Nokia 6 (2018) Review: An Attractive Android One Smartphone Proposition

As its very first smartphone entrant into the market for the year 2018, HMD Global had launched a revised version of the Nokia 6 back in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. After more than a month, the smartphone made its way to the Indian market at a price point of Rs 16,999, competing with the likes of Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 Pro and much of Motorola’s budget range of smartphones. Nokia has made certain upgrades to the latest version of the Nokia 6 in terms of design and even the build quality. But would it be enough to make the all-new Nokia 6 (2018) an attractive proposition for a smartphone buyer? We find out in this review after using the device for more than a couple of weeks.

What’s Cool?

Once known throughout the country for its rough and tough devices, Nokia seems to have a slightly different, and may we call it modernistic approach to its new age smartphones. For instance, with the new Nokia 6 (2018), the company does take into consideration the strength and robustness, but that is not all to the device. More so, it is not even the highlighting factor for the smartphone anymore. What will strike you as a stand out feature of the new Nokia 6, is the amount of thought put into its design. If one was to judge the phone in comparison to other offerings at its range, Nokia 6 (2018) is easily the coolest smartphone to carry around.

Watch: Nokia 6 (2018) Review: A Smooth Performer in a Striking New Design

Nokia has surprisingly not opted for the in-trend design elements of a bezel-less display and a slim form factor for the new Nokia 6. However, that does not diminish the visual appeal of the smartphone in any way possible. The limited 5.5-inch display is surrounded by an optimum bezel at both the top and the bottom. While the bottom bezel has been left completely empty, the bezel at the top houses the selfie camera and a Nokia logo at the right.

Nokia has to be commended for the neat and accurate placement of all the components on the new Nokia 6. The hard keys are placed on the right while the back sports a camera with an LED Flash and a fingerprint sensor, placed downwards in a succession. A striking element of the theme of the smartphone is the bold colour highlights that surround each and every component, like the hard keys, camera, fingerprint sensor as well as the smartphone’s edges.

Nokia 6 (2018) comes as an Android One device by Nokia, meaning regular security as well as feature updates by Google. It runs the latest Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box and along with a very easy to use UI, the pre-installed apps are limited to the max. So much so that the phone does not even have WhatsApp and Facebook out-of-the-box.

This, coupled with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC and a 3GB RAM are enough to deliver a smooth performance to any user. It does experience some lags though, which are discussed in the next section.

The cameras on the new Nokia 6 carry Zeiss optics. The 16-megapixel camera at the back is able to produce very fine images and in comparison to other devices in its range, is arguably the best smartphone camera available in the market. That is, however, restricted to the images/ photos. This is a whole different case when the video recording capabilities of the smartphone are considered.

A big plus on the Nokia 6 (2018) is the USB type-C connectivity that surprisingly fewer smartphones in this range offer. The device is backed by a 3,000 mAh battery which easily lasts a day for an average smartphone user.

Nokia 6 (2018) Hard Keys Nokia 6 (2018) sports a striking colour highlight throughout. (Image: Sarthak Dogra/ News18.com)

Also read: GoPro Fusion Review: Takes 360-Degree Videos to a New Level

What’s Not So Cool?

As much as the design of the smartphone is appealing to the eye, it lacks a certain level of handiness. With a measurement of 75.8mm across its width, the new Nokia 6 might be a bit too wide for some users’ taste so it is advisable to check the level of ease with which a user can handle the phone before buying it. Furthermore, a reduced bottom bezel for a larger display size is certainly a point of improvement on the Nokia 6.

As for its performance, though the Nokia 6 is able to get you through with your daily tasks, including heavy usage like gaming and more, there are certain specific glitches observed in the smartphone. Surprisingly, these glitches are not related to the amount of work-load on the processor at the time. A simple example of this is observed while switching to Instagram ‘Stories’ section from the Instagram home screen. The smartphone lags, every time, for a noticeable amount of time. This can also be seen in the video review of the Nokia 6 (2018) above.

While the primary camera on the new Nokia 6 is very good for images, it could have done better on the videography front. The video capturing capability is very much restricted to an average video quality. You might also have to readjust the focus every once in a while shooting a video through the smartphone. Similarly, the 8-megapixel selfie camera on the new Nokia 6 is average at best and delivers very ordinary results.

Nokia 6 4GB RAM, Nokia 6 Launch, Nokia 6 Price, Nokia 6 Specifications, Technology News The cameras on the Nokia 6 (2018) are a bitter sweet experience. (Image: Sarthak Dogra/ News18.com)

Also read: Vivo V9 Review: A Notch Above Other Android Phones at Rs 22,990

Verdict

Nokia 6 (2018) is an impressive upgrade over its predecessor and even more impressive as a budget segment offering. The smartphone has a great visual appeal on top of a robust build quality, offers a good performance and a better than average camera quality and is backed up by a battery that will last you enough for a day. In addition, a stock Android experience along with regular software updates by Google is a huge USP in itself to make the Nokia 6 standout from other smartphones sporting their own user interfaces.

So for those looking to buy a smartphone in the Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 range, the new Nokia 6 is highly recommended.

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