Nokia 6:An outstanding Affordable Android phone with strength in design
Designed for perfection, built to last.
Sitting atop the initial batch of Nokia phones made by HMD – the company now responsible for producing smartphones using the famous Finnish brand name – the Nokia 6 should be the most enticing of the bunch. It’s an affordable device; with a big Full HD screen, stock Android software and a classic Nokia design.
The once-iconic phone brand is back in business thanks to Finnish startup HMD signing a 10-year licensing deal to stick the Nokia name on smartphones and tablets, and the Nokia 6 is the main attraction in its trio of launch devices.
While the Nokia 6 was the most high-spec handset at its launch, it’s still firmly a budget offering, with an eye-catchingly low price tag coupled with an alluring all-metal design.
Nokia used to be one of the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturers but it fell behind with the advent of iPhone and Android smartphones. In 2014, Nokia’s Devices and Services division was sold to Microsoft. In 2016, Finnish company HMD Global bought a part of Microsoft’s feature phone business and has a licensing agreement that allows it to make smartphones under the Nokia brand.
The Nokia 6 is crafted from a single block of aluminum, and the result is a phone which feels far more premium than its budget price tag.
It doesn’t do anything particularly clever or different in terms of design, though, with elements of older Nokia smartphones recognisable here.
There’s a comforting weight to the handset, and while its 154 x 75.8 x 7.85mm body makes it a sizeable presence in the hand it’s still easy to use.
We found the flat sides and sharp corners of the Nokia 6 aren’t as comfortable on the palms as phones with rounded edges – like the Nokia 5 and 3 – and this is noticeable if you hold it in one hand for an extended period of time.
It’s a bulky device, with sharp flat corners and a slightly domed plastic back. The large bezel around the 5.5-inch display makes for a big phone, and the lack of any curvature on the sides make it quite hard to comfortably hold without it digging into your palms. There is plentiful use of metal, especially for a phone of this price, but the back is plastic and as a result it feels quite hollow.
Much like the Nokia 3, the Nokia 6 ships in a playful retail box designed to remind you of the old Nokia days.This gives the phone sturdiness which could help it survive minor drops. During our review, we accidentally dropped the Nokia 6 a couple of times and it suffered no damage whatsoever. The metallic back means that the phone is slippery and we would recommend using a back cover with the Nokia 6.
There's a slight curve to the phone's back, meeting flattened sides with the edges getting a neatly chamfered finish. For the black version of the phone this gives metal highlights, adding detail that's reflected in the side buttons and ringing of the camera on the rear. Those edges are a little sharp to the touch, but this is a big phone that's easy to grip as a result.
Nokia hasn't gone for the full 2.5D glass front, so the glass doesn't "pop" with a curve from the edge of the device, but there's a slight curve off towards the edges before it hits the chamfer.
The 5.5” full-HD display and wide color reproduction make it easy to enjoy your entertainment, even while out and about in bright daylight. And the wide viewing angle makes it easy to watch videos with friends.
Colours are nice and bright, while text is crisp and sharp. It lacks the deep blacks you’d get with an AMOLED, frequently found on high-end Samsung phones, but it certainly is one of the better screens you’ll find at this price.
It sticks to a conventional 16:9 aspect and with a Full HD resolution, which is detailed enough to give you a smooth visual experience for most of your content. We're not convinced that it's the most natural when it comes to colours - it's a little on the warm side, so the whites don't really shine - but it's a lot better than the Nokia 3.
Although the Nokia 6 has a 450-nit display, it sometimes seems reluctant to get to that degree of brightness (even though that would compound the battery problems that this phone faces), so you may have to manually adjust the brightness yourself at times.
Overall, it's the size that really matters in the Nokia 6. You may find 5.5-inches too wide for a phone, but if you want the extra real estate then we can't take away from Nokia that there's plenty of space to watch your movies or bash out your messages on this device.
Budget phones undoubtedly have to cut back in certain areas to keep the costs down, and Nokia has skimped in the worst possible way. The Nokia 3 was dogged by terrible performance, and the Nokia 6 is hamstrung in a similar way.
The performance is reasonable for daily tasks like keeping on top of your emails and social media, but this isn't a phone that will meet the demands for more advanced users. It's not great for gaming, as things can be a little slow to load some games won't be able to run on higher graphics settings. For example, fire up Total War Battles: Kingdom and you'll find most of the textures stripped out so the game can run.
Lighter games are ok, but be aware that they will take some time to load. That's also something you might find handling apps compared to powerful phones: download and installation is typically slower, but it'll get there in the end. Perhaps the most irritating performance issue is how slowly the camera launches. However, the Nokia 6 isn't alone in this - it's a symptom of its lower power positioning.
At the end of the day, if you want to stream the latest Netflix series or listen to your favourite Spotify tracks the performance is perfectly capable. Just don't let the exterior design fool you that you're getting premium power.
The Snapdragon 430 CPU and Adreno 505 GPU used here has already been updated to the 435, which is used in the cheaper Vodafone Smart V8, and it simply cannot keep up with the big 1080p display.
Lag is common and constant, mostly in infuriating instances such as scrolling through websites and image-heavy apps like Instagram. It’s the sort of day-to-day performance I wouldn’t accept on a sub-£150 phone, let alone one that costs £200.
Nokia said it worked closely with Google when making these phones, and that partnership is most obvious with the software.Like the excellent Google Pixel and its larger brother the Pixel XL, the Nokia 6 comes with only Google’s suite of apps installed and no bloatware at all. You won’t find multiple calendar apps or two competing messaging apps here, just a single pick of each. It’s refreshing to use a phone that doesn’t require you to spend at least an hour ridding it of junk before you can do anything else.
Nokia's promise to deliver a clean Android software experience rings true in the Nokia 6, with the only changes coming in the form of that bespoke camera app and a Nokia support app. Compare that to many budget phones - some of which will change the launcher, add services and duplicate functions - and Nokia looks in a better position.
This also has the added advantage that things like Android security patches are delivered promptly. At the time of writing, the Nokia 6 is up to date - which is a real benefit. Whether that will translate into a quick upgrade to Android O, however, remains to be seen.
On the whole we've found the software experience to be smooth enough. As this is pure Android there's little to get in the way of what you want to do. The speed is ultimately limited by the hardware platform, but as we've said, used as a daily phone for the last three weeks, we've found the Nokia 6 to be perfectly capable of delivering Google services, handling Maps and all the other important stuff.
If the performance is the biggest mark against the Nokia 6, then the camera is a close second.The Nokia 6 has a 16-megapixel sensor on the back with an f/2.0 lens and an 8-megapixel f/2.0 selfie shooter on the front.
The camera block, which also houses the dual-tone LED flash, protrudes slightly from the back of the phone, which did make us nervous when plonking it down on a hard surface, so we’d recommend treating it with a little care to protect the lens.
On-screen, the camera app is pretty straightforward, with a centralized shutter key flanked by a video recording button and a link to your gallery. At the top of the display quick settings for HDR, flash and timer are joined by the toggle that switches you between the front and rear cameras.
Delving into the settings menu there’s not a great deal to write home about, and there’s no pro or manual mode for those who like to tweak settings such as ISO or shutter speed.
The large 5.5-inch Full HD display works well as a viewfinder, while you can use the volume keys on the side of the handset as a shutter button, which is sometimes easier than stretching for the on-screen button.
It’s a simplistic offering then, but one that works well in most scenarios. Images shot in good light tend to have good detail and depth, but the Nokia 6 can struggle a little in low light and indoors. Its camera is comfortably better than those on the Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 though.The dual-tone LED flash doesn’t aid low-light shots, which are frequently unusable and the camera struggles with anything that isn’t well lit.
With Nokia 6’s dual speakers and dedicated amplifier, you get loud sound, deep bass and great clarity. Comes with certified Dolby Atmos sound.
Hidden in the settings is a Dolby Surround Sound mode which gives the speakers a very positive boost - with two modes for music or theatre. In a similar approach to HTC's BoomSound HiFi Edition, the Nokia 6 uses both the ear speaker and the base speaker to produce a wider and more detailed soundscape than many phones.
That's great for watching adhoc movies on YouTube or playing games without headphones. When it comes to music, it also performs well and you can crank it up to full volume with very little distortion. It's a minor thing, but very much a positive.
Nokia has tucked a 3000mAh battery inside the Nokia 6, a pretty average size for a phone toting this screen resolution. It’s a sufficient size, though the complete lack of any sort of fast charging tech does mean it’ll take nearly three hours to fully charge via the included Micro USB cable.
Considering this handset is larger than the Nokia 5 it’s a shame that a bigger battery hasn’t been squeezed in, as you’ll find yourself running out of juice before the day is over if you spend a couple of hours streaming music and playing games.4-5 hours of screen on time throughout the day is common, but you’ll likely need to recharge every night. This isn’t a phone that can last more than one day.
Fast charging would soften the blow of the uninspiring battery life, but the Nokia 6 doesn’t offer that through its micro USB port. On the contrary, charging is incredibly slow, and you’re looking at up to six hours to fully charge if you plug in below 10%.
In general we found the Nokia 6 took around 30 minutes to restore 10% of battery when left on standby, with three hours of charge timing getting you to 60%. These charging speeds can be increased by switching the handset off, but then you lose all connectivity.
This means that if you use the phone more frequently you’ll need to plan a charge an hour or so before you leave the office to ensure you can last until bedtime.
The Nokia 6 is a slightly confusing device. The quality of the design and build would perhaps suit a phone with more ambitious hardware inside. Ultimately the experience is dictated by that entry-level hardware and this is very much par for the course when it comes to affordable phone performance.
There are a few points that niggle, particularly that there's no support for Quick Charge - something that the Snapdragon 430 platform supports - and that the battery life doesn't last that long.
Overall, the decision really has to be made on what you're looking for in a sub-£200 phone. If design is important, then there's quality in the Nokia 6 that few rivals offer at this price point, plus that big display. At the same time, if you have budget concerns, then the Moto G5 is more wallet-friendly, while the Lenovo P2 is a longer-lasting proposition.
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.
Sitting atop the initial batch of Nokia phones made by HMD – the company now responsible for producing smartphones using the famous Finnish brand name – the Nokia 6 should be the most enticing of the bunch. It’s an affordable device; with a big Full HD screen, stock Android software and a classic Nokia design.
The once-iconic phone brand is back in business thanks to Finnish startup HMD signing a 10-year licensing deal to stick the Nokia name on smartphones and tablets, and the Nokia 6 is the main attraction in its trio of launch devices.
While the Nokia 6 was the most high-spec handset at its launch, it’s still firmly a budget offering, with an eye-catchingly low price tag coupled with an alluring all-metal design.
Nokia used to be one of the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturers but it fell behind with the advent of iPhone and Android smartphones. In 2014, Nokia’s Devices and Services division was sold to Microsoft. In 2016, Finnish company HMD Global bought a part of Microsoft’s feature phone business and has a licensing agreement that allows it to make smartphones under the Nokia brand.
Nokia 6:Design
The Nokia 6 is crafted from a single block of aluminum, and the result is a phone which feels far more premium than its budget price tag.
It doesn’t do anything particularly clever or different in terms of design, though, with elements of older Nokia smartphones recognisable here.
There’s a comforting weight to the handset, and while its 154 x 75.8 x 7.85mm body makes it a sizeable presence in the hand it’s still easy to use.
We found the flat sides and sharp corners of the Nokia 6 aren’t as comfortable on the palms as phones with rounded edges – like the Nokia 5 and 3 – and this is noticeable if you hold it in one hand for an extended period of time.
It’s a bulky device, with sharp flat corners and a slightly domed plastic back. The large bezel around the 5.5-inch display makes for a big phone, and the lack of any curvature on the sides make it quite hard to comfortably hold without it digging into your palms. There is plentiful use of metal, especially for a phone of this price, but the back is plastic and as a result it feels quite hollow.
Much like the Nokia 3, the Nokia 6 ships in a playful retail box designed to remind you of the old Nokia days.This gives the phone sturdiness which could help it survive minor drops. During our review, we accidentally dropped the Nokia 6 a couple of times and it suffered no damage whatsoever. The metallic back means that the phone is slippery and we would recommend using a back cover with the Nokia 6.
There's a slight curve to the phone's back, meeting flattened sides with the edges getting a neatly chamfered finish. For the black version of the phone this gives metal highlights, adding detail that's reflected in the side buttons and ringing of the camera on the rear. Those edges are a little sharp to the touch, but this is a big phone that's easy to grip as a result.
Nokia hasn't gone for the full 2.5D glass front, so the glass doesn't "pop" with a curve from the edge of the device, but there's a slight curve off towards the edges before it hits the chamfer.
Nokia 6:Display
The 5.5” full-HD display and wide color reproduction make it easy to enjoy your entertainment, even while out and about in bright daylight. And the wide viewing angle makes it easy to watch videos with friends.
Colours are nice and bright, while text is crisp and sharp. It lacks the deep blacks you’d get with an AMOLED, frequently found on high-end Samsung phones, but it certainly is one of the better screens you’ll find at this price.
It sticks to a conventional 16:9 aspect and with a Full HD resolution, which is detailed enough to give you a smooth visual experience for most of your content. We're not convinced that it's the most natural when it comes to colours - it's a little on the warm side, so the whites don't really shine - but it's a lot better than the Nokia 3.
Although the Nokia 6 has a 450-nit display, it sometimes seems reluctant to get to that degree of brightness (even though that would compound the battery problems that this phone faces), so you may have to manually adjust the brightness yourself at times.
Overall, it's the size that really matters in the Nokia 6. You may find 5.5-inches too wide for a phone, but if you want the extra real estate then we can't take away from Nokia that there's plenty of space to watch your movies or bash out your messages on this device.
Nokia 6:Performance
Budget phones undoubtedly have to cut back in certain areas to keep the costs down, and Nokia has skimped in the worst possible way. The Nokia 3 was dogged by terrible performance, and the Nokia 6 is hamstrung in a similar way.
The performance is reasonable for daily tasks like keeping on top of your emails and social media, but this isn't a phone that will meet the demands for more advanced users. It's not great for gaming, as things can be a little slow to load some games won't be able to run on higher graphics settings. For example, fire up Total War Battles: Kingdom and you'll find most of the textures stripped out so the game can run.
Lighter games are ok, but be aware that they will take some time to load. That's also something you might find handling apps compared to powerful phones: download and installation is typically slower, but it'll get there in the end. Perhaps the most irritating performance issue is how slowly the camera launches. However, the Nokia 6 isn't alone in this - it's a symptom of its lower power positioning.
At the end of the day, if you want to stream the latest Netflix series or listen to your favourite Spotify tracks the performance is perfectly capable. Just don't let the exterior design fool you that you're getting premium power.
The Snapdragon 430 CPU and Adreno 505 GPU used here has already been updated to the 435, which is used in the cheaper Vodafone Smart V8, and it simply cannot keep up with the big 1080p display.
Lag is common and constant, mostly in infuriating instances such as scrolling through websites and image-heavy apps like Instagram. It’s the sort of day-to-day performance I wouldn’t accept on a sub-£150 phone, let alone one that costs £200.
Nokia 6:Software
Nokia's promise to deliver a clean Android software experience rings true in the Nokia 6, with the only changes coming in the form of that bespoke camera app and a Nokia support app. Compare that to many budget phones - some of which will change the launcher, add services and duplicate functions - and Nokia looks in a better position.
This also has the added advantage that things like Android security patches are delivered promptly. At the time of writing, the Nokia 6 is up to date - which is a real benefit. Whether that will translate into a quick upgrade to Android O, however, remains to be seen.
On the whole we've found the software experience to be smooth enough. As this is pure Android there's little to get in the way of what you want to do. The speed is ultimately limited by the hardware platform, but as we've said, used as a daily phone for the last three weeks, we've found the Nokia 6 to be perfectly capable of delivering Google services, handling Maps and all the other important stuff.
Nokia 6: Camera
The camera block, which also houses the dual-tone LED flash, protrudes slightly from the back of the phone, which did make us nervous when plonking it down on a hard surface, so we’d recommend treating it with a little care to protect the lens.
On-screen, the camera app is pretty straightforward, with a centralized shutter key flanked by a video recording button and a link to your gallery. At the top of the display quick settings for HDR, flash and timer are joined by the toggle that switches you between the front and rear cameras.
Delving into the settings menu there’s not a great deal to write home about, and there’s no pro or manual mode for those who like to tweak settings such as ISO or shutter speed.
The large 5.5-inch Full HD display works well as a viewfinder, while you can use the volume keys on the side of the handset as a shutter button, which is sometimes easier than stretching for the on-screen button.
It’s a simplistic offering then, but one that works well in most scenarios. Images shot in good light tend to have good detail and depth, but the Nokia 6 can struggle a little in low light and indoors. Its camera is comfortably better than those on the Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 though.The dual-tone LED flash doesn’t aid low-light shots, which are frequently unusable and the camera struggles with anything that isn’t well lit.
Nokia 6:Audio System
Unless you're HTC, very little gets said about the speakers on phones. While the Nokia 6 has a 3.5mm headphone socket for those on the move, one of the surprising things about this device is how good the speaker performance is.
Hidden in the settings is a Dolby Surround Sound mode which gives the speakers a very positive boost - with two modes for music or theatre. In a similar approach to HTC's BoomSound HiFi Edition, the Nokia 6 uses both the ear speaker and the base speaker to produce a wider and more detailed soundscape than many phones.
That's great for watching adhoc movies on YouTube or playing games without headphones. When it comes to music, it also performs well and you can crank it up to full volume with very little distortion. It's a minor thing, but very much a positive.
Nokia 6:Battery
Nokia has tucked a 3000mAh battery inside the Nokia 6, a pretty average size for a phone toting this screen resolution. It’s a sufficient size, though the complete lack of any sort of fast charging tech does mean it’ll take nearly three hours to fully charge via the included Micro USB cable.
Considering this handset is larger than the Nokia 5 it’s a shame that a bigger battery hasn’t been squeezed in, as you’ll find yourself running out of juice before the day is over if you spend a couple of hours streaming music and playing games.4-5 hours of screen on time throughout the day is common, but you’ll likely need to recharge every night. This isn’t a phone that can last more than one day.
Fast charging would soften the blow of the uninspiring battery life, but the Nokia 6 doesn’t offer that through its micro USB port. On the contrary, charging is incredibly slow, and you’re looking at up to six hours to fully charge if you plug in below 10%.
In general we found the Nokia 6 took around 30 minutes to restore 10% of battery when left on standby, with three hours of charge timing getting you to 60%. These charging speeds can be increased by switching the handset off, but then you lose all connectivity.
This means that if you use the phone more frequently you’ll need to plan a charge an hour or so before you leave the office to ensure you can last until bedtime.
Conclusion
There are a few points that niggle, particularly that there's no support for Quick Charge - something that the Snapdragon 430 platform supports - and that the battery life doesn't last that long.
Overall, the decision really has to be made on what you're looking for in a sub-£200 phone. If design is important, then there's quality in the Nokia 6 that few rivals offer at this price point, plus that big display. At the same time, if you have budget concerns, then the Moto G5 is more wallet-friendly, while the Lenovo P2 is a longer-lasting proposition.
Comments
Post a Comment
LEAVE A COMMMENT