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Nokia 7.1 launched in India - Should you buy it?

Barry Allen
Barry Allen

Nokia 7.1 has finally been released in the Indian market. It's a successor to the Nokia 6.1 Plus launched earlier this year. This will be the company's 8th device to make its debut in the Indian Smartphone market. Comparing it with the Nokia 6.1 Plus, there isn't any huge difference between the two. It's the same upgrade which Redmi Note 5 Pro received this year with the Redmi Note 6 Pro. Let's break it down!

Design

Image showing the front view of Nokia 7.1
Nokia 7.1 Front ©Nokia

Nokia 7.1 features the same design as its predecessor. It comes with the same aluminium unibody design and glass back we have seen in earlier Nokia devices. Even though there's a glass back there's no support for wireless charging on the device. On the back, there's a dual rear camera setup along with dual LED flash. The fingerprint sensor is also rear mounted and is located just below the camera setup.

There's not a whole lot of changes you can expect from the device as it follows the same device design philosophy. The right side of the device is loaded with the power button and the volume rockers.

Under the Hood

The internal components pretty much remain the same when it comes to SoC and RAM configurations. The device comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon SD636 chip which we already have seen in a lot of devices this year from the like of Xiaomi and Asus. There's 4GB of RAM along with 64GB of onboard storage. The camera modules did see an upgrade this year and now rock a much more capable sensor. Nokia has carried over the Zeiss optics branding from its earlier days to the current generation smartphones.

Nokia 7.1 Technical Specifications:

  • 5.84” FHD+ IPS LCD Display ( HDR10 Compliant )
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon SD636 SoC
  • Adreno 509 GPU
  • 4GB RAM & 64GB Onboard Storage
  • 12MP (f/1.8) & 5MP (f/2.4) Dual Rear Cameras, Zeiss Optics
  • 8MP (f/2.0) Front Facing Camera
  • Dual Band WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0
  • USB Type C 1.0 reversible connector
  • 3060 mAh Battery
  • Android 8.1 Oreo

Users can expect a significant camera performance improvement both in the day and low light scenarios from the new sensors that Nokia has equipped it with.

Software

Image showing the logo of Android One Program
Android One Program by Google ©Google

This is really the interesting part as most of the smartphone released by the Nokia carry an Android One™ branding. It basically means quicker and reliable software updates from Google. The device runs on the pure stock Android operating system. Out of the box the device is shipped with Android 8.1 Oreo but can be updated to the new version, Android 9.0 Pie as it's already been released for the device.

Pricing and Availability

Nokia 7.1 will is already up for preorder on Nokia's Official Website. HMD Global in the launch event also said that the device will be available in offline, Online and Nokia E-Stores as well. Talking about the pricing Nokia 7.1 will only be available in 4 RAM & 64 Storage combo and will retail for about ₹19,999. The delivery will start from December 7.

Verdict

Nokia 7.1 does pack in a lot from its predecessors while offering only a few upgrades. It's very synonymous with what Xiaomi did this year with Redmi Note 6 Pro. Forget the fact that Nokia 6.1 Plus exists and you have a solid contender for the mid-range section battling with Redmi Note 6 Pro & Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 despite being a little overpriced for what it offers. If you are looking for a good mid-range device with decent specs and good software support then Nokia 7.1 is for you.

What are your views on this device from Nokia? Do you think smartphone manufacturers shouldn't release devices with such minor upgrades? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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