch down by 75 percent. That’s a big improvement, but a smaller notch is still a notch.

Those that find notches visually distracting likely aren’t going to find the teardrop notch speaks to them any better. Using several notch phones I have found you get used to the notch no matter the size, but some of my notch-hating friends seem to think that the only way to go is to get rid of it all together in a move similar to the Mi Mix 3. Of course, both the 6 and 6T allow you to disable the notch if you really hate it.

There is at least one major advantage to this smaller notch, as there is now room for more notifications. Whether this is a game-changing difference is up to you.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro in screen fingerprint reader

Huawei Mate 20 Pro is one example of a phone with an in-display scanner.

In-display fingerprint scanners are cool, but not a must-have

I won’t deny that in-display fingerprint scanners look really futuristic and will be a cool feature to show off to others. But are they really any better? Not really.

Judging by existing in-display scanners, the scanner will likely be at least a little slower than the rear scanner on the OnePlus 6. Some people prefer front-facing scanners because they don’t want to have to pick their phone up to unlock it. I’m not one of these people. In fact, I think I pretty much always pick up my phone before using it.

The debate between front or rear fingerprint scanners is a personal one, but I’ve always preferred the natural center position on the rear. So this just isn’t a feature that speaks to me.

The new software will come to the OnePlus 6

The OnePlus 6T is expected to ship with Android Pie, as well as the latest version of Oxygen OS. That said, the 6 already runs Android Pie via an upgrade, just on a slightly older version of Oxygen.

I’m sure the new update will bring a few new features, but it’s only a matter of time before they come to the OnePlus 6.

Always on displays are great, but not must-have

If it happens: the always-on display is actually pretty cool

The OnePlus 6T is rumored to come with an always-on feature. I’ll admit, I love always-on displays like found on the Pixel 3. If this does come to the OnePlus 6T, that’s great. It’s certainly not enough to make me buy a new phone, but I look forward to hopefully seeing it in the OnePlus 7 next year.

OnePlus has partnered with T-Mobile

The OnePlus 6T will be the first phone from the brand to be on a US carrier (T-Mobile to be specific). This is a good step in the right direction, but not something that will affect me. Most existing OnePlus fans probably feel the same and will continue to buy directly from OnePlus.

OnePlus 6

The headphone situation is jacked up

So far none of the new features are that important to me. One thing I do care about is the headphone jack, and the OnePlus 6T is removing it.

While most of the time I do use Bluetooth headphones, it’s nice to be able to keep on listening when the battery dies. As someone who works from a desk and listens to music all day, this happens reasonably often.

Axing the headphone jack goes against what most OnePlus owners want in a phone

Now I could live without a headphone jack if I found one of the features above to be super compelling, but I don’t. I also feel like this is a slap in the face from a company that supposedly monitors forum comments and listens to its user base.

Then again, we shouldn’t be that surprised. The OnePlus 6’ notch was also a bit of a slap in the face (even if it was a change I got used to). OnePlus clearly is interested in going mainstream and doesn’t care if it drives away some of its original fans in this process.

As much as the headphone jack thing bothers me, I also have to point out that the “axing useful features” isn’t new for the T line either. After all, the OnePlus 5T removed the 5’s telephoto lens and many weren’t too happy about that either.

Iteration is the name of the game: OnePlus 5, 5T, and 6 shown

T iterations aren’t meant to be major changes

The T iterations are always pretty minor mid-year refreshes meant to capitalize on the biggest trends of the year.

Last year OEMs were jumping on the 18:9 display train and the 5T was OnePlus’ opportunity to catch up. This year, it’s smaller notches and in-display fingerprint scanners that are the newest hotness.

None of these things are revolutionary changes. However, coming from a OnePlus 5, I found the 18:9 display on the OnePlus 5T really made a noticeable difference in my day-to-day use. I was able to get much more screen real estate without switching to a bigger phone. It also just felt cooler.

The OnePlus 6T seems like a good phone, just not a massive upgrade – even for a T release

The trends for 2018 don’t appeal to me as much. A smaller notch doesn’t give me much more space and the front facing fingerprint scanner isn’t my cup of tea.

I feel like the OnePlus 6 was so refined that there just wasn’t much to change. Personally I think OnePlus should have just waited for the OnePlus 7, or finally gave us a second-gen OnePlus X. Of course, everyone is different and choice is a good thing. The OnePlus 6T isn’t for me, but it might be for you.

Android Authority’s C Scott Brown was truly excited to see the return of the front-facing scanner and liked the idea of a smaller notch. He pointed out several other reasons he plans to get the OnePlus 6T, which you can read here.

The OnePlus 6T isn’t a bad phone and I’m sure many will enjoy it. I just don’t think it’s that exciting. Hopefully OnePlus can wow me again with the OnePlus 7 next year.

Source: Android Zone

The post Opinion: The OnePlus 6T just isn’t a big enough upgrade appeared first on TuneMaster.ml.