HMD Global, the company behind the new Nokia branded smartphones, have finally come out with a smartphone that does almost everything. Mid-range smartphones are tricky when it comes to specifications and performance, some have a great camera and horrible innards or the other way around. The premium mid-range smartphone is a crowded segment but I felt Nokia may have found the perfect formula for success with the Nokia 7 plus.
Hardware
The design of a smartphone is becoming one of the most important features and it seems HMD global has knocked it out of the park with this one. Our review unit was black in colour with notable copper-coloured edges. There are no antenna lines that can be seen and has a six-layer ceramic paint coating.
The styling of the device is notably minimal and it gives it a very classy look which can’t be found in most mid-budget smartphones. The device is visually appealing and feels amazing to hold due to the ceramic coating.
The bezels are slightly thicker than most higher-end smartphones that we see nowadays but given its price point, we’re keen to let Nokia go on this one. The volume button and the power have the same copper coating and is located on the right side of the device. The headphone jack (remember those?) is at the top of the device and has a USB Type-C charging port.
At the back of the phone, one can easily spot the dual-camera setup that has a very notable Zeiss logo. Right below the camera sensors, we have the fingerprint scanner and a dual-tone flash to the right of the camera sensors.
Display
In terms of display, the Nokia 7 plus uses a 6-inch IPS LCD screen with 2,160 x 1,080-pixel resolution and an aspect ratio of 18:9. Given its price point, this is an extremely impressive display that’s capable of emitting bright and vivid colours. I used the device to watch a few episodes of “Chef’s Table” on Neftlix and the colour representation was as accurate as an LCD can deliver. The display is basically a great feature if you love watching movies or videos on the go.
Processing Power
The Nokia 7 plus is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 processor and is paired with 4GB of RAM. The most incredible feature of the smartphone is the fluidity with which the Android One operating system works in tandem with the processor. From having played with multiple mid-range handest, I think the 660 chipset is one the most efficient SoC out there. It’s fast, reliable and snappy in terms daily performance and I didn’t notice any device-breaking glitches or issues.
Battery
The Nokia 7 plus is also workhorse in terms of battery life as I managed to get over 1.5 days use on one charge. During my testing, I used the smartphone for navigation, watching videos, playing games and streaming audio podcasts. What I did find disappointing though was that the ‘quick-charging’ feature wasn’t all that quick as it took longer to fully charge compared to other smartphones with the same feature.
Camera
The Nokia 7 plus has been outfitted a dual camera setup that comprises a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens. The two sensors have an aperture of f/1.8 and f/2.6 respectively that lets the camera take some decent pictures in low-light environments. The camera in our opinion is probably the best you can use in this segment in terms of picture sharpness, quality and noise reduction. The Nokia 7 plus is also capable of taking some spectacular selfies although we do feel the bokeh mode has room for improvement. Here are a few images we shot using the Nokia 7 plus.
Conclusion
From my time with the device, I feel the Nokia 7 plus is the only mid-budget device you should be spending your money on at the moment. It is probably the best device from HMD’s full lineup and at €399, it basically blows the competition out of the water. In short, this device is all about delivering more than you can imagine and doesn’t divulge into any gimmickry.
