Nokia 6 has me excited for future Nokia smartphones
"Built like a tank" is what a fellow journalist told me when I inquired upon how they were liking the device. He was 100% right. The device in question is HMD Global's Nokia 6, which retails for Rs 14,999. A month and three 'drops' later, I can safely say that this is the sturdiest phone I've used throughout 2017. Actually, let me rephrase that. It's the most robust smartphone I've had the pleasure of holding in my palm in the last five years; it brings back memories of what the good old days of Nokia were about.
HMD Global, the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand, has done a wonderful job in bringing the iconic company back into the limelight. All the traits of the 'original' brand - solid, reliable, fast software updates, excellent after sales support - are back and how. It's essentially old wine in a new bottle. It's 2002 in 2017. 2017 Nokia feels the same as 2002 Nokia but it isn't there just yet.
Nokia 6 was HMD Global's first Nokia-branded Android smartphone and since then it has released the, even more, budget-focused Nokia 3 & Nokia 5 smartphones and the flagship worthy Nokia 8. A significant step for the company, as the Nokia brand was floundering under Microsoft for a couple of years. First released in China at the beginning of the year, it has slowly made its way to the shores of India.
If Nokia wants to get its mojo back - after the Microsoft debacle - then it is up to Nokia 6 to prove its metal. Nokia was never known as a premium brand and even though the Nokia 8 (released at Rs 36,999) is trying to break through that barrier, it is the Nokia 6 and its sales that will define the company in its journey ahead.
I've had about a month with the Nokia 6 - the company's 'premium' budget handset - and whilst I'm not sold on Nokia 6, it has gotten me excited about the recently released Nokia 8 flagship smartphone. Read on and let me explain why.
Is the Nokia 6 the best phone under 15k? The Nokia 6 has Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4, Moto's G5S Plus, Coolpad's Cool Play 6 as its major competition in the sub-15k segment. Well, the TL;DR version of this review is: performance is a mixed bag but at least it's hidden beneath the gorgeous looks and absolute stellar sturdiness. Its not the phone to buy in this price range.
Maybe the next iteration of the Nokia 6 will knock the competition out of the park. This one has me excited for what the Nokia brand can achieve.
Specifications
Yes, I don't care about them and so shouldn't you. Yet, for some of you, specifications are the epitome of a smartphone. Here you go:
It's got a full-metal body with a 5.5-inch full-HD display. Under the hood, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, 3GB RAM & 32GB of storage (expandable up to 128GB). There is a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. There are dual speakers and it runs on a 3,000 mAh battery.
That's about all you really need to know.
Design & Display
From the moment you lay your eyes on the Nokia 6, you know it has been crafted by the Finnish folks with a lot of care. In the one month of usage, the Nokia 6 has won me over with its elegance and suave and sophistication. It has been crafted from a single piece of 6000 series aluminium and that gives it a sturdiness unmatched by no other. Not even phones that cost twice as much (here's looking at you Honor 8 Pro).
Here's just one example to illustrate that. I was at a restaurant with a friend and I had accidentally dropped my Nokia 6. Before I could pick it up, one of the waiters had walked by, and stepped on the edge. I was worried. Fret not though. The Nokia 6 survived it without a blemish. I picked it up and continued to use it like it was the day I took it out of the box.
Nokia 6 isn't the slimmest phone out there. It isn't even the lightest phone. It makes up for its heft in the build quality.
The screen itself isn't exceptional but is up to the standards of the competition with good viewing angles and great reproduction of colours. It's vibrant and brightness isn't an issue here.
There are power and volume rockers on the right, hybrid dual-SIM tray on the left, 3.5mm headphone jack on the top and disappointingly, a micro USB charging slot (no USB Type-C), at the bottom. The capacitive buttons reside on the big bottom bezel and the home button houses the fingerprint scanner.
Performance, software & battery life
Lag. Laggy. Laggiest. Yes, the Nokia 6 lags behind the competition massively. Look at these fairly average scenarios:
- Opening multiple Chrome tabs
- Flipping between social networks - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
- Calling with speakerphone on and sending a message on WhatsApp
- Playing Hill Climb 2 or Temple Run 2
- Downloading a large file whilst watching a YouTube video
- Taking a photo
In most, if not all those scenarios, the phone took a couple of extras seconds for completing the task than one is used to. In more than one occasion, the phone lagged and nearly hung. Thankfully, it didn't come to a point wherein I needed to restart the phone.
Nokia has gone the pure Android route. It's got stock Android and speedy updates. The Nokia 6 is currently running Android Nougat 7.1.1 with the October security patch on its way already. That gives it the advantage of zero bloatware, which is a relief these days, let me tell you.
But even so, the choice of Snapdragon 430 isn't a good one. The phone is seemingly underpowered and even though I really wanted to like the phone, it has stopped short for me.
Battery life though - even with a small-ish 3,000 mAh battery - is stellar. It easily lasted me a day and just a bit to get through the night before I charged it in the morning. Even standby is superb, lasted beyond the average of phones in this range. Only ASUS' Zenfone 3 Max outperforms it in day-to-day battery performance. The ASUS Zenfone 3 Max is a battery focused smartphone.
Camera
Take a look at the following photos and you'll instantly know which is the better camera. I went on a walk, on the afternoon of Diwali, around my neighbourhood and came out less than impressed. Here's a direct shootout between the Nokia 6 and the ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro
The Nokia is lighter but lacks the detail. The ASUS is a pretty capable camera on its own. Xiaomi's Mi A1 and Moto G5S Plus outperform both of these smartphones in the camera department. If you're looking toward the Nokia 6 as being your primary camera, think again. It isn't worth it, despite the various updates that have made taking pictures a better experience.
Lastly, the time taken to process the photos is excruciatingly long. I've had to hold the Nokia 6 steady for many seconds before the photograph would be taken and saved in the gallery.
Final verdict
Now, let's get back to my original point as to why the Nokia 6 has me excited for the future of the Nokia brand.
The Nokia 6 has shown me that the company hasn't forgotten about its past and that the being under Microsoft was only a blip in its timeline. Nokia 6 has also shown me that it is evolving. That it is willing to go the extra mile. That it wants to compete on quality rather than aggressive pricing. This warms my heart. I won't hide it. I used to be a huge fan of Nokia back in the day. My family and I owned many Nokia phones. I even threw my Nokia phones in anger. Whether it was on the wall right in front of me. Or even down the stairs. The phones would break apart with the battery falling out but no damage whatsoever.
That's the promise of Nokia and the Nokia 6 lives up to that. That, along with stock Android and regular updates, and good after-sales service has got me thrilled to see what Nokia has to offer in the next few months. I went to the launch of Nokia 8 in India and that blew me away. For Rs 36,999, you get a phone with a more than capable camera, a sturdy and classy design and the promise of Nokia. Plus the added bonus of Nokia OZO audio. I'm excited to try it out in the next few days.
Should you buy the Nokia 6?
The simple answer, unfortunately, is no. As much as I wanted to like the Nokia 6, the performance lets me down, by a mile. It's got eye-popping looks, even though it isn't bezel-less, and the traditional traits of any Nokia phone prior to Microsoft's takeover are there.
At Rs 14,999, this phone is overpriced by about 5k. Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4 beats it hollow in performance, Moto's G5S Plus beats it in camera quality by a distance and Xiaomi's Mi A1 is a lighter and better-performing stock Android phone. I could go on and on, but looking at the Nokia 8, I just wish that was released before the Nokia 6.
Nokia is still cushioning itself as a budget brand and it needs to step out of that mentality sooner rather than later. Nokia needs to let its wings fly. It's done that with Nokia 8. It's also got the mid-range Nokia 7 on the horizon. But will the customers bite? I sure hope so because the Nokia of the past is the Nokia of the future.
The Nokia 6 isn't a game-changer and defintiely not a segment-churner. The Nokia 6 is a reliable, solid device, that will be good enough for simple day-to-day tasks. It'll look good on your bedside table and you can show it off to the folks on the metro. Beyond that, don't expect this phone to be Nokia's comeback device. That might just be the Nokia 7 or Nokia 8. At least one can hope so because I'm definitely rooting for a Nokia comeback for the ages.
First published: 21 October 2017, 14:48 IST
