These last two years have seen the serious return of Nokia to the smartphone world, with the release of several smartphones of note — including the Nokia 6.1, a phone we were happy to proclaim as one of the best budget smartphones of 2018.
2018 also saw the release of the Nokia 7 Plus, a midrange device with a respectable amount of power, a good camera suite, and a beautiful 6-inch screen. While we enjoyed using it, it ultimately fell short of greatness. But rumors abound of a new Nokia device taking up the “7” mantle, and it seems that all is to be revealed soon. Here’s everything we know about the Nokia 7.1 Plus.
Design and display
While the Nokia 7 Plus’s design was a little underwhelming, the display was anything but, and we highlighted that phone’s excellent display as one of the phone’s strongest points. It seems that Nokia is looking to shore up some of those weaknesses, while hopefully holding onto those strengths, as photos of the Nokia 7.1 Plus have been spotted ahead of an official release.
The photos, apparently taken at a restaurant, show a large phone with two vertically stacked camera lenses, accompanied by an underslung fingerprint sensor. The phone seems to come in at least two color variants — named as copper and silver by some sources — and the lighting in the surrounding area shows that the phones will have a glossy, shiny finish. The copper color looks particularly impressive, with the light causing a color shift along the body. If these are truly images of the Nokia 7.1 Plus, then this phone could be a very attractive midrange smartphone.
Earlier leaks show off the front of the device, but the renders seem split between a device with a notch and a device without. Nokia Power User seems set that the device with a notch will be the Nokia 7.1 Plus, while the notch-less device will be the Nokia 7.1 — a split between notched and notch-less reminiscent of the supposed Pixel 3 phones.
However, it’s important to note that the leaksters are heavily split on this, and the notched device could be a potential Nokia 9 flagship instead. More rumors say that the Nokia 7.1 Plus will sport a 5.9-inch LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 resolution.
Specs
The Nokia 7.1 Plus looks set to be getting some upgrades over the Nokia 7 Plus, with many rumors pointing at the Snapdragon 710 taking up residence in Nokia’s new midrange handset. If true, this could potentially point to strong performance in the Nokia 7.1 Plus, thanks to the premium midrange chip.
No other specs have been revealed at this time, but it’s reasonable to expect that the 7.1 Plus will not come with specs lower than the 7 Plus — so expect at least 64GB of onboard memory and 4GB of RAM.
Camera
According to whispers, Zeiss has returned to work with Nokia again, tuning the dual-camera setup on the rear of the Nokia 7.1 Plus. However, there have been few other details released. Even less is known about the front-facing camera, though it’s assumed that there is only one.
Release date and price
There’s been little word on a possible reveal or release date for the Nokia 7.1 Plus, though rumors from the start of September pointed at a late October/early November date. Expect the phone to come in at a similar price point to the Nokia 7 Plus’s 350 British pounds (around $465). Like its predecessor, there’s been no word of a U.S. release yet.
