Everyone is happy Nokia uses Android on its smartphones now that HMD Global is in control. The smartphone manufacturer surprised us at this year’s Mobile World Congress with its announcement that its newest devices would be part of the Android One lineup. Of the whopping five new Nokia phones announced at MWC, the Nokia 7 Plus is the only midrange phone announced with a six-inch screen. Here’s everything we know about the Nokia 7 Plus.
Release and availability
The Nokia 7 Plus will be available in the U.K. from May 2. For the first month of sales, purchasers of the Nokia 7 Plus will also get a brand-new Google Home Mini to use alongside the Nokia 7 Plus’s Android One operating system.
The Nokia 7 Plus made its formal debut at the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The phone will be available in parts of Europe from April 18 and will cost 400 euros. It’s also coming to Asia and Africa. HMD has yet to confirm the phone will be available in North America.
Design
Nokia’s most recent phones have been minimalist, good-looking, and well-built. How will the Nokia 7 Plus compare? In short, it’s going to stand out a bit. The Nokia 7 Plus features a powder-coated aluminum case wrapped around a copper frame, but this is not just for looks — it also hides the antenna lines to improve reception. Black and white color options are also available, both featuring exposed copper flourishes highlighting the camera lenses, side buttons, and fingerprint sensor.
We like the look already, and it’s matched with an uncluttered style and on the front, an attractive screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio and curved corners. On the back are two vertically stacked camera lenses with Zeiss branding, and a large flash unit alongside them. Underneath is a fingerprint sensor. There’s also a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the top of the phone.
Software
The Nokia 7 Plus is part of the Android One lineup and will ship with 8.0 Oreo. This is Google’s stripped down version of Android generally used on low-cost, low-power smartphones. We’ve seen various midrange phones with Android One recently, including the HTC U11 Life, the Motorola Moto X4, and the Xiaomi Mi A1. All are very good, and it looks as if the Nokia 7 Plus will follow in their footsteps.
What Android One’s presence means is frequent and timely software updates, very limited bloatware, a smooth user experience, and an uncluttered user interface. It’s definitely good news for Nokia enthusiasts.
In addition to Android One, the Nokia 7 Plus adds Dual-sight to the mix. First introduced in 2017, Dual-sight allows you to use the front and rear cameras simultaneously to capture “bothies.” There’s also a new Pro Camera mode that allows you to mimic some of the features you’d usually find on a DSLR.
Specification
While HMD may call the Nokia 7 Plus, “the flagship for everyone,” it definitely doesn’t pack flagship specs. The phone features a midrange Snapdragon 660 processor. But we’re glad to see there’s 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, as well as a MicroSD card slot supporting external storage up to 256GB.
It definitely doesn’t pack flagship specs
You’ll find a 6-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 pixels (443 ppi) on the Nokia 7 Plus. A fingerprint sensor sits just below the dual camera on the back of the phone.
The Nokia 7 Plus has a dual camera array with Zeiss lenses. The primary camera comes in at 12 megapixels with a dual-tone flash, while the secondary camera has 13 megapixels. The front facing camera packs a 16-megapixel Zeiss lens. Battery capacity comes in at 3,800mAh with support for quick charge via USB-C.
Updated March 26: Added news that U.K. sales of the Nokia 7 Plus will be accompanied by a free Google Home Mini.
