THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS (NOKIA X6) MOBILE
FEATURES A 5.8" (14.73 CM) DISPLAY WITH A SCREEN RESOLUTION OF 1080 X 2280
PIXELS AND RUNS ON ANDROID V8.1 (OREO) OPERATING SYSTEM. THE DEVICE IS POWERED
BY OCTA CORE (1.8 GHZ, QUAD CORE, KRYO 260 + 1.6 GHZ, QUAD CORE, KRYO 260)
PROCESSOR PAIRED WITH 4 GB OF RAM. AS FAR AS THE BATTERY IS CONCERNED IT HAS
3060 MAH. OVER THAT, AS FAR AS THE REAR CAMERA IS CONCERNED THIS MOBILE HAS A
16 MP CAMERA . OTHER SENSORS INCLUDE LIGHT SENSOR, PROXIMITY SENSOR,
ACCELEROMETER, COMPASS, GYROSCOPE. SO, DOES IT HAVE A FINGERPRINT SENSOR? YES,
IT DOES. FOR GRAPHICAL PERFORMANCE THAT CAN MAKE GAMES RUN SMOOTHLY, THIS PHONE
HAS GOT A ADRENO 509 GPU. ON BOARD STORAGE IS AT 64 GB WITH THE OPTION TO
EXPAND THE MEMORY BY YES UP TO 400 GB. DESIGN IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
FACTORS WHEN IT COMES TO MOBILES. THIS PHONE IS 7.9 MM SLIM AND WEIGHS 151
GRAMS.
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS IS LIGHTER THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. IT EASY TO PULL IT
OUT OF YOUR POCKETS AND USE IT WITH JUST ONE HAND. THIS IN ADDITION TO A
COMPACT FORM FACTOR DELIVERS A GOOD IN-HAND FEEL. IT IS NOT AS LONG AS GALAXY S
SERIES FLAGSHIPS NOR IS IT AS BROAD AS VIVO NEX. HENCE, IT MANAGES TO DELIVER A
NEATLY PACKED POWERHOUSE THAT LOOKS GOOD.
WHAT YOU GET IN TERMS OF LOOKS WITH THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS IS AN ALL-SCREEN FRONT,
WHICH WE HAVE SEEN ENOUGH IN THE MARKET THIS YEAR. THE ‘NOTCH’ UNSURPRISINGLY
INCLUDES A SPEAKER AND A FRONT-FACING CAMERA. THERE’S ALSO A SMALL CHIN BELOW
THE SCREEN, WHICH SHOULDN’T BE AN ISSUE FOR ANYONE PER SE.
THE BACK PANEL DESIGN IS WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS. IF YOU LIKE TO
KEEP YOUR SMARTPHONE LOOKING CLEAN AND SHINY, THE 6.1 PLUS MIGHT NOT BE YOUR
FIRST CHOICE. IT HAS A SHINY AND HIGHLY REFLECTIVE GLASS BACK THAT IS NOT JUST
A FINGERPRINT AND SMUDGE MAGNET BUT IS ALSO PRONE TO MINOR SCRATCHES (SPECIALLY
CORNERS) OVER TIME. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE GLOSS BLACK COLOUR VARIANT WHICH
WE GOT FOR REVIEWING. THE GLOSS WHITE AND GLOSS MIDNIGHT BLUE MIGHT BE BETTER
IN HIDING THE SCRATCHES AND FINGERPRINTS MAYBE.
THE SIDES ARE NOT GLOSSY THOUGH AS THEY HAVE A DULL METAL COATING. IT DOESN’T
APPEAR BAD AT ALL AND ACTUALLY ADDS TO THE OVERALL LOOK. ON THE RIGHT SIDE YOU
GET THE VOLUME AND POWER BUTTONS AND THE HYBRID SIM CARD SLOT IS ON THE LEFT.
ON TOP IS THE 3.5MM HEADPHONE JACK AND THE USB TYPE-C CHARGING PORT WITH A MONO
SPEAKER IS AT THE BOTTOM. ALTHOUGH THERE’S NO FLAW TO BE SEEN ANYWHERE, IT
WOULD’VE BEEN APPRECIABLE IF THE VOLUME CONTROLLERS WERE ON THE LEFT OR WERE SLIGHTLY
MORE AWAY FROM THE POWER BUTTON AS WE DID END UP PRESSING THE WRONG BUTTON AT
TIMES.
BUT ALL-IN-ALL, THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS DOES LOOK IMPRESSIVE AND MIGHT AS WELL BE
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOOKING HANDSET IN THE SUB-RS 20,000 SEGMENT.
DISPLAY
HMD GLOBAL HAS MADE SURE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS CUSTOMERS WON’T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS IN
THE DISPLAY DEPARTMENT WHEN IT COMES TO SPECS. IT HAS A 5.8-INCH FULL HD+
(2280X1080 PIXELS) WITH 19:9 ASPECT RATIO AND CORNING GORILLA GLASS 3
PROTECTION. ALTHOUGH THE ‘NOTCH’ REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL AND MAY NOT BE A
THUMBS-UP FOR EVERYONE, IT DOES SHOW THAT HMD GLOBAL CAN KEEP UP WITH THE
MARKET TRENDS AND IS GIVING CUSTOMERS MORE OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM. THE NOTCH
ALSO PAVES WAY FOR MORE SCREEN TO BODY RATIO IN A NOKIA SMARTPHONE THAN EVER.
THE SMARTPHONE HAS A 2.5D CURVED SCREEN WHICH IS PRONE TO SCRATCHES BUT THEN
YOU ALSO GET CORNING GORILLA GLASS 3 PROTECTION SO CAREFUL USAGE SHOULDN’T HARM
THE DISPLAY IN ANY WAY.
BUT THEN AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE PRICE POINT IT DOESN’T SEEM SO BAD. THE
BRIGHTNESS LEVELS ARE AVERAGE AND THE COLOURS ARE GOOD TO LOOK AT.
PERFORMANCE
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS TAKES ALL IT’S PROCESSING POWER FROM QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON 636
PROCESSOR, WHICH IS NOT BAD PER SE BUT IS ALSO NOT THE BEST. FOR TASKS LIKE
STREAMING VIDEOS, WORKING ON DOCUMENTS AND EVEN PLAYING HEAVY GAMES, FOR
INSTANCE, ASPHALT 9 LEGENDS THE SMARTPHONE WORKS WELL FOR THE MOST OF THE
TIMES. AT TIMES HOWEVER, WE DID NOT SOME FRAMES BEING SKIPPED WHILE PLAYING
GAMES. THE HANDSET USES ADRENO 509 GPU TO CRUNCH ALL THE GRAPHICS AND
ANIMATIONS IN APPS.
REGULAR USERS WON’T GET A CHANCE TO COMPLAIN THOUGH. THE PROCESSOR WHEN CLUBBED
WITH 4GB RAM, MANAGE TO HANDLE MOST OF THE WORK THROWN AT THEM WITH EASE. THERE
IS NO STUTTERING OR HICCUPS ANYWHERE AS JUMPING IN BETWEEN APPS IS USUALLY A
BREEZE. SOME MAY FEEL A SLIGHT DELAY IN FIRING UP APPS BUT THEN AGAIN, IT’S NOT
THAT BIG OF AN ISSUE.
PURE ANDROID FANS WILL LOVE THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS. LIKE THE REST OF THE LINE UP OF
2018, THIS DEVICE ALSO FALLS UNDER GOOGLE’S ANDROID ONE INITIATIVE SO YOU GET A
BLOAT-FREE HANDSET WITH BASIC GOOGLE-BRANDED APPS. SINCE THERE ARE NO FLASHY
NEW FEATURES OR UNWANTED APPS OUT OF THE BOX, THE SPACE TAKEN BY THE OS VERSION
ON THE HANDSET IS ALSO LESSER THAN OTHERS. AROUND 12GB IS RESERVED FOR THE OS
OUT OF 64GB, LEAVING YOU APPROXIMATELY 52.8GB TO SAVE YOUR APPS AND OTHER DATA.
LIKE WE MENTIONED ABOVE, THE SMARTPHONE SUPPORT MICROSD CARD SO STORAGE WON’T
BE AN ISSUE FOR USERS.
YOU DO GET ALL THE BASIC FEATURES ON BOARD INCLUDING FINGERPRINT SENSOR,
STORAGE MANAGER, DOUBLE TAP TO WAKE AMONG OTHERS. THE INTERFACE IS REAL EASY TO
USE AND HAS FLUID ANIMATIONS SO THAT’S ANOTHER FACTOR WORTH APPRECIATING. A
PLUS FACTOR HERE IS FASTER AND QUICKER OS UPDATES. HMD GLOBAL HAS BEEN NO ITS
TOES WITH UPDATES SO WE ARE EXPECTING ANDROID 9.0 PIE UPDATE FOR THIS HANDSET
IN FUTURE.
CAMERA
NOKIA SMARTPHONES ARE NOT REALLY KNOWN FOR THEIR CAMERAS – AT LEAST NOT THE
ONES IN THE BUDGET SEGMENT. THE LAST HANDSET THAT WE FOUND DID WONDERS IN THE
CAMERA DEPARTMENT WAS THE NOKIA 7 PLUS. BUT WITH THE NEW NOKIA 6.1 PLUS, THE
FOCUS SEEMS TO BE BACK ON THE CAMERAS. THE HANDSET IS NOT JUST BEING MARKETED
FOR ITS SHOOTING PERFORMANCE BUT ALSO ‘AI ENHANCEMENTS’ WHICH AIMS TO MAKE END
RESULTS BETTER.
THE SMARTPHONE COMPRISES OF TWO REAR CAMERAS INSTEAD OF JUST ONE SEEN IN THE
6.1 PLUS. WHILE THE FIRST CAMERA SPORTING 16MP SENSOR WITH F/2.0 APERTURE STAYS
THE SAME, THE ADDITIONAL 5MP CAMERA AIMS TO SHOOT BETTER PORTRAIT SHOTS WITH
F/2.4 APERTURE AND 1.12-MICRON PIXEL SIZE. ACCORDING TO US THAT’S NOT A BAD
COMBINATION AT ALL AS THE IMAGES CLICKED ARE WELL BALANCED AND SHOULD BE GOOD
ENOUGH FOR MOST OF THOSE INSTAGRAM UPLOADERS. THE IMAGES ARE NATURALLY SHARP TO
LOOK AT ON A SMALL SCREEN BUT ON ZOOMING IN ONE CAN SEE THE IMAGES SLIGHTLY
SMOOTHENED, EVEN IN WELL-LIT SITUATIONS. THE COLOURS ARE PUNCHY, GIVING LIFE TO
THE END IMAGE. YOU’LL GET THE AUTO HDR MODE SWITCHED ON BY DEFAULT AND ITS NOT
BAD TO KEEP IT LIKE THAT.
THE PORTRAIT (OR LIVE BOKEH) IMAGES ARE WELL SHOT WITH THE NOIA 6.1 PLUS.
THEY’RE NOT THE BEST BUT ARE STILL BETTER THAN SOME IN THE GIVEN PRICE SEGMENT.
IT IS MORE OF A HIT OR MISS TECH THAN A SURE SHOT CONFIRMATION TO GET A PROPER
DEPTH EFFECT WITH THE ENTIRE SUBJECT IN FOCUS. ALSO, THE BOKEH EDITOR IS
SOMEWHAT HIDDEN. YOU WOULD HAVE TO TAP ON THE EDIT OPTION TO SEE THE BOKEH
EDITING FEATURE. NONETHELESS, YOU CAN STILL FIND THE LIVE BOKEH OPTION ON THE
LEFT SIDE ALONG WITH OTHER FEATURE ICONS.
LIKE WE SAID ABOVE, THE ENTIRE SUBJECT IS OFTEN NOT IN FOCUS AND IT SHOWS AT
THE EDGES BUT THEN THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO GO ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA. HOWEVER,
YOU DO GET FEATURES LIKE PICTURE-IN-PICTURE MODE, AUTO HDR AND FLASH AND MORE
THAT SHOULD SATISFY MOST OF THE SELFIE LOVERS. THE BOKEH MODE FOR THE
FRONT-FACING CAMERA ALSO DOES A DECENT JOB IN RECOGNISING THE SUBJECT AND
APPLYING THE BLUR EFFECT. ALTHOUGH THE SMARTPHONE MISSES OUT ON FEATURES LIKE
OIS AND EIS, IT DOES USE THE GYROSCOPE TO STABILISE THE JERKS. YOU COULD,
HOWEVER, SEE THE VIDEO JITTERING MOST OF THE TIMES. YOU WON’T GET A SLEW OF
FEATURES FOR VIDEO RECORDING BUT SOME OF THE ESSENTIAL SUCH AS TIME LAPSE AND
SLOW MOTION EXIST. THE HANDSET IS NOT THE BEST WHEN IT COMES TO RECORDING SLOW
MOTION THOUGH.
LIKE WITH THE NOKIA 6.1, YOU GET THE 4K VIDEO RECORDING IN 6.1 PLUS AS WELL
ALONG WITH OTHER OPTIONS INCLUDING HD AND FULL HD WITH 18:9 ASPECT RATIO
RECORDING FOR EACH.
BATTERY
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS IS AN AVERAGE PERFORMER WHEN COMES TO BATTERY LIFE. IN OUR DAILY
USAGE, WHICH INCLUDED NEARLY EVERYTHING FROM STREAMING AUDIO OVER BLUETOOTH TO
PLAYING GAMES, EDITING VIDEOS, BROWSING IN SOCIAL MEDIA APPS, CHATTING AND
WORKING ON A COUPLE OF DOCUMENTS, THE SMARTPHONE MANAGED TO LAST FOR AROUND
SEVEN HOURS. IF YOU ARE SPENDING OVER 2-3 HOURS ON GAMING ON THIS DEVICE, THEN
YOU MAY HAVE TO CARRY A PORTABLE CHARGER WITH YOU. THE SMARTPHONE IS BACKED BY
A 3060MAH BATTERY, WHICH IS A GENEROUS CAPACITY FOR A SMARTPHONE FALLING UNDER
THE RS 20,000 PRICE SEGMENT. ON A REGULAR USE, WHICH IS OF COURSE NOT AS MUCH
AS WHAT WE USED, THE HANDSET MIGHT AS WELL LAST YOU FOR 8-9 HOURS.
IN CASE YOU WANT TO GET FEW MORE HOURS OF JUICE FROM THE DEVICE, YOU CAN TURN
ON THE BATTERY SAVER THAT NATURALLY CUTS THE ANIMATIONS AND OTHER APPS RUNNING
IN THE BACKGROUND. OTHER FEATURES LIKE AMBIENT DISPLAY AND ADAPTIVE BRIGHTNESS
CAN ALSO BE SWITCHED OFF FOR FEW MORE HOURS. SINCE THE USAGE VARIES FROM
CUSTOMER TO CUSTOMER, THE BATTERY LEVEL AND THE SCREEN ON TIME WILL ALSO
CHANGE. WE GOT AROUND 5 HOURS OF SCREEN ON TIME ON AN AVERAGE, WHICH IS NOT
BAD. THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS ALSO SUPPORTS FAST CHARGING TECH, SO IT’S ALL GOOD.
VERDICT
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS NO DOUBT SEEMS LIKE A NEAR-COMPLETE SMARTPHONE WHEN YOU LOOK AT
IT WITH THE RS 15,999 PRICE TAG. IT IS NOT JUST AMIDST ONE OF THE MOST
COMPETITIVE SMARTPHONE MARKETS IN THE COUNTRY BUT IS ALSO HMD GLOBAL’S ONE OF
THE FIRST ATTEMPTS TOWARDS A SMARTPHONE WITH LESSER BEZELS AND MORE SCREEN TO
BODY RATIO. SO AS A FIRST ATTEMPT THE HANDSET IS NOT BAD AT ALL.
THE SMARTPHONE HAS ALMOST ALL THE BASIC FEATURES ON BOARD ALONG WITH PURE
ANDROID EXPERIENCE, WHICH BRINGS IT DIRECTLY FACE TO FACE AGAINST THE FAIRLY
NEW XIAOMI MI A2 SMARTPHONE. HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK AT IT AS A STANDALONE DEVICE,
YOU GET EVERYTHING FROM A 19:9 ASPECT RATIO SCREEN, COMPACT FORM FACTOR, DECENT
CAMERAS, GOOD BATTERY LIFE AND EXTERNAL STORAGE SUPPORT. ANDROID 9.0 PIE SHOULD
COME AS A CHERRY ON TOP IF NOTHING ELSE.
WE ARE IMPRESSED WITH THE HANDSET AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT STRAIGHT AWAY IF YOU
ARE LOOKING FOR A PURE ANDROID SMARTPHONE THAT IS NOT XIAOMI OR MOTOROLA. BUT
WITH THE ABOVE OFFERING AND THE COMPANY’S ACTIVE STATUS IN THE OS UPDATE
PROGRAM, THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS FOR SURE IS A ‘NOTCH’ ABOVE OTHERS FOR THE TIME
BEING.
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS IS LIGHTER THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. IT EASY TO PULL IT OUT OF YOUR POCKETS AND USE IT WITH JUST ONE HAND. THIS IN ADDITION TO A COMPACT FORM FACTOR DELIVERS A GOOD IN-HAND FEEL. IT IS NOT AS LONG AS GALAXY S SERIES FLAGSHIPS NOR IS IT AS BROAD AS VIVO NEX. HENCE, IT MANAGES TO DELIVER A NEATLY PACKED POWERHOUSE THAT LOOKS GOOD.
WHAT YOU GET IN TERMS OF LOOKS WITH THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS IS AN ALL-SCREEN FRONT, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN ENOUGH IN THE MARKET THIS YEAR. THE ‘NOTCH’ UNSURPRISINGLY INCLUDES A SPEAKER AND A FRONT-FACING CAMERA. THERE’S ALSO A SMALL CHIN BELOW THE SCREEN, WHICH SHOULDN’T BE AN ISSUE FOR ANYONE PER SE.
THE BACK PANEL DESIGN IS WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS. IF YOU LIKE TO KEEP YOUR SMARTPHONE LOOKING CLEAN AND SHINY, THE 6.1 PLUS MIGHT NOT BE YOUR FIRST CHOICE. IT HAS A SHINY AND HIGHLY REFLECTIVE GLASS BACK THAT IS NOT JUST A FINGERPRINT AND SMUDGE MAGNET BUT IS ALSO PRONE TO MINOR SCRATCHES (SPECIALLY CORNERS) OVER TIME. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE GLOSS BLACK COLOUR VARIANT WHICH WE GOT FOR REVIEWING. THE GLOSS WHITE AND GLOSS MIDNIGHT BLUE MIGHT BE BETTER IN HIDING THE SCRATCHES AND FINGERPRINTS MAYBE.
THE SIDES ARE NOT GLOSSY THOUGH AS THEY HAVE A DULL METAL COATING. IT DOESN’T APPEAR BAD AT ALL AND ACTUALLY ADDS TO THE OVERALL LOOK. ON THE RIGHT SIDE YOU GET THE VOLUME AND POWER BUTTONS AND THE HYBRID SIM CARD SLOT IS ON THE LEFT. ON TOP IS THE 3.5MM HEADPHONE JACK AND THE USB TYPE-C CHARGING PORT WITH A MONO SPEAKER IS AT THE BOTTOM. ALTHOUGH THERE’S NO FLAW TO BE SEEN ANYWHERE, IT WOULD’VE BEEN APPRECIABLE IF THE VOLUME CONTROLLERS WERE ON THE LEFT OR WERE SLIGHTLY MORE AWAY FROM THE POWER BUTTON AS WE DID END UP PRESSING THE WRONG BUTTON AT TIMES.
BUT ALL-IN-ALL, THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS DOES LOOK IMPRESSIVE AND MIGHT AS WELL BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOOKING HANDSET IN THE SUB-RS 20,000 SEGMENT.
DISPLAY
HMD GLOBAL HAS MADE SURE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS CUSTOMERS WON’T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS IN THE DISPLAY DEPARTMENT WHEN IT COMES TO SPECS. IT HAS A 5.8-INCH FULL HD+ (2280X1080 PIXELS) WITH 19:9 ASPECT RATIO AND CORNING GORILLA GLASS 3 PROTECTION. ALTHOUGH THE ‘NOTCH’ REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL AND MAY NOT BE A THUMBS-UP FOR EVERYONE, IT DOES SHOW THAT HMD GLOBAL CAN KEEP UP WITH THE MARKET TRENDS AND IS GIVING CUSTOMERS MORE OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM. THE NOTCH ALSO PAVES WAY FOR MORE SCREEN TO BODY RATIO IN A NOKIA SMARTPHONE THAN EVER.
THE SMARTPHONE HAS A 2.5D CURVED SCREEN WHICH IS PRONE TO SCRATCHES BUT THEN YOU ALSO GET CORNING GORILLA GLASS 3 PROTECTION SO CAREFUL USAGE SHOULDN’T HARM THE DISPLAY IN ANY WAY.
BUT THEN AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE PRICE POINT IT DOESN’T SEEM SO BAD. THE BRIGHTNESS LEVELS ARE AVERAGE AND THE COLOURS ARE GOOD TO LOOK AT.
PERFORMANCE
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS TAKES ALL IT’S PROCESSING POWER FROM QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON 636 PROCESSOR, WHICH IS NOT BAD PER SE BUT IS ALSO NOT THE BEST. FOR TASKS LIKE STREAMING VIDEOS, WORKING ON DOCUMENTS AND EVEN PLAYING HEAVY GAMES, FOR INSTANCE, ASPHALT 9 LEGENDS THE SMARTPHONE WORKS WELL FOR THE MOST OF THE TIMES. AT TIMES HOWEVER, WE DID NOT SOME FRAMES BEING SKIPPED WHILE PLAYING GAMES. THE HANDSET USES ADRENO 509 GPU TO CRUNCH ALL THE GRAPHICS AND ANIMATIONS IN APPS.
REGULAR USERS WON’T GET A CHANCE TO COMPLAIN THOUGH. THE PROCESSOR WHEN CLUBBED WITH 4GB RAM, MANAGE TO HANDLE MOST OF THE WORK THROWN AT THEM WITH EASE. THERE IS NO STUTTERING OR HICCUPS ANYWHERE AS JUMPING IN BETWEEN APPS IS USUALLY A BREEZE. SOME MAY FEEL A SLIGHT DELAY IN FIRING UP APPS BUT THEN AGAIN, IT’S NOT THAT BIG OF AN ISSUE.
PURE ANDROID FANS WILL LOVE THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS. LIKE THE REST OF THE LINE UP OF 2018, THIS DEVICE ALSO FALLS UNDER GOOGLE’S ANDROID ONE INITIATIVE SO YOU GET A BLOAT-FREE HANDSET WITH BASIC GOOGLE-BRANDED APPS. SINCE THERE ARE NO FLASHY NEW FEATURES OR UNWANTED APPS OUT OF THE BOX, THE SPACE TAKEN BY THE OS VERSION ON THE HANDSET IS ALSO LESSER THAN OTHERS. AROUND 12GB IS RESERVED FOR THE OS OUT OF 64GB, LEAVING YOU APPROXIMATELY 52.8GB TO SAVE YOUR APPS AND OTHER DATA. LIKE WE MENTIONED ABOVE, THE SMARTPHONE SUPPORT MICROSD CARD SO STORAGE WON’T BE AN ISSUE FOR USERS.
YOU DO GET ALL THE BASIC FEATURES ON BOARD INCLUDING FINGERPRINT SENSOR, STORAGE MANAGER, DOUBLE TAP TO WAKE AMONG OTHERS. THE INTERFACE IS REAL EASY TO USE AND HAS FLUID ANIMATIONS SO THAT’S ANOTHER FACTOR WORTH APPRECIATING. A PLUS FACTOR HERE IS FASTER AND QUICKER OS UPDATES. HMD GLOBAL HAS BEEN NO ITS TOES WITH UPDATES SO WE ARE EXPECTING ANDROID 9.0 PIE UPDATE FOR THIS HANDSET IN FUTURE.
CAMERA
NOKIA SMARTPHONES ARE NOT REALLY KNOWN FOR THEIR CAMERAS – AT LEAST NOT THE ONES IN THE BUDGET SEGMENT. THE LAST HANDSET THAT WE FOUND DID WONDERS IN THE CAMERA DEPARTMENT WAS THE NOKIA 7 PLUS. BUT WITH THE NEW NOKIA 6.1 PLUS, THE FOCUS SEEMS TO BE BACK ON THE CAMERAS. THE HANDSET IS NOT JUST BEING MARKETED FOR ITS SHOOTING PERFORMANCE BUT ALSO ‘AI ENHANCEMENTS’ WHICH AIMS TO MAKE END RESULTS BETTER.
THE SMARTPHONE COMPRISES OF TWO REAR CAMERAS INSTEAD OF JUST ONE SEEN IN THE 6.1 PLUS. WHILE THE FIRST CAMERA SPORTING 16MP SENSOR WITH F/2.0 APERTURE STAYS THE SAME, THE ADDITIONAL 5MP CAMERA AIMS TO SHOOT BETTER PORTRAIT SHOTS WITH F/2.4 APERTURE AND 1.12-MICRON PIXEL SIZE. ACCORDING TO US THAT’S NOT A BAD COMBINATION AT ALL AS THE IMAGES CLICKED ARE WELL BALANCED AND SHOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR MOST OF THOSE INSTAGRAM UPLOADERS. THE IMAGES ARE NATURALLY SHARP TO LOOK AT ON A SMALL SCREEN BUT ON ZOOMING IN ONE CAN SEE THE IMAGES SLIGHTLY SMOOTHENED, EVEN IN WELL-LIT SITUATIONS. THE COLOURS ARE PUNCHY, GIVING LIFE TO THE END IMAGE. YOU’LL GET THE AUTO HDR MODE SWITCHED ON BY DEFAULT AND ITS NOT BAD TO KEEP IT LIKE THAT.
THE PORTRAIT (OR LIVE BOKEH) IMAGES ARE WELL SHOT WITH THE NOIA 6.1 PLUS. THEY’RE NOT THE BEST BUT ARE STILL BETTER THAN SOME IN THE GIVEN PRICE SEGMENT. IT IS MORE OF A HIT OR MISS TECH THAN A SURE SHOT CONFIRMATION TO GET A PROPER DEPTH EFFECT WITH THE ENTIRE SUBJECT IN FOCUS. ALSO, THE BOKEH EDITOR IS SOMEWHAT HIDDEN. YOU WOULD HAVE TO TAP ON THE EDIT OPTION TO SEE THE BOKEH EDITING FEATURE. NONETHELESS, YOU CAN STILL FIND THE LIVE BOKEH OPTION ON THE LEFT SIDE ALONG WITH OTHER FEATURE ICONS.
LIKE WE SAID ABOVE, THE ENTIRE SUBJECT IS OFTEN NOT IN FOCUS AND IT SHOWS AT THE EDGES BUT THEN THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO GO ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA. HOWEVER, YOU DO GET FEATURES LIKE PICTURE-IN-PICTURE MODE, AUTO HDR AND FLASH AND MORE THAT SHOULD SATISFY MOST OF THE SELFIE LOVERS. THE BOKEH MODE FOR THE FRONT-FACING CAMERA ALSO DOES A DECENT JOB IN RECOGNISING THE SUBJECT AND APPLYING THE BLUR EFFECT. ALTHOUGH THE SMARTPHONE MISSES OUT ON FEATURES LIKE OIS AND EIS, IT DOES USE THE GYROSCOPE TO STABILISE THE JERKS. YOU COULD, HOWEVER, SEE THE VIDEO JITTERING MOST OF THE TIMES. YOU WON’T GET A SLEW OF FEATURES FOR VIDEO RECORDING BUT SOME OF THE ESSENTIAL SUCH AS TIME LAPSE AND SLOW MOTION EXIST. THE HANDSET IS NOT THE BEST WHEN IT COMES TO RECORDING SLOW MOTION THOUGH.
LIKE WITH THE NOKIA 6.1, YOU GET THE 4K VIDEO RECORDING IN 6.1 PLUS AS WELL ALONG WITH OTHER OPTIONS INCLUDING HD AND FULL HD WITH 18:9 ASPECT RATIO RECORDING FOR EACH.
BATTERY
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS IS AN AVERAGE PERFORMER WHEN COMES TO BATTERY LIFE. IN OUR DAILY USAGE, WHICH INCLUDED NEARLY EVERYTHING FROM STREAMING AUDIO OVER BLUETOOTH TO PLAYING GAMES, EDITING VIDEOS, BROWSING IN SOCIAL MEDIA APPS, CHATTING AND WORKING ON A COUPLE OF DOCUMENTS, THE SMARTPHONE MANAGED TO LAST FOR AROUND SEVEN HOURS. IF YOU ARE SPENDING OVER 2-3 HOURS ON GAMING ON THIS DEVICE, THEN YOU MAY HAVE TO CARRY A PORTABLE CHARGER WITH YOU. THE SMARTPHONE IS BACKED BY A 3060MAH BATTERY, WHICH IS A GENEROUS CAPACITY FOR A SMARTPHONE FALLING UNDER THE RS 20,000 PRICE SEGMENT. ON A REGULAR USE, WHICH IS OF COURSE NOT AS MUCH AS WHAT WE USED, THE HANDSET MIGHT AS WELL LAST YOU FOR 8-9 HOURS.
IN CASE YOU WANT TO GET FEW MORE HOURS OF JUICE FROM THE DEVICE, YOU CAN TURN ON THE BATTERY SAVER THAT NATURALLY CUTS THE ANIMATIONS AND OTHER APPS RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND. OTHER FEATURES LIKE AMBIENT DISPLAY AND ADAPTIVE BRIGHTNESS CAN ALSO BE SWITCHED OFF FOR FEW MORE HOURS. SINCE THE USAGE VARIES FROM CUSTOMER TO CUSTOMER, THE BATTERY LEVEL AND THE SCREEN ON TIME WILL ALSO CHANGE. WE GOT AROUND 5 HOURS OF SCREEN ON TIME ON AN AVERAGE, WHICH IS NOT BAD. THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS ALSO SUPPORTS FAST CHARGING TECH, SO IT’S ALL GOOD.
VERDICT
NOKIA 6.1 PLUS NO DOUBT SEEMS LIKE A NEAR-COMPLETE SMARTPHONE WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT WITH THE RS 15,999 PRICE TAG. IT IS NOT JUST AMIDST ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE SMARTPHONE MARKETS IN THE COUNTRY BUT IS ALSO HMD GLOBAL’S ONE OF THE FIRST ATTEMPTS TOWARDS A SMARTPHONE WITH LESSER BEZELS AND MORE SCREEN TO BODY RATIO. SO AS A FIRST ATTEMPT THE HANDSET IS NOT BAD AT ALL.
THE SMARTPHONE HAS ALMOST ALL THE BASIC FEATURES ON BOARD ALONG WITH PURE ANDROID EXPERIENCE, WHICH BRINGS IT DIRECTLY FACE TO FACE AGAINST THE FAIRLY NEW XIAOMI MI A2 SMARTPHONE. HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK AT IT AS A STANDALONE DEVICE, YOU GET EVERYTHING FROM A 19:9 ASPECT RATIO SCREEN, COMPACT FORM FACTOR, DECENT CAMERAS, GOOD BATTERY LIFE AND EXTERNAL STORAGE SUPPORT. ANDROID 9.0 PIE SHOULD COME AS A CHERRY ON TOP IF NOTHING ELSE.
WE ARE IMPRESSED WITH THE HANDSET AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT STRAIGHT AWAY IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PURE ANDROID SMARTPHONE THAT IS NOT XIAOMI OR MOTOROLA. BUT WITH THE ABOVE OFFERING AND THE COMPANY’S ACTIVE STATUS IN THE OS UPDATE PROGRAM, THE NOKIA 6.1 PLUS FOR SURE IS A ‘NOTCH’ ABOVE OTHERS FOR THE TIME BEING.
|
RELEASE DATE
|
JULY 2018
|
|
FORM FACTOR
|
TOUCHSCREEN
|
|
DIMENSIONS (MM)
|
147.20 X 70.98 X 8.59
|
|
WEIGHT (G)
|
151.00
|
|
BATTERY CAPACITY (MAH)
|
3060
|
|
COLOURS
|
GLOSS WHITE, GLOSS MIDNIGHT BLUE,
GLOSS BLACK
|
DISPLAY
|
SCREEN SIZE (INCHES)
|
5.80
|
|
TOUCHSCREEN
|
YES
|
|
RESOLUTION
|
1080X2280 PIXELS
|
|
PROTECTION TYPE
|
GORILLA GLASS
|
|
ASPECT RATIO
|
19:9
|
HARDWARE
|
PROCESSOR
|
OCTA-CORE
|
|
PROCESSOR MAKE
|
QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON 636
|
|
RAM
|
4GB
|
|
INTERNAL STORAGE
|
64GB
|
|
EXPANDABLE STORAGE
|
YES
|
|
EXPANDABLE STORAGE TYPE
|
MICROSD
|
|
EXPANDABLE STORAGE UP TO (GB)
|
400
|
CAMERA
|
REAR CAMERA
|
16-MEGAPIXEL
|
|
REAR FLASH
|
DUAL LED
|
|
FRONT CAMERA
|
16-MEGAPIXEL
|
SOFTWARE
|
OPERATING SYSTEM
|
ANDROID 8.1
|
CONNECTIVITY
|
WI-FI
|
YES
|
|
WI-FI STANDARDS SUPPORTED
|
802.11 A/B/G/N/AC
|
|
GPS
|
YES
|
|
BLUETOOTH
|
YES, V 5.00
|
|
USB OTG
|
YES
|
|
USB TYPE-C
|
YES
|
|
HEADPHONES
|
3.5MM
|
|
FM
|
YES
|
|
NUMBER OF SIMS
|
2
|
|
SIM 1
|
|
|
SIM TYPE
|
NANO-SIM
|
|
GSM/CDMA
|
GSM
|
|
3G
|
YES
|
|
4G/ LTE
|
YES
|
|
SUPPORTS 4G IN INDIA (BAND 40)
|
YES
|
|
SIM 2
|
|
|
SIM TYPE
|
NANO-SIM
|
|
GSM/CDMA
|
GSM
|
|
4G/ LTE
|
YES
|
|
SUPPORTS 4G IN INDIA (BAND 40)
|
YES
|
SENSORS
|
COMPASS/ MAGNETOMETER
|
YES
|
|
PROXIMITY SENSOR
|
YES
|
|
ACCELEROMETER
|
YES
|
|
AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR
|
YES
|
|
GYROSCOPE
|
YES
|
