Budget phones always have lots of compromises when it comes to the features. To cut down the price, we can see smartphone manufacturers cutting the corners on every aspect possible. But among such a crowd of smartphones, Nokia 2.1 AKA Nokia 2 2018 stands there to inspire other smartphones with its massive battery. But what more features and specifications does the smartphone packs inside? Let’s have a look!
Nokia 2.1 (Nokia 2 2018) Overview
In terms of display, the Nokia 2.1 comes with a 5.5-inch display, which is quite unusual for a budget smartphone since the budget phone comes with smaller displays. So the presence of 5.5-inch display on this handset is really praise-worthy. The phone also comes with HD resolution packing 267PPI pixel density.
The phone comes with Snapdragon 425 chipset with 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage alongside. The storage can be further expanded to 128GB via SD card. And the phone has incorporated a dedicated SD card slot for that very purpose. On the software side of things, the Nokia 2 2018 comes with Android Go version of Android Oreo. So with Android Go OS at the disposal, the apps on the phone consume less amount of RAM and ROM and users won’t be getting the messages like “insufficient memory” so often.
Talking about the camera, the Nokia 2 2018 features an 8MP camera at the back. And on the front, the phone enjoys a 5MP Selfie shooter. In terms of regular connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS, the phone also comes with an FM Radio.
As I mentioned earlier, the phone with a battery of big capacity, of 4000mAh to be precise. Since the phone has a low power consuming chipset and light version of Android OS, the phone can easily provide back up for more than two days on the normal usage. So this smartphone can really be handy for the people who seek a big-time battery boost on a budget.
While the world is figuring out what triple cameras on the rear side of the smartphones do, Samsung has launched the Samsung Galaxy A9 2018, a smartphone that has four different cameras on the back. The launch comes after numerous leaks and rumors that had suggested about the Korean Giants’ plans to release a new smartphone with quadruple cameras.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 2018’s rear-facing four cameras are meant for a few different purposes – four in total. There is the primary 24-megapixel camera with f/1.7 aperture that is accompanied by a 5-megapixel lens with f/2.2 aperture meant solely for applying depth.
Likewise, there is a telephoto lens measuring 8-megapixel with f/2.4 aperture while the final lens is meant for capturing wide-angle shots with the 10-megapixel f/2.4 lens.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 2018 has followed the Galaxy A7 2018 which features three cameras in total.
The camera setup on the Galaxy A9 2018 is something that we haven’t seen before. It has tried to cover up all the necessities while taking a picture with a single device.
The device has a tall 6.3-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display. It has an 18:9 aspect ratio screen that is clad by minimal bezels on the top and the bottom. It is powered by the popular the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor that is coupled with 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM according to a user’s preference.
For selfies, the Samsung Galaxy A9 2018 has a 24-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture which we have already seen being used with the Galaxy A8 Star and the A7 2018. For storing all your selfies, this device features 128 GB of internal memory that is expandable up to 512 GB via a microSD card slot.
For lighting up the display and powering the CPU, Samsung has included a 3,800 mAh battery inside. There is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner on the device above the Samsung emblem.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 2018 is priced at €599 which roughly translates to $725 which is a bit expensive for the internals of the device. The pricing makes it a bit more expensive than the OnePlus 6 and the newly launched Razer Phone 2. It will be available internationally starting the first week of November.
So with the rising popularity of games like PUBG and Fortnite on mobile, the rise of Gaming centric phones was inevitable. And so, gaming computer companies like ASUS and Razer stepped into this zone. The Razer Phone from last year, as many said, was a mixed bag. But this time around, the Razer phone 2 seems to fulfill all the shortcomings. And while it stands, is it the perfect gaming phone?
The Razer phone 2 comes with a very identical design to last years. It sports the same boxed design and thickness. But this time, it’s a glass back which is for the wireless charging, that the phone supports. And the glass back makes it look even more premium. Plus, it has Gorilla Glass 5 protection and IP67 Water Resistance. The fingerprint sensor rests on the power button, too. The identical design also means it has the same front-facing giant speakers that support Dolby Atmos sound. But even with the IP67 rating, the speakers keep up their great audio quality.
What’s more? The Razer logo at the back glows! That too, with customizable RGB chroma colors! You can change it to the way you want it, and the company claims that they even double as notification lights. How cool is that? For some, that may be a gimmick but it’s a gimmick I like.
This phone has a 5.7″ IGZO IPS LCD Quad-HD display with 16:9 aspect ratio and 1440 x 2560 resolution. The world may be moving to larger 18:9 aspect ratios, but Razer stands its ground. But it has the large speakers and no notch to speak for it. Plus, with its QHD display and 120 Hz refresh rate, the display is very smooth. That is more than enough for some of the best gaming experience. Also, the screen is now 50% brighter, which maxes out at 580 nits. In addition, the IGZO display type consumes less power while allowing smoother transitions.
The cameras on last year’s Razer Phone weren’t anything to mention. But the Razer Phone 2 has significantly improved the cameras. Its dual cameras consist of a 12 MP regular lens with OIS and another 12 MP sensor with 2x Optical Zoom. The selfie camera is an 8 MP shooter that is capable of taking Full HD videos at 30fps.
As for performance, being a gaming phone, it has all the flagship specs. It comes with the Snapdragon 845 chipset, with the Adreno 630 GPU. Combined with its 8 GB RAM, you can bet that it is a powerhouse. One that’s just right for all that heavy mobile gaming. Also, it has 64 GB internal storage but also has a microSD slot which allows you to expand it up to 1 TB. Plus, this phone has a Vapor Chamber cooling system for better thermals. This should keep the phone relatively cool during your intense gaming sessions. Furthermore, a large 4000 mAh battery should last you for quite some time for your gaming.
This phone runs the stock Android 8.1 still. The Razer Phone 2 has no headphone jack, just like last year, but that’s the only off-putting factor I can see on this smartphone. But it comes with a USB-C dongle. Overall, this phone is built to be a powerhouse for gaming, but it also has all the necessary features for the average joe as well. And with a crisp 4K display, and those speakers, media consuming is also going to be a treat. What’s more? This phone costs $800 only, and I say only because that’s less than most of today’s flagships!
Razer Phone 2 Specifications:
Design & Build: Aluminum Body with Glass Back, RGB illuminated Chroma lighting on the back, IP67 Water and Dust resistant
Display: 5.7″ IGZO IPS LCD QHD display (1440 x 2560) with 16:9 aspect ratio, Gorilla Glass 5 protected
Lately, Samsung has been aggressively expanding its mid-range smartphones. And Samsung Galaxy J6 Plus is the recent addition. The phone comes with dual rear cameras at the back, which is the USP of the phone. But what more features are packed inside this handset? Let’s Find out!
Samsung Galaxy J6 Plus Overview
The Samsung Galaxy J6 Plus comes with a tall 6-inch display. The phone, however, comes with only HD+ resolution with 274PPI of pixel density. The display on the phone comes in an 18.5:9 aspect ratio with a generous amount of bezel on the forehead and the chin. However, this did not stop Samsung to call the screen on the Galaxy J6+ an infinity display. Also, most of the Samsung phones come with Super AMOLED panels used as display material. However, the J6+ comes with an IPS LCD panel. So the users won’t be getting vibrant colors on the J6+ like most of the typical Samsung phones.
As I mentioned earlier, the phone comes with a dual camera at the back, which genuinely implies the Samsung Galaxy J6+ to be a camera-centric smartphone. The phone embraces a 13MP primary sensor with a lens of f/1.9 aperture. This primary camera is accompanied by a 5MP camera for the depth sensing purpose. With both cameras in action, the phone is supposed to capture portrait images. On the front, there is an 8MP sensor which comes with a f/1.9 lens.
When we come to the performance department of the J6+, we can see the absolute mediocrity. The phone comes with Snapdragon 425 chipset backed by 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB of storage. However, there is no SD card slot on the phone so the users won’t be able to expand the memory any further. Despite everything, the RAM and ROM configuration is acceptable at this price, however, the processor is not surely up to the par. The phone carries a Quad-core processor, which has a clock of mere 1.4 GHz. It is really pathetic to see the tech giants like Samsung providing such underpowered chipsets in its mid-range handsets.
Talking about the sensors, Samsung has always been frugal on providing even the necessary sensors on its midrange phones. But that tradition seems to have overturned in the Samsung Galaxy J6+. The phone comes with all the basic sensors like accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass sensors. There is also a fingerprint sensor on the phone for the security. However, unlike, most of the phone available in the market, the J6+ comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor on the phone resides on its power button.
On the software front, the phone boots on Android Oreo (v8.1) out of the box with Samsung’ Experience UI on the top. The phone also boasts a 3300mAh battery to fuel the device.
Samsung Galaxy J6 Plus Vs Xiaomi MI A2 Vs Samsung Galaxy J8
Samsung Galaxy J6+
Xiaomi MI A2
Samsung Galaxy J8
6-inch IPS LCD display
5.99-inch LTPS LCD display
6-inch Super AMOLED display
HD+ (720 x 1480 pixels) resolution
Full-HD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels)
HD+ (720 x 1480 pixels) resolution
Snapdragon 425 chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset
Snapdragon 450 chipset
Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU
4 x 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + 4 x 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPU
Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
3/4GB RAM
4GB RAM
4GB RAM
32/64GB storage, No SD card slot
64GB storage, No SD card slot
64GB storage, expandable up to 256GB via SD card (dedicated slot)
At this price, the answer is a clear no. The phone comes with a dual rear camera, which is a good thing. And since Samsung always provide cameras with great quality even on their midrange and budget handsets. And I am not doubting it on the Samsung Galaxy J6+. But since the phone lacks a decent chipset, a sharp Full-HD resolution or vibrant AMOLED display, and an SD card slot for memory expansion, this is not good to buy. Not at all!
At this price bracket, one can buy the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI (4/64GB, price Rs. 26,499) instead of the 3/32GB variant of the J6+. And instead of the 4/64GB variant, one can opt for the Xiaomi MI A2 (price Rs. 30,999), which offers better value for money.
But if one is a true Samsung fan and want to stick to the brand, Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo and Samsung Galaxy J8 still are the better choices. If there is any list of the worst phones to buy in Nepal, Samsung Galaxy J6+ stands on the first of the list. So it is the best phone to skip at this price.
Putting an end to the countless speculations, leaks, and rumors, the 9th Gen Intel processors are finally official. Specifically meant for the gamers and content creators, these CPUs bring in features previously unavailable for the mass consumers. The newly unveiled list includes 9th-Gen Core i9, Core i7, and a Core i5 processor. Intel also mentioned a new Xeon processor flaunting 28 cores and 56 threads with boost clock speeds of up to 4.3Ghz.
9th Gen Intel Processors
Let’s start off with “the best gaming processor in the world,” the Core i9-9900k. It’s a beast of a processor, that can do 5.0Ghz on a mainstream consumer platform, the first CPU to do so. It has 8 Cores, 16 threads, and up to 40 PCIe lanes.
The Core i9-9900k has a base clock of 3.6Ghz & a max turbo frequency of 5Ghz, TDP of 95W, 16MB cache size and as always, an unlocked multiplier. The 9900k also comes in a really nice packaging and is priced at $488.
The 9th geni7-9700K has 8 cores and 8 threads with 3.6Ghz base and 4.9Ghz turbo boost. It has a similar 95W TDP, but with a smaller 12MB L3 cache size, it is priced at $374. The K moniker means that it again has an unlocked multiplier and supports the FCLGA1151 socket, same as the 9900k.
Finally, the 9th Gen Core i5-9600k comes with a traditional 6 cores 6 threads set up with a base 3.7Ghz and 4.6Ghz turbo boost. It has a 9MB cache size, a TDP of 95W, unlocked multiplier, and a price tag of $262. All three processors are based on Intel’s 14nm class process and will be available starting October 19. The preorders have already begun.
The processors also come with hardware level fixes for the Meltdown Variant 3 and L1 Terminal Fault issues with other issues being fixed from software updates.
The upcoming game “Hitman 2” has achieved a 10% bump in frame rates for the 9900k over its predecessor. Adobe Premiere Pro might see up to 34% bump in performance. Let’s just say that Intel still has a slight edge over its red rivals.
Intel Processor comparison
Processors
i9-9900K
i7-9700K
i5-9600K
Base Clock Speed
3.6
3.6
3.7
Turbo Boost Clock Speed
5.0
4.9
4.6
Cores / Threads
8/16
8/8
6/6
TDP
95W
95W
95W
Intel Smart Cache
16MB
12MB
9MB
Price
$488
$374
$262
Intel Z390 motherboard
Apart from the processors, Intel also announced the new Z390 board to go with it. Although the older Z370 will also support the silicons. Chip makers Asus, EVGA, ASRock, Gigabyte, iCraft, MSI, NZXT, and Supermicro had launched Z390 boards before the event.
Intel Chipset Comparison
Chipset
Z390
Z370
Z270
Max PCH PCIe 3.0 Lanes
24
24
24
Max USB 3.1 (Gen2/Gen1)
6/10
0/10
0/10
Total USB
14
14
14
Max SATA Ports
6
6
6
PCIe Config
x16
x8/x8
x8/x4/x4
x16
x8/x8
x8/x4/x4
x16
x8/x8
x8/x4/x4
Memory Channels (Dual)
2/2
2/2
2/2
Max Rapid Storage Technology Ports
3
3
3
Intel Optane Memory Support
Yes
Yes
Yes
Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Integrated 802.11ac WiFi MAC
Yes
No
No
Intel Smart Sound
Yes
Yes
Yes
Integrated SDXC (SDA 3.0) Support
Yes
No
No
DMI
3.0
3.0
3.0
Overclocking Support
Yes
Yes
Yes
Intel vPro
No
No
No
Max HSIO Lanes
30
30
30
Intel Smart Sound
Yes
Yes
Yes
ME Firmware
12
11
11
Intel Xeon Processor
Intel also announced the new Xeon W-3175X targeted at the ultra enthusiasts. With its 28 Cores and 56 threads, it is really meant for the serious users. This processor comes with a base clock speed of 3.1Ghz and can go up to 4.3Ghz out of the box. With a TDP of 255W, this processor supports the new LGA3647 socket motherboards. The 28 cores push out a Cinebench score of around 7300 points which is right up there with other similar processors.
Intel 9th gen Core X family
The Core X series also got a healthy revision with seven new 9th gen Core X chipsets. All of them have a TDP of 165W and support Intel Optane Memory.
Dashain always brings forward lots of joy and happiness. To mark the occasion, various companies bring forward lots of offers for their customers. Doing so is Nepal Telecom, the government-owned telecommunication company.
Nepal Telecom is offering discounts on data packs, voice packs, and other bonuses this Dashain. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Unlimited Pack
With this offer, GSM and CDMA SIM users will receive discounts on the Voice and SMS services. The users can purchase the pack for Rs. 600 and it will last for 15 days. With the service, customers will receive 2 GB of pack daily, 1 GB for the day (6 PM – 10 PM) and 1 GB for the night (10 PM – 6 AM).
The Unlimited Pack is also available for 7 days if you wish to pay Rs. 300. Also, buyers will get NT’s WOW Time and Music Nepal’s music streaming service for free.
2. Data Pack
Nepal Telecom is also providing its users’ discounts on data pack, as the company now offers 36 MB of data for Rs. 6. This pack will last for a day and buyers will be able to use it from 6 AM to 6 PM. This pack will be available from October 10 to October 24. It can be purchased by dialing *1415*9# from your dialer app.
3. Bonus on Recharge
Nepal Telecom will provide bonuses on recharge starting from October 15. It will run till October 21. This offer is available with Recharge Card, Electronic Recharge (ERC) and MPoS.
Users will receive a 10% bonus with Rs. 100 and Rs. 200 worth of recharge while the bonus stands for 15% with Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 worth of recharge, if done through recharge card and ERC.
With MPoS, all recharge will yield 15% of bonus for the customers. These bonuses will last for a total of 5 days.
4. Voice Pack
With the Voice Pack offer, users can buy 60 minutes worth of voice package for Rs. 6. This service will last for a day from 6 AM in the morning till 6 PM in the evening. This voice pack is valid only for calls inside Nepal Telecom’s network.
5. ADSL/FTTH/WiMAX Extension
Nepal Telecom has been providing this offer for a long time. According to the company, any user’s whose ADSL/FTTH/WiMax subscription ends between October 16 to 23 will have it extended till October 24.
Prior to the official announcement, we had already seen numerous leaks and rumors regarding the Google Pixel 3 and 3XL. In the past couple of months, we also heard the news of Google Pixel 3/3XL being lost and found on various occasions. That’s not all, some bloggers made videos and published the Pixel 3/3XL reviews way ahead of time. So everyone already had a rough idea of almost all the hardware components on the phone. But when Google Tweeted a video called “So you think you know…” with all the clips of rumors, leaks, review regarding the Pixel 3 and 3XL, everyone was expecting a pleasant surprise in the event. But sadly, there were no big things on the phone, which we didn’t see in the earlier leaks and rumors. But if you were unaware of all that information, let me explain it to you all in detail.
Design
In terms of design, the new pixel looks almost the same as last year’s. It comes with a two-toned design, however, this time the whole material used on its back is glass. And between the glass front and glass back, a metallic frame is sandwiched in between. The glass panels used on both sides is the Gorilla Glass 5 from Corning. The new Pixel devices feature a circular fingerprint sensor at the back and nothing much has changed in there.
The phone also has an IP68 certification to withstand the effects of dust and water, which is quite an upgrade since the Pixel 2/2XL had IP67 certification. Making use of the glass design, the handset also comes with wireless charging feature, which was previously absent.
Display
The taller of the two or the XL variant of the phone comes with the 6.3-inch OLED display. The display on the phone features QHD+ (1440 x 2960 pixels) resolution in an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. With this resolution, the Google Pixel 3XL will boast a pixel density of 532PPI. So this newbie will be the sharpest Pixel device ever. The phone also comes with a large notch (one of the largest notches in a smartphone) and a generous bezel on the chin, which makes it really unappealing.
That ugly notch has been completely eliminated on the Pixel 3. Pixel 3 enjoys a 5.5-inch display without a notch on its top. At its new size, the Pixel 3 boasts 10% bigger screen over its predecessor maintaining the same size. In terms of resolution, the smaller one comes with Full-HD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels) with which the users can enjoy the contents with the same amount of sharpness like on its predecessor.
Despite the differences in display size and the resolution, both the new pixel devices share the same features. The screen on both the devices support HDR, Always On, and color modes. There is Boost mode on the handset, with which one can opt for punchier colors (sRGB + 10%). There is also the Always On display feature, which used to be found mostly on the Samsung phones. With this feature turned on, the screen always shows the song that’s currently being played on the phone.
Performance
Since it is a flagship phone, one could have easily guessed that the phone possesses Snapdragon 845 chipset inside of it. And everyone has this correct. However, the chipset’s has been underclocked to make the device more power efficient. The big cores are downclocked to 2.5GHz and the little ones to 1.6GHz to save battery power. Despite the downclock, it does not impact the performance significantly. Talking more about the performance, there is no amp up in RAM and storage when compared to the last year’s Pixel devices. We can still see 4GB of RAM and 64GB and 128GB variants on the storage side. And there is no SD card slot for the memory expansion.
Rear Camera
Camera has been the biggest thing on the Pixel devices since the beginning. Despite having a single camera on the back, last year’s pixel devices quite easily outperformed the popular smartphones with dual cameras. And this year too, Google seems to have similar thoughts in its mind. The new handsets come with 12.2MP optically stabilized image sensor with f/1.8 lens and 1.4µm pixel size, which has not changed from the past. So Google is depending entirely on the software and AI to get better pictures.
On the camera’s software side, the phone comes with HDR+ and Top Shot features. TOP Shot is an AI-based feature, which makes sure that everyone in the photo is in focus, smiling and has their eye open. This could surely be a handy feature since often images get ruined due to lack of focus and the people in the frame having their eyes closed. The phone selects the best picture from the several shots captured and makes things easy for the users. If one wishes to see all the captured images, they can easily be found in the Google Photos. There is also a Photobooth mode, which when turned on automatically captures images when the subject in the frame smiles or makes a goofy face.
Lossless zooming is one of the handy features in the smartphone cameras. Other smartphones use secondary telephoto lenses for that purpose. However, Google Pixel 3 and 3XL have just a single camera at the back. So lossless zooming is quite hard to obtain. To cope with that problem, the phone comes with a Super Res Zoom feature. This feature is basically another AI application, which tries to make up for the lack of telephoto lens by enhancing the details and quality of digital zoom.
Despite having an optically stabilized image sensor, it is hard to obtain smooth videos. For that very purpose, the phone comes with Fused Video Stabilization for stable and smooth videos while walking or jogging. It works for 4K videos at 30 fps but the best results are obtained when shooting at Full-HD and HD resolutions. But sadly, the phone still does not have 4k video recording option at 60fps.
With all the innovations and improvements in the smartphone cameras, low light images still tend to lose details and promoting a huge amount of noises and grains. So to improve the low light images, there will be a Night Sight feature, which is another AI-powered feature on the phone. However, this feature is not available at the moment and will be enabled on the phone after a software update.
Front Camera
On the front camera, we can see the big upgrade. Unlike the single camera on the back, we can see a pair of cameras on the front. Both the cameras feature an 8MP sensor. The camera setup on the phone features a normal lens and a wide-angle lens. The normal lens with f/1.8 aperture will have a 75-degree field of view. The field of view will be increased to 97-degree with the secondary lens (f/2.2) in action.
Audio
Both the new pixel devices come with the front firing stereo speakers. So the audio output from the phone will not only be loud, sharp, and clear but also will be safe from obstruction while playing games. The phone does produce some loud and crisp sound when the speaker in action, however, it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack for a wired audio output. But no worries there since Google has included a pair of headphones in the retail box. And that’s not an ordinary one, the headphones included on the bundle is the Pixel USB-C earbuds, which has Google Assistant integration. With Google AI on the board, the new Pixel earbuds can handle voice commands, read out messages and can even do the real-time translations.
Battery
On the battery front, the Google Pixel 3XL comes with 3,430mAh battery, which is slightly smaller in capacity than its last year’s counterpart. The smaller one or the Pixel 3 features a 2,915mAh battery, which is a slight bump up in size when compared to the Pixel 2. But the biggest improvement here is on the charging side. The phones come with an 18W charger compared to a 10W charger in its previous generation. With a new fast charger in action, Google promises to provide a whopping 7 hours backup by plugging the device on charge just for 15 minutes.
And as mentioned earlier, these newbies also come with Wireless charging feature. But unlike the regular or the wired charging method, the charging speed is quite slower with the wireless charging. Namely known as the Pixel stand, the new wireless charger is rated 10 watts. This stand (wireless charger) allows the new pixel devices to work as a Google Home as a photo frame and even a sunrise alarm.
Price & Availability
With all the appealing features packed inside, the new pixels devices also demand a considerable amount of price on the purchase. In the US, the starting price of the phone is $800 for the Pixel 3, whereas the bigger one or the Pixel 3XL is slightly expensive at $900. In Europe, the Pixel 3 will cost the buyers a whole sum of €850 and €950 for the 64GB and 128GB variant respectively. Similarly, the prices of the Pixel 3XL are set to €950 and €1050 respectively for the 64GB and 128GB variants. In the UK, it’s ₤739/₤839 for the Pixel 3 and ₤869/₤969 for the Pixel 3XL.
Talking about the availability, the new phones will be available in the US starting from October 19 and in Europe, it’s November 2.
Google Pixel 3 and 3XL Specifications
Google Pixel 3
Google Pixel 3XL
5.5-inch OLED display with Gorilla Glass 5 Protection
6.3-inch OLED display with Gorilla Glass 5 Protection
Full-HD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels) resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio @ 443PPI Pixel density
Quad-HD+ (1440 x 2960 pixels) resolution, 18.5:9 aspect ratio @ 523PPI Pixel density
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset
Octa-core (4×2.5 GHz & 4×1.6 GHz) CPU
Octa-core (4×2.5 GHz & 4×1.6 GHz) CPU
Adreno 630 GPU
Adreno 630 GPU
4GB RAM
4GB RAM
64/128GB Storage, No SD card slot
64/128GB Storage, No SD card slot
Android Pie (v9.0) OS
Android Pie (v9.0) OS
12.2 MP back camera with f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, OIS, dual pixel PDAF
12.2 MP back camera with f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, OIS, dual pixel PDAF
Dual front camera: (8 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), PDAF) + (8 MP, f/2.2, 19mm (ultrawide), no AF)
Dual front camera: (8 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), PDAF) + (8 MP, f/2.2, 19mm (ultrawide), no AF)
Nokia – the once household name in the phone industry made a comeback just a few years ago. And Nokia phones were all about durability. But the Nokia 6.1 Plus tries a different approach. The phone, although appearing premium, is not as durable. Now Nokia is a name trusted by many. But, does the Nokia 6.1 Plus bring enough to get a seat in the almost full table of smartphones?
Nokia 6.1 Plus Specifications
Design: Glass back and front in Aluminum Frame, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Display: 5.8″ IPS LCD, Full HD+ resolution (2280 x 1080) pixels, 432 PPI pixel density
Storage: 64 GB internal, expandable up to 400 GB via microSD (Hybrid SIM slot)
Battery: 3060 mAh
Price: Rs. 37,635
Design
As usual, first, let’s talk about the design. This phone has a glass back sandwiched in an aluminum frame. The glass body feels premium in the hands, with just the right weight. It also feels quite sturdy, but I think Nokia is swaying away from its origins.
Now Nokia phones are known for their build quality. Their phones are built to last. If you hold a Nokia 7 Plus in your hands, you’ll know what I’m talking about. But the Nokia 6.1 Plus has glass, which isn’t as durable as metal, is it? Or even plastic for that matter.
However, in other aspects, the phone does well. Its small form factor makes it quite easy to hold. The phone has dual cameras at the back, which very slightly protrudes out, but it won’t be that much of a problem. There’s a fingerprint scanner underneath it with the Nokia logo. There’s also the Android One logo, mentioning that it runs on the stock Android platform.
The right has the volume buttons and the unlock button, while the SIM tray rests on the left. Good thing, you can still find a headphone jack on it. Also, another good thing is that it has a USB-C port, and beside it, there’s a single speaker grill. The speaker quality is like any other mid-range phone – above average. But, the sounds don’t get distorted even in high volume levels, which is another good thing.
The glass back, like any other glass back, attracts quite a lot of finger smudges. It’s very slippery, so, if you’re one of those who use their phones while laying down, be careful not to let it slip. I’ve had quite a few instances of this one dropping on me. But with its small form factor, it is highly ergonomic and fits in your hands quite well. While others are making their phones larger, the Nokia 6.1 Plus brings something new to the menu.
Display
This phone has a 5.8” IPS LCD display with a Full HD+ resolution. The 5.8” screen might be small by today’s standards, but for a small form factor and an ergonomic design, this is a worthy sacrifice.
I don’t mind the small difference in screen size between this phone and the others. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and has a small notch up top. The small notch houses a front camera, a speaker and a proximity sensor. There are no LED notification lights, which is a bummer. LED lights are one of the most under-rated features in a smartphone. You only realize their importance when you don’t have them.
Also, there is a chin at the bottom with the Nokia logo on it. I don’t know why they did this, as the logo is at the back as well. If this wasn’t there, we probably could’ve gotten a slightly larger screen. But even so, the small screen makes for a better pixel density. With about 430 PPI of pixel density, the display is crisp and vibrant. The colors look pretty good, and it has good sunlight legibility as well. You can also hide the notch if it bothers you. But with the latest security update, the option to remove the notch isn’t there anymore. It might make an appearance, but they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
Cameras
In the camera department, the Nokia 6.1 Plus has a dual camera setup at the back and a single selfie camera. The rear camera setup consists of a 16 MP lens with f/2.0 aperture and a 5 MP depth sensor. In terms of images, the camera is slightly above average. In daylight, or good lighting environments, the images will impress you. Colors come out punchy, and vibrant, and the details are well preserved. The HDR feature also does a pretty good job.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Camera Sample
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cloudy weather shot
building
daylight shot
close up shot
overlay shot
low light shot
evening shot
subject focus
indoor bokeh
macro
AR effect
low light flash
night shot
Low light images, on the other hand, are not pleasing. They gather a considerable amount of noise and lose details. Colors appear washed out, and it gives you the impression of a low-quality camera.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Selfie and Portrait
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portait
selfie
bokeh selfie
group selfie
portrait group selfie
bokeh group selfie
beauty mode selfie
For high-res image samples of the Nokia 6.1 Plus, click here.
The portrait mode on this camera, known as the Live Bokeh, here, is just average as well. You can set the level of depth effect before you take the pictures, but the edge-detection is hit-or-miss. The subject in the images get good focus, but it suffers in the border areas, and sometimes, some aspects in the background get focus unintentionally while ignoring some parts of the subject. Bokeh mode, in low light, is a straight NO. But bokeh mode is not meant for low lighting conditions anyway.
As for selfies, it’s the same story. Under well-lit environments, it produces impressive results, while it struggles to gather details in low light. However, the software-based bokeh portrait in the front camera impressed me more than the rear ones. Edge detection seemed better in selfies than from the rear cameras. The screen flash also makes up for the absence of a front flash in selfies. The beauty mode does a good job in both front and back and does not overstep the facial features like in some Vivo or Oppo phones.
The phone is also capable of recording 4K videos at 30 fps. But with no image stabilization, the applicability of this feature seems pretty limited. Also, the video quality in normal mode is sub-par. There’s slow motion on it as well, but the quality of the Slow-Mo videos is aggressively average.
The Dual Sight feature also makes its appearance here as well. This means you can take pictures and record videos with the rear and the front cameras simultaneously. But if you ask me, I don’t see the point of this. What are you going to do with those pictures, anyway? If you have any ideas, please let us know too.
The camera interface is also not as simple as I’d like it to be. You have to really get inside the camera UI to access all the features. This may not be a big deal for some, but when you’re used to simpler camera interfaces, it is a bit off-putting. Overall, the performance of the camera mostly depends on the light, and with some good features, it places the camera on the above-average section of the shelf.
Performance
Under the hood, this phone is powered by a Snapdragon 636 chipset. This chip falls under the mid-range section, and so, the phone performs accordingly. With 4 GB of RAM, browsing through everyday tasks is breezy enough. The transitions are smooth, but it will take some time to load heavy apps. It handles almost everything you throw at it – browsing the web, social media apps, light gaming, etc. Multi-tasking is also smooth enough to some extent. However, it cannot keep the apps open for a long time in the background.
As for gaming, the phone handles its own. Asphalt 9 ran quite smooth, without any stutters, or dropped frames, and in medium graphics settings. PUBG, too, is playable in low settings and low frame rates, but without any stutters or lags. The loading time is considerably long, but once you get through that, you won’t face any problems while playing.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Software & UI
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Keyboard text input
Side Menu
Settings
Notification shade
Home screen
File Manager
File Manager
App Drawer
On top of it, the Android One OS is a bliss. Android One is Google’s platform for certain phones, with which you get a clean and fluid software, the genuine stock Android experience. Google’s own AI features and security features are embedded into it. Plus, there’s no bloatware and includes soft nifty features like an Ambient display that turns the screen on when you get notifications. Also, you can pick up the phone to see if you have any notifications. Now, this isn’t as convenient as LED notification lights but somewhat makes up for an absence of the LED lights.
The fingerprint sensor at the back is fast and reliable too. It is not as fast as some other phones, but half a second of difference is barely noticeable, is it? But you can’t say the same for its facial recognition feature, which is purely software. We have seen software-based facial recognition in a lot of other phones too, and they do a much better job than on this. The facial recognition takes some time, even under favorable lighting conditions. And you have to swipe up to fully unlock the device once your face is recognized. But in its defense, this is Android’s Smart Lock feature, and not the phone’s Facial Recognition security feature itself.
The one thing that does seem like a problem is that the phone’s screen gets unresponsive at times. You can’t press certain buttons on the screen, and even when you do, nothing happens. This is particularly annoying when taking pictures, as it didn’t even click photos, no matter how hard I pressed.
I would’ve thought nothing of this if I hadn’t faced some losses in PUBG due to this very issue! But frankly, I don’t know it was a problem on my review unit only or all the models in general. If any of you have faced, or face similar issues, do let us know in the comments too.
Battery and Storage
This phone has a 64 GB internal storage, with a microSD card slot as well, which uses a dual SIM slot. But I don’t think you’ll need to expand the memory, as Google Photos gives you unlimited backup for all your photos and videos.
As for the battery, it has a 3060 mAh unit, which is not as per the standards of 2018. However, given its small screen, the battery does last. It may be the stock Android optimization too, but the battery doesn’t disappoint. With a full charge, you can get through the day in normal usage. This phone also supports fast charging with Quick-Charge 3.0, but it does not come with a Quick Charger in the box. I find this to be very unusual and Apple-like, but it is what it is.
Conclusion and Verdict
To sum up, I’d call this a practical device. Its compact size and ergonomic design with a good screen size and aspect ratio set it apart from the large phones these days. The display is vibrant, and the battery lasts. On top, the Android One experience is very elegant and it promises timely software updates.
Cameras do need some improvement in a few areas. And it’d be great if they could optimize the camera UI in future software updates. Performance is good enough for a normal user. But, I, personally think Nokia going with a glass back is like moving away from its direction. A glass back phone is certainly not built-to-last, which was the main focus of Nokia.
Also, the most depressing thing about this phone is the price! It is supposed to be a budget phone internationally, costing some $250 in the US, and INR 16000 in India. With all that it packs and its price, it is a good buy for an Indian and international market. Now, that should have been able to put the phone under Rs.30000 in Nepal. It actually would have been worth it for that price. But no, the price is a whopping Rs.37635 here! And that, my friends, is enough for me to decide to not get this phone.
There are so many options in that price segment out there, and even if you want Android One, you can get the Mi A2 which is more powerful than this! The Nokia 6.1 Plus, is a good phone weighed down by its exorbitant pricing, in Nepal. So, unless the price goes down, I’d advise you to think twice before getting this phone. It’s that simple!
Dashain is a time of celebration and also a time when you get the best deals around the year making it the perfect time to go shopping. And if you are thinking of buying a smartphone, this might just be the most ideal time as smartphones are bundled with exciting offers and schemes.
Like most other smartphone brands, Huawei has also got us exciting deals on the table this Dashain. This festive season, Huawei is giving its consumers exciting gift hampers every hour. As a part of daily gift hampers, winners will get Bluetooth Speakers, Power Banks, Fitness Bands and T3-7. The company, on a daily basis, will also be getting the Huawei Y3 2017, Y7 Pro 2018 and Y9 2018.
But the offer does not end here. There are bumper gift offers for the people which are, a chance to win the Huawei Nova 3i, Huawei Y9 2019, Huawei P20 pro and Mate Book. Now someone is on fire this Dashain!!!
So, how does one participate in the offer??
It’s simple,
Purchase any Huawei phones this Dashain.
Like Huawei Mobile Nepal’s Facebook Page, share the Dashain Campaign and Tag three friends in the comments.
Fill in the Jot form with the required details and submit the form.
4. Once you register for the campaign, follow Huawei Nepal’s Facebook and Instagram pages for Giveaway announcement.
How will the winners get announced?
Winners for the daily prizes will be randomly selected via Lucky Draw every hour from 10 am to 8 pm, which means there will be a total of 10 winners every day.
Similarly, Bumper prize winners will be announced next week via Facebook Live event.
Along with these exciting offers this Dashain, Huawei has launched 4 new phones, namely, the Huawei Nova 2 Lite, Y5 Lite, Y9 2019 and the Nova 3i in Peral White Color. These smartphones are already available from the 7th of October and Dashain offer is valid on these smartphones too.
It’s that time of year when all smartphone makers come up with exciting new offers for the occasion of Dashain. Be it to lure more customers, they do give out some really exciting offers. Oppo, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer has also come up with a few offers of their own. Namely known as Oppo Dashain Tihar Offer, this particular offer is valid from the 1st of October to November 30, 2018, covering the two greatest Hindu festivals.
Here are all the prizes you have a chance of winning if you happen to buy an OPPO smartphone in the given timeframe.
1st prize: Singapore Trip
2nd prize: Oppo F9
3rd prize: 32″ LED TV
4th prize: Woofer
5th prize: Oppo bag
Apart from these, you will also stand a chance to win special passes for the “Nepal Idol 2 Grand Finale”. These prizes will be distributed in two separate lucky draws, the first one on Nov 5th, 2018 and the second one on December 5th, 2018. So, what do you think of these offers, do these offers lure you into buying their smartphones? If yes then maybe check out our reviews to choose the best smartphone for yourself.
They did just launch a new color for their flagship, the Oppo F9 Starry Purple right in time for this offer. The smartphone is priced at Rs 41,590 for the 4GB variant. You get the same Helio P60 processor, 6.3-inch display with GG6 protection, and 64GB of internal storage. Not to mention the much-hyped VOOC fast charging. Then again if you don’t like the ColorOS, which most don’t, maybe spend your Dashain bonus elsewhere.
