Few years back, everyone wondered if they’ll ever see a Nokia phone running on Android. The brand was nowhere to be seen for a while, except for the Windows-running Lumias, and those didn’t leave people with a lot of hope.
However, the narrative changed for good after HMD Global decided that the people’s wish needs to be granted, and in came the first set of Nokia phones with Android.
Fast forward to 2018, and you’ve got the Nokia 7 Plus, which has all the attributes to be recognised as a daily workhorse, but priced at Rs 25,999, does the phone deliver accordingly? This review will reveal it all.
Pros:
- 18:9 full-HD screen
- Stock Android onboard
- Competent performer
- Cameras decent in daylight
- Long battery life
Cons:
- Six-inch screen can be unwieldy
- No dust or water resistance
- Lacks fast charging
What’s Good?
The first time that I saw the Nokia 7 Plus, I was assured of its Nokia-ness. This one’s sturdy, built to last long, and a phone anybody will be able to use.
Unlike in 2017, when HMD Global was taking baby steps with its products, the Nokia 7 Plus gets the 2018-standard 18:9 ratio screen, but with Full-HD 1920x1080 pixels resolution you’re most probably getting the value. The screen, at six inches is big in size, rich for multimedia usage but is also bright, offering crisp colours, even in outdoor conditions.
The phone packs Snapdragon 660 processor with 4GB RAM and offering 64GB storage, which is expandable. Never did I feel the phone lagging or apps crashing, you can easily play games on this, and still manage to multitask at the same time.
The other news is that Qualcomm seems to have taken care of the heating part with its chipset, and that’s good to see, especially for power users, who can just go bonkers with their phone.
The use of stock Android ensures reliability of the Nokia 7 Plus, something we’ve seen with the Motorola phones as well the Google Pixel series. HMD Global has promised up-to-date Android security firmware version (the review unit running on the April version) and quick-roll out of Android P (whenever it’s publicly released).
Being part of the Android One project, Nokia 7 Plus will be one of the phones that’ll get updates to latest Android versions faster than most phone brands.
Now, onto the camera. Nokia 7 Plus gets dual 12-megapixel shooters at the back. These lenses have been designed by Zeiss Optics, offered with f/1.8 and f/2.6 aperture respectively. What this delivers is a bag of mixed results, depending on when you’re clicking pictures with the phone.
The phone’s camera needs light support.
(Photo: The Quint)
And yes, this phone’s battery can last really long. It helps that the Nokia 7 Plus gets a 3800mAh battery, that HMD Global claims can last for over two days. While it last us that long, using two SIMs on the phone, with either Wi-Fi or 4G data always on, we managed to get more than 20 hours of juice from it.
These numbers are impressive for the amount of work that was thrown at the phone by us. For a regular user, two days of battery life might not be out of question. A smartphone with a long battery life? You’ve got one.
What’s Bad?
Six-inch phones are video-friendly, which allows you to binge-watch on Netflix, YouTube and other platforms, but this size, if not handled with care, can end up becoming bulky, unwieldy too. Also, the phone misses out on an LED notification light on the front.
It takes some time to get used the size of Nokia 7 Plus, it’s rather uncomfortable to carry in your jeans pocket. For a screen claimed to be 18:9, the phone’s got lot of bezels on top and bottom of the display.
Even after using soft-touch buttons for navigation, surely HMD Global could have been generous with the screen real-estate.
Nokia 7 Plus finds it hard to click pictures in low-light.
The phone’s lack of ability to offer detailed, noise-less images in low-light can be attributed to the use of a camera with high aperture. The image processing is quick, but the results didn’t leave us impressed.
Something the Nokia team can fix with a few software tweaks in the coming months? While the battery life is good, Nokia 7 Plus could have done with support for fast-charging. It’s not slow but the 3800mAh unit takes its own sweet time to juice up.
Why Buy It?
If you want a no-nonsense Android phone for under 30K with stock Android, long battery life, big-size screen – Nokia 7 Plus has to be on your list.
You’ve got other options like the Moto X4 in this price point, but I am just happy to see a Nokia phone, which is running on Android, and has got the wits and brains to be everyone’s favourite.
Camera person: Athar Rather | Editor: Ashish Maccune
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