Nokia 3.1 Plus first impressions: A big-screen, dual-camera phone on budget

Nokia, the mobile phone brand licensed to Finnish start-up HMD Global, on October 11 launched the Nokia 3.1 Plus at Rs in India. The budget smartphone is the third Nokia-branded device to get a design and specification upgrade this year. The others are the Nokia 5.1 Plus (review) and the Nokia 6.1 Plus (review). The Nokia 3.1 Plus will be available in blue, white and baltic colour options and will come in two RAM and storage configurations – 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB. The phone is priced at Rs 11,499 for the 16GB variant. It will go on sale only via offline channels starting October 19.

Design and display

This is one area where the Nokia 3.1 Plus has improved significantly when compared with the second-generation Nokia 3-series smartphones. The phone sports a mammoth 6-inch screen of HD+ resolution covered under 2.5D curved glass.

Interestingly, the screen does not feature any notch, which gives it a distinct look and the modern 18:9 aspect ratio accentuates the overall outlook without compromising on the overall form factor.

The back has a unibody design with matte finish that gives it a good grip to hold and operate. Unlike the predecessor, the phone has a dual-camera module on the back that looks similar to the one seen in the Nokia 6.1 Plus, and a fingerprint sensor below it. The camera module and fingerprint rim are accentuated by a silver lining on their borders, improving the overall appeal of the otherwise regular look of the phone’s back.

Camera

The Nokia 3.1 Plus has a dual-camera module on the back, featuring a 13-megapixel primary sensor of f/2.0 aperture size and 1.12 micron pixel size, mated with 5MP depth-sensing lens of f/2.4 aperture size and 1.12 micron pixel size. There is an 8MP camera of f/2.2 aperture size on the front for selfies.

Nokia 3.1 Plus Technical details aside, the primary camera unit in the Nokia 3.1 Plus seems to be an improvement over the singular camera lens in the predecessor. The front camera also seems slow in processing information, resulting in blurred images. Though the output seems sub-optimal in the first impression, a detailed account on the camera performance would be reserved until we do a full review.
Key specifications

Display: 6-inch HD+ screen in 18:9 aspect ratio
Processor: MediaTek Helio P22, octacore processor with a maximum operating frequency of 2.0GHz
RAM and ROM: 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB
Camera: 13+5MP primary camera, 8MP front camera
Battery: 3,500 mAh
Accessories: 5V/2A charger, microUSB cable, headset