Nokia 6: Price, Specification, Design, Display, Performance, Hardware, Camera, Software

Nokia 6: Price, Specification, Design, Display, Performance, Hardware, Camera, Software

Nokia 6: Price, Specification, Design, Display, Performance, Hardware, Camera, Software all are discuss through this article

The Nokia 6 was the first Nokia-branded Android smartphone unveiled by HMD Global, the new custodians of the iconic Nokia brand, at the beginning of this year. It was initially unveiled in China and was exclusive there for a few months before being made available in other markets. For HMD Global, the Nokia 6 launch was its first step into the Android smartphone space.

Design

Let’s get this out of the way: the Nokia 6 looks brilliant. It’s probably the best-looking Android smartphone in its price range– standing out in a sea of similar-looking smartphones. The design elements are even reminiscent of some devices in the Lumia portfolio from the Nokia of old.

At 7.85mm, the Nokia 6 isn't the slimmest out there, but its 169g weight is reasonable for a phone with a 5.5-inch screen. We felt that single-handed use over long periods wasn't comfortable, as this phone is a little too wide, and the chamfered edges can be uncomfortable. We prefer phones with rounded edges when it comes to the grip. There's Corning Gorilla Glass on the front, but it doesn't extend right to the edges and corners. 

At the back, there’s the familiar vertical Nokia branding. The matte finish looks slick, and the smartphone doesn’t pick up fingerprints easily. The camera is placed in a chrome housing, and it protrudes slightly from the body. It doesn’t look bad, but it does make the phone wobble when placed on a flat surface.

Overall, the Nokia 6 looks like a very premium smartphone with a build quality that gives you confidence it can withstand the rigors of everyday use.

Display

The 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD display on the Nokia 6 adds to the smartphone’s premium look and feel. There’s 2.5D curved glass on top with Corning Gorilla Glass protection.

There’s also a polarizer layer on the display that works like a filter to reduce the glare and reflections from the glass while improving the sunlight legibility. Even in harsh sunlight, brightness is adequate though and there’s no problem in using the phone outdoors.

The display offers decent brightness generally, and the color reproduction is great. The images and text look crisp, but the contrast is somewhat lower than I would’ve liked. The viewing angles are just fine though.

Performance

The Snapdragon 430 SoC has been fitted in a lot of smartphones available at lower price points than the Nokia 6. The phone isn't a slouch, but isn't the best in its class either. We were satisfied with how apps loaded and ran on the Nokia 6, and touch response was snappy too. 3GB of RAM should be good enough for most people.

We were pleased with gaming performance, and the Nokia 6 didn't stutter while playing games like Asphalt Nitro. Unfortunately, this phone gets warm when playing games, using the camera, or navigating with GPS, which makes usage a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully, heat dissipates soon enough after closing the app(s).

We had a good time watching videos on the 5.5-inch screen. The quality is good, but we did feel that other phones at this price level including the Moto G5 Plus have better screens.

In our standard benchmark tests, the Nokia 6 did comparatively better than other Snapdragon 430-based phones. It scored 45,205 in AnTuTu, 18fps in GFXBench, 22,650 in Quadrant, and 5,879 in 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme.

The dual speakers on this phone deliver loud and clear audio. You get Dolby Atmos sound enhancement, and the difference with it turned on and off is instantly noticeable. We can say that these speakers are the clearest we have heard on any phone in this price segment. Unfortunately, the bundled earphones are just average, so don't expect a lot from them. Our recommendation would be to use your own earphones with the Nokia 6.

When it comes to latching onto cellular networks in weak spots, the Nokia 6 will impress you. Calls were clear and we were able to make VoLTE (voice over LTE) calls using a Jio SIM. As of now, the Nokia 6 doesn't support direct 4G video calling offered by the likes of Jio.

Hardware

The home button on the front doubles up as a fingerprint scanner as well. While the fingerprint authentication works flawlessly, it is awkwardly placed towards the very bottom edge of the phone. It’s not a deal breaker, but it takes some time to get used to.

The Nokia 6 includes a hybrid tray, so you can either use two Nano SIMs, or one SIM and a microSD card. It uses micro-USB for charging instead of the new USB-C type port, which is a tad disappointing.

Camera

The Nokia 6 sports a 16 MP rear camera with 1.0µm pixel size and f/2.0 aperture, along with dual LED flash. As expected, it manages to take good photos in daylight with a high level of detail. The contrast is great, and the photos come out sharp. But the colors lack punch and are more muted than what I would have liked.

In low light conditions, the details suffer and the experience is below-par. In the absence of a light source, some of the shots would just come out black.

With the phase-detection autofocus, the camera is quick to lock focus though it takes a while for images to be captured and saved. The 8 MP front-facing camera does a good job with selfies in good lighting conditions, but not so great in low light.

HDR mode is pretty dramatic and inconsistent, and photos take a while to process. The Panorma mode though is pretty good. The details are great, and stitching is flawless in most cases.

Overall, the Nokia 6 has a decent camera, but certainly not the best in the business in its price segment. My primary issue with the camera was the inconsistency in performance. As a Nokia offering, I was hoping for a better imaging experience. That said, the software updates during my experience with the device have definitely enhanced the camera performance.

Software

In its grand comeback, Nokia’s primary pitch focused on ‘pure and up-to-date’ Android. With Android 7.1.1. Nougat out of the box, the company promises regular and timely Android updates. And it looks like HMD Global is not slacking off, with updates coming through during my review period. The company has also promised the Android Oreo update for the entire Nokia lineup.

One note for the purists: there are custom icons on board. There are also a few pre-loaded apps such as Amazon and the entire suite of Google apps, including Photos, which is the default app for photos on Nokia 6. There’s Google Assistant too.

The phone allows you to perform actions with supported apps by simply long-pressing the icons for launcher shortcuts. As in Android Nougat, there’s a split-screen mode, although the two simultaneous apps can only open as two equal halves only, without the option to resize them.

Specifications

Inside Look

Outside Look

Some Photo Gallery of Nokia 6

Nokia 6 battery life

The Nokia 6 ships with a non-removable 3000mAh battery which the company claims can deliver one day of mixed usage. In our experience, real-world usage wasn't that strong. The phone lasted for 15-16 hours with heavy use where we had Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Google Maps, Google Photos, and WhatsApp open in the background almost the entire time. In our standard HD video loop test, the phone lasted for 11 hours and 30 minutes which is not bad at all.

Unfortunately, there's no fast charging. We found that the Nokia 6 took over two hours to charge fully, which is longer than what we have seen from phones with larger batteries.

Verdict

After a wait of over six months, the Nokia 6 has finally hit the Indian market. It does seem good enough for most everyday jobs. Its brand, design, and build quality are its biggest highlights. Stock Android is also a nice touch, and the confirmed Android O update is great news too. Music lovers will be happy with the high-quality speakers. However, this phone does have drawbacks in terms of its cameras, battery life, and tendency to get hot.

The Nokia 6 is available exclusively on Amazon India. It's priced at Rs. 14,999, and so in terms of overall value, it falls short. Other phones with similar hardware are priced way lower. You could get the Moto G5 Plus or Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 within the same budget, both of which have better hardware. If you are fine with a bigger screen and don't mind using a custom UI, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 is also an option.

You can also Buy Nokia 6 directly from amazon through click this link http://amzn.to/2fTaJyk