Nokia 6.1 Plus is the “most awaited Nokia smartphone” of 2018 in markets outside China and there is much to like about this Nokia beauty. It is the first Nokia smartphone to come with a 19:9 Full screen display with a “notch” that can be hidden.
Nokia 6.1 Plus also comes with a more powerful processor in Snapdragon 636 than the Nokia 6.1. It is also the first Nokia smartphone to come with AI imaging tricks. Read all about Nokia 6.1 Plus at our dedicated page.
We have used Nokia 6.1 Plus 4GB Indian variant as our daily driver for around 6-7 days and this is our early review of the smartphone. It may help you in deciding whether you should really go for Nokia 6.1 Plus as your next if you really wanted to own one and are still undecided.
Nokia 6.1 Plus design:
Nokia 6.1 Plus doesn’t really follow any of the existing Nokia smartphones in terms of design language. It sports a Glass unibody and is the first Nokia smartphone to sport a notch. While it does feel every bit like a premium Flagship smartphone design wise, it is not as robust as Nokia 6.1. It in fact has that delicate feeling which will make you buy a cover for it as soon as you buy one.
What works in favour of Nokia 6.1 Plus is that it offers a lot of screen real-estate with a compact body which is only possible in such kind of full display design. It feels light and looks pretty. Though it looks more premium with the notch as compared to the notch hidden.
Here is the unboxing of the Nokia 6.1 Plus Black color Indian model.
Nokia 6.1 Plus display review:
- Nokia 6.1 Plus comes with a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla glass display
- The display is bright and ideal brightness level is around 50-60% in most of the cases. Adaptive brightness is calibrated properly and does its work in most of cases well.
- Outdoor readability is quite good and perhaps top-notch when compared to other mid-range competitive smartphones
- It has good color interpretation and contrast. Colors come out vibrant, even though it is an LCD display
- Viewing angles are excellent. The best that you will see on any of the displays out there
- Fingerprint resistance is a very nice feature of Nokia 6 2018 display and you don’t need to wipe it time and again
Nokia 6.1 Plus imaging samples & camera review:
Nokia 6.1 Plus comes with Dual-Cameras on the back. You can have a quick look on the rear camera specs below.
- Dual Main: 16MP AF/F2.0/1.0um
- Dual 2nd: 5MP BW/FF/F2.4/1.12um
- Flash: Dual Tone Flash
You can check our detailed camera review and comparison to Nokia 6.1 and Nokia 7.1 Plus camera by clicking here. Nokia 6.1 Plus captures images with good amount of resolved details and keeps colors natural.
In low-light too it shines and captures good amount of light even in without flash scenarios. Check camera samples capture with Nokia 6.1 Plus camera below.
Check full-size samples by clicking on the thumbnail below.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Software, AI tricks & Camera UI:
Nokia 6.1 Plus comes with Pure unadulterated Android Oreo 8.1 out of the box. It has the ability to hide the notch and sports features like double tap to wake up and Ambient display (lift to check).
The camera UI on Nokia 6.1 Plus is similar to that seen on other non-Zeiss branded Nokia smartphones but packs AI enabled face recognition for both camera. You can add animated masks/stickers/filters directly from the camera app. It also has PIP mode and live-streaming options.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Performance review:
Nokia 6.1 Plus comes running Android Oreo 8.1.0 out of the box and is powered by Snapdragon 636 processor. The Indian retail model comes with 4GB of RAM and the processor-RAM-Pure Android combo makes it fly.
Nokia 6.1 Plus feels snappy and dependable. It handles both daily and advanced tasks without breaking sweat. Gaming is enjoyable on Nokia 6.1 Plus 2018 and multitasking is very efficient.
With 5 super-heavy games (PUBG, GTA SA, Clash of the Clans, Injustice: Gods among us and Mortal Kombat X)Â many browser tabs, Camera, and many other apps open in the background it hardly shows any signs of stress. Apps and games resume well from the background.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Battery Life, Fast Charging & Call quality:
Nokia 6.1 Plus has an excellent battery life and I have been getting around 36-40 hrs of battery life with heavy “blogger” usage of the device, which involves lots of browsing, apps testing and daily chores. It may be around 40-44 hrs for a moderately heavy usage scenario and that is really very impressive considering it is a mid-range Android smartphone. Screen-on time typically varies between 7-8.5 hrs for heavy usage scenario.
Nokia 6.1 Plus supports charging via USB-C port and the fast charging is really feels like a must-have feature nowadays.
Nokia 6.1 Plus comes with a Glass unibody design and offers stellar call quality because of its innovative Antenna design. Call reception is usually very good. I didn’t face any issue like call drops etc and it holds well even during long conversations.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Positives & Negatives:
Negatives
- Glass unibody makes it feel less robust than its metal-body brethren
Positives
- Premium glass unibody design with slim profile
- Display is very good for a mid-ranger with best-in-class color interpretation, high brightness, and outdoor readability.
- Performance wise very capable
- New AI imaging features may appeal to many
Nokia 6.1 Plus Conclusion:
Nokia 6.1 Plus offers much better display to screen ratio than any other Nokia smartphone (Over 90%) out there. It has a beautiful display with very good video watching and gaming experience.
Coming to performance it can give higher priced smartphones a run for its money. It is a champion performer when it comes to heavy multitasking and can handle games like PUBG, GTA SA, Injustice: Gods among us and Mortal Kombat simultaneously very well.
Being an Android One smartphone, Nokia 6.1 Plus has guaranteed two years of Android OS update and 3 years of monthly security updates.
Getting all this for a price of Rs 15999 in India is a great deal for a smartphone like Nokia 6.1 Plus and we won’t hesitate in recommending it outright.
