Nokia had announced during the MWC 2018 that it will embrace the Android One program for all its upcoming smartphone series. One of the first beneficiaries of the partnership with Google is the Nokia 7 Plus. It is a lot like a downplayed version Google Pixel 2 XL. Unlike the Pixel 2 XL, the Nokia 7 Plus is a mid-range phone.
Nokia 7 Plus
Along with a practical and a simple software, Android One program guarantees constant updates for two years at least. These are the two main USPs of Nokia 7 Plus, along with an original design and a high-quality build. In the box, you will get a 12V 2A power supply for quick charging, the USB-Type C cable for connecting with a PC and charging, a pair of headphones, and a thin transparent TPU cover.
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The phone is fueled by the Qualcomm Mobile Platform Snapdragon 660, with octa-core CPU made at the mid-high range of 14 nm, along with Adreno 512 GPU. The phone has 4GB of RAM LPDDR4. It has 64GB of internal memory eMMC 5.1 which is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. However, you will have to sacrifice the second SIM slot for that.
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The phone has a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a magnetometer. The fingerprint scanner os on the back. The connectivity is reliable, courtesy of the LTE data exchange of Cat. 12, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, and NFC. The notification LED has been replaced by the ambient display, but it is clearly not the same thing.
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The phone gets full marks for telephone parts and antennas. There are no issues on the connectivity and the telephone side. This is rare so props to HMD Global for giving us a phone with seamless connectivity.
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The Wifi Signal and reception of the telephone are also really good. The GPS is also fine and you can navigate with it with the utmost precision. The audio quality is good on call but the speakerphones could have been better. The mono speaker has disappointed a bit. It is a dual SIM smartphone but there is a catch: you will have to give up on the memory expansion to use the second SIM.
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Th Snapdragon 660 has already proved itself in the market. However, something is amiss on the Nokia 7 Plus. The phone isn’t that reactive and takes times to respond to commands. When you operate it fast it tends to slow down. This is not the first time that HMD Global has released a smartphone with results below the real potential. However, it is hoped that some updates will fix the problem. However, in the unlikely case that an update isn’t issued, the phone is not too slow or problematic. So, do not let this aspect deter you. You can do most things on the Nokia 7 Plus without problems such as playing games.
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The phone has a solid aluminum body. It has a ceramic finish on the back, The thin profile is surrounded by a gold/copper belt. On the front, the glass covers the surface entirely and ends with a 2.5D process. A flaring joins that glass to the frame, and it has the same finish as the glass cover. The Nokia logo is at the top right of the smartphone.
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Nokia 7 Plus is pretty large and angular. Its dimensions are 158.4 x 75.6 x 8 mm. Although it is not slippery, it can still be difficult to use it one hand. The unique design of the smartphone must be lauded. At a time where all the phones look the same, Nokia 7 PLus is a welcome change. Unfortunately, Nokia 7 Plus is not water resistant.
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The display of the phone is brilliant. It is really big and has rounded corners. It is a 6-inch diagonal IPS LCD screen with an aspect ratio of 18: 9 and FullHD + resolution. The IPS display has excellent quality. It is readable and well calibrated both indoors and outdoors. However, you cannot calibrate the various parameters further. However, that isn’t a problem as the phone is already well calibrated.
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Apart from the high-quality screen, the phone has more to offer in the multimedia department. The audio has a good integrated DAC and the Bluetooth 5.0 offers high-quality transmission. The only disappoint thin is the mono speaker which has no bass.
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Nokia 7 Plus has excellent cameras too. There are two back cameras. One is a 12MP Sony IMX 362 sensor and a Dual Pixel AF with the focal length F / 1.8 lenses. The other is a Samsung 12MP camera with F / 2.6 aperture and a 2X optical zoom lens.
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The pictures always come out good. They are in-line with that you get from other mid-range phones in the market. In fact, it is above them in the evening, but the lack of optical stabilization is felt. The main lens gives a soft bokeh effect, which is clearly visible in the portraits and in the macro. The simulated software effect is also well rounded and credible.
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The main photographic parameters such as exposure and WB are always in the right place. The phone never returns a completely ruined image. The sensor with optical zoom is less bright, but luckily the software intervenes and adjust the contrast and so, the pictures always turn out good. There is a little noise at night though and you will have to take pictures carefully to prevent the pictures from getting blurred.
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Thanks to the 16MP front camera, the selfies are pretty good. The software adds more of a substance. Same goes for videos. Even after setting the resolution FullHD, you cannot shoot at 60 fps, unfortunately. However, you can record a great stereo sound.
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Nokia 7 Plus has a 3800 mAh battery that provides great autonomy. You can get 5 hours of an active display with a day and a half of use. Even though it could have been better, the autonomy is pretty satisfactory. Even with heavy use, the phone will last you for a day. With light use, it can last for 2 days.
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The phone runs the Android One version 8.1 Oreo. So, you get the pure version of Android with guaranteed updates for the next 2 years at least. You will also get updated security patches. The user experience would be simple and the software will be more responsive as there are no customizations. The software is reliable and pleasant to use. It is a great choice for a mid-range phone. There are no bugs. The management of available memory and consumption is good. Nokia 7 Plus has full support for Project Treble, so you can count on fast and smooth updates. The photo application has been revisited to make the most of the hardware and new gestures have been added. In the future, it is expected that most smartphone makers will embrace the Android One program.
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The Nokia 7 Plus retails at €399. You can get it at a much lower price with offers. It is a solid and a reliable smartphone. It is one of the best mid-range phones that have been recently launched.
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Will you consider buying the Nokia 7 Plus? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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