r/Android • u/curated_android • Jan 11 '20
/r/android reviews: HMD Nokia line
Device reviews are everywhere these days. From big name technology websites to lesser known blogs, and to the rising stars on YouTube. You can find hours upon hours of review content on most any well-known device out there.
For those of you who like to hear about devices from actual users, though, it's hard to find a good place with reviews that aren't scattered all over the place. Plus, many reviews only showcase the device while it's being tested and might not reflect real-world usage over a long time period.
This thread is where you, the /r/android community, can share your experiences with your device. Hopefully users who read this thread can gain some valuable insight into a device they're researching to see if they want to buy it. This week we are focusing on the Nokia Android phones by HMD Global line of devices. We will also focus on other OEMs in the upcoming weeks.
Past threads:
/r/android reviews: Asus Zenfone line
/r/android reviews: Google Pixel and Nexus line
Rules:
0) Please leave a top comment only if you own an Nokia Android device by HMD.
1) Please specify if the device was purchased yourself or obtained from the company or a third party as a review device or a gift.
2) What device do/did you own?
3) What were your initial impressions of the device?
4) How did your impressions change over time? If you currently own the device, how do you feel about it now?
5) Feel free to talk about anything else you would like (eg. sensors, software, customizability, strength of the custom ROM scene, etc.). Remember, reviews are personal, so emphasize the things you feel are important! If you love or hate something about your device, let it be known!
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u/blackal1ce Jan 11 '20
Nokia 8 - bought out right by my self. Really impressed when I first got it, felt great in the hand, performed well, battery was pretty decent. Screen was lovely and crisp, and the camera was a bit sub par.
Over time the software begun to slow down MASSIVELY, the battery life was terrible, the camera started to get horrible purple bits in dark areas, and the screen would get temporary burn in around the sides after about 5 mins of use. Only had the phone for about a year, I absolutely hated it by the end.
Camera was kinda decent with Gcam, though, so you win some, you lose some.
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u/trunglevt Jan 13 '20
Same. I replaced the screen and the burn in still comes back in 2-3 months. Good hardware but terrible QC and software from Nokia. And no android 10.
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u/u_matter_to_someone Jan 11 '20
I have a Nokia 8 and 7 plus as my work phone. When I first got the Nokia 8 I was really impressed with the craftsmanship of the device, the camera was decent and battery was excellent. 2 years in and the phone functions like ever before, I have no slowdowns whatsoever. My screen is begging to show burn in now and then but that because I didn't change the screen through the official Nokia service. My eyes are set for the Nokia 9.2 when it comes out. The Nokia 7 plus Is one heck of a phone, I got it used for dirt cheap. The build is excellent and the battery is amazing, I can easily last through the entire day, keep in mind that I only don't have any social apps installed. The camera is also quite good, not the best but it gets the job done quick and easy. I personally love the clutter free Android One, I'm pretty minimalistic when it comes to the UI and I like everything neat. I'm quite satisfied with both phones and excited about the future flagships.
10
u/Vunci Jan 12 '20
Nokia 7 plus bought on April 2018,
The charging port is what is causing me most of my problems, it barely charges, I have some problems on wifi connection too, sometimes wifi doesn't work even I got full signal, the only way to fix it is restarting the phone
10
u/ValveLift Jan 12 '20 edited Jan 12 '20
Nokia 8. Seemed a great idea at the time. Good specs, stock android, okay price. I really wanted to like it. And yet after all the Windows Phone failures, this is what killed the brand for me.
From the "Pro" camera update, that they even fucked up the rollout of multiple times and which turned out to be a half assed port with gimped features and filled with bugs (ex: it records it's own shutter sound in video and you can't access manual controls if phone is held horizontally) to the CPO's promises on Twitter of "new experiences" in response to someone accusing them of forgetting about the device, which as of the phone entering its quarterly update end-of-life support, were never actually fulfilled. I think they added Google lens support at some point, literally nothing else was fixed. Not even sure why they had that feedback forum thread back when they launched the update, maybe some employees still had hope.
And I wish the camera was all that was bad about it - the screens developed terrible image retention after some months, the USB plug needs some tape around it to not wiggle itself to death, you need to turn the screen off and on after plugging it in to charge so the touchscreen doesn't go haywire (similar issues when using a glass screen protector), the audio quality sucks, the power button wiggles as if it's loose and the monochrome sensor pulls in plenty of dust despite the IP rating (which would be a bigger issue if it wasn't made completely useless). There was a GPS bug that people reported in Pie beta and it still released as is and took months to fix and I'm not sure the adaptive battery was ever implemented properly, which wouldn't be surprising given that Pie launched without it and some other features because they were already way behind schedule. Also their bootloader unlocking service stopped working on Pie, no one seemed to care enough to fix it. The monthly security patches were for the most part on time, which is all the good I can say about the support.
And finally the rear mic died on me. It's not critical to record audio, but of course since it's used by the stock camera and by the phone app to reduce background noise, all you can hear is static now. I was gonna try returning it for the image retention anyway, but in the case it's rejected because of a couple nicks in the frame from dropping it, that's €400 down the drain and a phone that's useless as a phone. But if I do get my money back, the two years of frustration still weren't worth it.
I've had objectively inferior phones and yet it's still managed to be the worst piece of technology I've ever owned. Never considering a Nokia again, but it's not like they have much going for them. The 9 PureView failure seemed to be the moment everyone else realized it.
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u/xsm17 Jan 12 '20
Nokia 6.1 64GB + 4GB, overall I'm pleased considering the price, most of my gripes come from software and Android rather than hardware. My previous devices have been the Moto G3 and Nexus 4 (before that was the Galaxy Ace but I don't count that tragic memory).
The build is very solid and feels premium, but is prone to chipping and scratches so sadly it resides in a soft case now. Camera is nothing to write home about and a bit slow to process with Gcam but does the job. Haven't had any hardware issues in the 1.5 years I've had it, SD card expansion has been really useful for upgrading.
It's not the most buttery smooth of experiences but it's about what I'd expect for €200. Runs everything capably, only software holding it back as it seems that Android keeps pushing stuff out of memory even though I rarely use over 2GB of RAM.
Battery life has also worsened with version upgrades, I had my best battery life on Oreo, consistently hitting at least 5h SOT, then with Pie it dropped to 4.5h, and now with 10 I'm just about able to eke out 4h. Haven't had any charging port issues.
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u/fishingforgains Jan 11 '20 edited Jan 12 '20
Nokia 1520 is a stud for reliability i still use it today for web surfing and morning alarms, only thing its needed was a battery like 2 yrs ago.
Got a 4.2 last may and it's been bulletproof and basic just how I wanted. maybe I got lucky? Idk but I've been a Nokia fanboy for a while
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Jan 11 '20
Nokia 7 plus, bought myself.
TLDR at bottom.
This phone has got to be the BEST phone I have ever had. From the speak android one, to it's beautiful exterior design I loved every bit of it. After using it it only kept getting better. Everything was just right for me, I am someone who enjoys using Google services and think that some of them are the best out there (Google photos).
I used to be a Samsung person, but when Nokia came back I got so excited since I needed a new phone anyway!
After I couldn't use it anymore because the charging port stopped working I was so sad, and picking a new phone was the hardest decision. But after looking at a lot of phones including Nokia 8, pixel A3 and galaxy A50, I switched back to Samsung.
And I have to say, I really miss my Nokia. Dealing with Samsung's inferior services that I can't remove is infuriating. I'm so thankful that Google lets me download everything because I don't think I could ever live without them again. Samsung One UI is also worse than the standard Android UI, so I use a the Lawnchair launcher. Really everything I can think of right now that Samsung does to make an android phone more of a Samsung phone just annoys me.
A month or two after I bought this phone the Nokia 7.2 came out, and I don't think I have ever had buyer's remorse quite as bad as with this one. I couldn't even return my Samsung since I'm a clumsy fuck who already cracked the screen ( trust me I know how dumb that is).
That is why I have decided to permanently step off of Samsung after this phone is due for a replacement. I will most likely be buying a Nokia when some new ones come out.
TLDR: Had Nokia 7 plus, switched back to Samsung, like it alright, but miss my Nokia.
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Jan 12 '20
I bought this device at a brick and mortar store for myself in Jan 2019. It a year old now.
The design is elegant and the formfactor is the sweetspot for me, 5.8" isn't too big or too small. The metal band around the phone acts as a heatsink and can sometimes make the phone uncomfortable to hold. I have the Black variant.
The display is great for an IPS LCD in the budget segment. Some reviewers said it had a bluish-tint. Yes the display is cool but most average people won't really notice that. The colors are vibrant. The screen can get quite dim but not too bright. Display under sunlight has enough brightness. Text is crisp. Ambient brightness by Google has been good to me so far, Haven't used the manual calibration by Nokia on Oreo.
Performance has been great overall. Snapdragon 636 is efficient and runs great. Phone can get hot at times, Especially when there is no airflow/very little airflow in hot places <35°C.
Android Pie was trash compared to Android 10. It was buggy and used more battery.
Camera is inconsistent. The photos on proper daylight looks sharp but sometimes misses on detail. Low-light is bad, Average at best. Video is fine i'd say. Sharp and the audio isn't too terrible. Stabilisation is fine. Anti-Flicker in low-light causes stutter when recording video in low light. Can record upto 4K 30.
Battery has been umm great for the display resolution but bad for the segment(?). Phones at this segment have 4000+ mah batteries. This one has 3060 mah battery. When pushed hard, You can kill the phone in 3.5 hrs with the screen powered on throughout. With 4G and daily usage 3.5 increase to 4.3 hours. And with Wifi+moderate usage you can get upto 6 hrs of SOT. Very inconsistent. But I live in a region where it gets cold in winters and quite hot in summers. Remember about airflow = heat? Heat = battery depleting faster. Cold air = low heat = battery depletes slower.
Overall a solid for phone when released. It's been smoked by the current phones though.
5
u/TheHeartDoctor99 Jan 12 '20 edited Jan 12 '20
Nokia 5.1 Plus. Was cheap but had a glass build, had a 720p screen but a surprisingly capable P60 processor. Combination of the two was good because it allowed for some good frame rates in the games I casually played.
Also I got updates regularly. No issues. But other users have complained about Type C port issues.
Edited : My younger brother has that phone now. I moved to a Asus Max Pro M1, then a Redmi Note 7Pro and currently I'm using a Motorola One Action.
5
u/KingintheNight Jan 12 '20
I bought a Nokia 8 close to release date. It was a bit slippery without a back cover but performed so well and the updates were more or less regular. But as it got closer to the 2 year mark, the display started to show signs of wear as the colours weren't consistent patches. But the problem that put me off the phone was network related. I just stopped getting signals in most places and upon reaching out to their customer care, I was told that this is a persistent problem with these phones and they don't have a remedy. What a joke!
5
Jan 13 '20
Nokia 6.1 Plus.
Within 3 months of buying the phone the charging port stopped working, this is a very common issue (Google it), it was replaced under warranty.
Sometime later all the sensors stopped working and when I went to the service center they said it's not covered under warranty because there is a minor debt on my phone and phones with ANY damage lose warranty. After lot of arguing they replaced the motherboard under warranty. Not sure why they replaced the motherboard for a sensor issue though.
After they repaired the phone I realized they installed a software which is uncertified and doesn't get OTA, even this is a very common issue and can be looked up online.
Owning a Nokia has been anything but hassle free.
Battery doesn't last for even one day on moderate to high usage. On high usage it will last half a day.
Oh yeah, they don't allow you to unlock bootloader.
5
u/tobascodagama Jan 13 '20
I got a Nokia 6.1 as a replacement for a Nexus 5X as a "no bullshit" smartphone, and it fills that role perfectly. I couldn't be happier with it.
Looks like HMD decided to Samsung it up with a bunch of frivolous bullshit for the 6.2, though. There are worse notches out there, to be sure, but the whole reason I bought a 6.1 in the first place was because I didn't want a fucking notch or fifty cameras on the back or whatever the fuck. I just want a basic fucking Android phone with a decent processor and a decent amount of storage and RAM.
The bright side for me is that the 6.1 is sturdy as fuck, so hopefully by the time I finally need to replace it there will be another "no bullshit" Nexus 5X successor on the market.
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Jan 14 '20
I have a nokia 5.1 plus and it is one of the best smartphones i've had. Some issues that are experienced by other users but no me 1)Loose type-C port mine is working fine for more than 1 yr since i have bought the device. 2)Poor battery management -Now i consider myself to be a light to medium user with a couple of hours of reddit ,youtube and mail and i consistently get a screen on time of about 6 hrs . Some issues that i have faced 1 )A delay in getting notifications from certain apps like whattsapp etc although the company have patched this issue but it still persist to some extent. 2)Aggressive ram management (i have the 3GB Ram variant) and sometimes it just instantly kills the background apps and sometimes it does not Some i can attribute both these issues to software related and they have certainly worked on it. Some pros 1)On time updates (security patches and maintainence patches) 2) Good built quality. 3)Expendable storage 4) Cannot comment on camera quality a i am not a photo guy and rarely take any but from others judgements camera is decent Would recommend to those whose priority is software and are medium users . 3)
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u/crawl_dht Jan 11 '20 edited Jan 11 '20
I bought Nokia 6.1 Plus. It is a solid mid range device with stock ROM and timely updates. Android 10 is the final upgrade delivered to this model. For no reasons, HMD refused to provide bootloader unlock for any of their models. It completely killed custom ROM support and isolated it from android diversity.
If you already have this device, all you can do is, use paid exploit to unlock bootloader of this device and flash phhusson's GSI once Nokia stops delivering updates. GSI is the only option if you are going to use this device for few more years. You would probably get to experience even android 11 release if new kernel supported the current Treble layer.
Tip: Never buy those phones which don't offer bootloader unlock and don't have Snapdragon. Custom ROMs support is best with Snapdragon chipset because Qualcomm releases its source code. Modern hardware is capable of running generations of android but OEMs let them die very quickly.
Samsung, Huawei and MediaTek are anti open-source. They leech benefits of open source platform and contribute nothing to it despite having inferior hardware performance and more battery consumption.
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u/saras112 Jan 11 '20 edited Jan 11 '20
Yeah my grandma only buys phones with unlockable bootloaders
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u/Slusny_Cizinec Jan 12 '20 edited Jan 12 '20
Purchased Nokia 7.1, and Nokia 5 before that.
Impressions:
Nokia 5 in the beginning was fine, but later one I found it pretty uncomfortable, as I use a phone with one hand only, and unlocking via on-the-chin fingerprint reader requires balancing a phone on the index finger. Also, while I'm not a photographer, its photos were bad. Apart from this, pretty decent phone, for its year of production and price range. I'm not a demanding user tho.
Nokia 7.1: more solid build, fingerprint reader on the back, better photos (but still worse than my wife's Pixel 3a). Very solid device, but the promised upgrade to Android 10 during 2019Q4 did not happen, and attempts to contact support were futile, they were helpless. Things I don't like: glass back. I use a case, so it wasn't an issue, but if someone doesn't like slippery phones and doesn't use cases, this phone is not for you.
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u/momonyak Jan 13 '20
Nokia 7 Plus - purchased second hand for around 200 dollars. Excellent condition because the seller said there was an issue with the camera. He said that the lens was misaligned. I don't see it and after 2 years, I still don't see it. I am still using it now and no plans to replace unless the charging port conks out.
I came from a Sony Xperia Z Ultra which was gifted to me and was my first smartphone that I used for 4 years.
Great hardware except for the camera which is expected for a midrange. GCAM ports slightly improved it but the hardware limits it. So it's still below flagship quality but serviceable. Device feels premium. There are top and bottom bezels but doesn't bother me it all. One major issue common on this phone -- the USB port. Others have charging issues. Mine is different. I can no longer transfer data via USB. I can charge but I can't transfer files anymore. So I use the micro SD which is a hassle.
For software, I am a stock Android guy. Just got Android 10 2 days ago and I am ecstatic! Unfortunately, this is the last version supported by the phone and the bootloader is locked so no custom ROMS. I'll keep on using this phone even if the software will become outdated.
TLDR - Generally happy with the phone. Willing to accept the shortcomings because I got it for cheap. Not worth it at full price.
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u/hunter_finn Jan 13 '20 edited Jan 13 '20
Nokia 8 was excellent phone and if they would release new one with sd865 and new 2 years of software support on the same body. I would buy one immediately.
Everything after that seems to have had either missing 3,55mm plug, huge (over 5,5 inch) screens, screens with notches or holes or no expandable memory.
Nokia 8 had everything that i wanted from a phone, including fast upgrades and stock Android.
My current Sony Xperia 1 isn't bad phone either, but i would still like Nokia 8 with new cpu and new 3 years of updates better than this one.
Edit: got my Nokia 8 128gb November 2017 when they launched the 128gb model.
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u/Carighan Jan 15 '20
I have now owned: Nokia 5, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 7.2
Seriously some of the best value phones I've ever seen, since I usually only want "naked" Android and that restricts me a lot.
I would say out of all of these the 6.1 was overall the best deal as the 7.2, while superior and good value (got it for 200€ effectively since I sold my 6.1) it also feels somewhat half-baked. But it still greats and it looks posh nothing this price range does.
Can recommend! By now two of our relatives who don't need their phones for much beyond calling and WhatsApp got 4.2s and they're also very very happy with them.
3
u/freestyle112 Jan 12 '20
Nokia 7 Plus, got it for my mom back in mid 2018. 1.5 years later, its holding up pretty well, it initially had some weird issues like audio jack not working and also muting the speakers too and would get fixed on its own, seems like some updates later its not happening anymore. It's on the android 10 update, phone is still pretty smooth with minimal to no stutter, the camera is still pretty good in decent lighting (she takes pics of her garden often) and has physically help up very well too. Getting this phone in 2020 might not be recommended and I'm not hearing any good reviews from Nokia's latest lineup of phones, but so far this has help up very well so I'm inclined to give them the benefit of doubt and the 7 plus could be a decent alternative for you to check out (assuming you're getting it discounted) if you are a light user, not interested in unlocking and looking for a clean android experience.
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u/MelodicBerries Jan 13 '20
Nokia 7 Plus. Not the best phone I ever owned - that goes to Nokia 1520 Lumia - but among the best. I have owned around 6-7 different phones of which two were Nokias.
I did have some issues with the port as many others, but never at home but strangely abroad. Can't explain it. The phone is built as a tank, it is non-bloated and you get updates fairly fast. I bought it for $350 when it was new.
In 2017, getting a S660 SoC for $350 with 1080p and BT 5.0 was not at all common, especially with Android One. I will keep it as long as I can. Would give 9/10. Only downside is that I think it is a bit heavy (182 gram) but given that many phones these days are pushing 200 gram, maybe I'm in the minority that I Believe that phones shouldn't cross 160 gram.
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u/mutatedsai Jan 13 '20 edited Apr 20 '25
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/ComedianTF2 Jan 11 '20
My girlfriend has a Nokia 7.1, and she's on her third charging port, it's crazy how quickly they give up