Rs 5,499 nokia 1 directly Xiaomi Redmi 5A And challenges 10.or D. Both these handsets come with the common version of Android. Can Nokia 1 seriously challenge these handsets on the basis of Android Go? Let us know through the review…
nokia 1 design
The compact and nifty design of Nokia 1 serves to give it a distinct identity. Especially when the market is dominated by large screen handsets. There are wide borders at the top and bottom of the display. At the same time, the white rim on the edge of the front panel works to give it a cool look. In the design of Nokia 1, you will see a glimpse of the old Lumia smartphone.
The power and volume buttons are on the right side and their position is convenient. The button response is also good. There is a headphone socket at the top and a micro-USB port at the bottom. The rear camera and single LED flash are housed inside a capsule-like structure on the back. Its white colored border works to further improve the design.
Simple and colorful design, the express-on rear shell gives the Nokia 1 a unique feel. Also, let us tell you that despite taking precautions during the review, the removable shell easily got scratched.
As expected, the Nokia 1 is made of plastic and doesn’t feel premium. This phone, having a thickness of 9.5 mm, cannot be called slim, but it fits easily in the hands. There is a battery under the back cover which can be taken out. Separate slots for two SIM cards and microSD card are also provided.
Nokia 6, nokia 8 And nokia 3 With handsets like these, HMD Global has built a reputation for offering sturdy and durable handsets. Nokia 1 also takes this strategy of the company forward. During the review, the phone fell from our hands once or twice, but nothing happened to it.
Nokia 1 specifications, performance and software
Nokia 1 is a smartphone which is specially designed for Android Oreo Go platform. Android Go is a feature-less version of Google’s popular Android OS. This is for those budget smartphones, which come with a weak processor and 1 GB or less RAM.
The Nokia 1 is obviously no powerhouse. It is equipped with quad core MediaTek MT6737 processor and the highest clock speed is 1.1 GHz. The phone has 1 GB RAM. The battery is of 2150 mAh. The 4.5-inch IPS screen has 480×854 pixel resolution.
There is only one variant of Nokia 1 which has 8 GB inbuilt storage. If needed, it is possible to use a microSD card up to 128 GB. Talking about the camera, you will get a 5 megapixel fixed focus rear camera along with LED flash. It has a 2 megapixel fixed focus front camera. Connectivity features include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, FM radio, Micro-USB, and 3.5mm audio jack.
The basic user interface is very smooth. But the phone becomes slow only when 5-6 apps are open in the background. We found that the phone started lagging while performing simple tasks like scrolling Twitter feed, viewing mobile optimized websites and chatting on WhatsApp.
First party apps like messaging apps also took longer than expected to open. The default Maps Go app could not find our location many times. If you have some apps open in the background, and you are also playing games, the phone gets overheated. Frankly, the user experience reminded us of budget smartphones from those days when everything was slow and boring. To date, such complaints are not found even in this price range.
The experience of playing games on Nokia 1 was very bad. The Subway Surfer game, which usually runs smoothly on every smartphone, was getting stuck on this handset.
In Android Go, Google has designed all the default Android apps in such a way that they consume less data. Apart from this, changes were also made in the system UI and kernel, so that it can work even with 512 MB RAM.
On paper, things look very attractive. But our first experience with Android Go was not great. Default applications also sometimes work, sometimes not. Subscriptions and personal recommendations features are missing from YouTube Go. This app crashed several times during testing. The good thing is that you can decide in which resolution to download the video. In this way it becomes easier to control data and storage.
The Google Go app is attractive. You get shortcuts for features like translation, gif search and voice search. With the help of Files Go app, users will be able to manage storage.
It also has Nokia’s Glance Screen feature. You will see notifications of missed calls, alarm, mail, message etc. in the lock screen.
Overall our experience was not satisfactory. What is the reason for this? It is difficult to decide. Had the Nokia 1 been on a regular Android version, the phone’s weak specifications could have been blamed. However, the Android Go platform is designed for this type of hardware only. Whatever may be the reason, the image of this platform has taken a hit due to its performance.
We weren’t expecting much from the 4.5-inch FWVGA IPS display. It’s very dull and washed out. It is not easy to read anything on it in sunlight. Touch response is satisfactory and viewing angles are quite good.
Call quality was good in our experience. However, some complaints of call drops were found even in areas with good signal. The single speaker on the phone produces a loud sound, which caught our attention. The sound does not crack even at maximum volume. The quality of the earphones that come with the phone is very average. There is nothing surprising in this considering the price.
Nokia 1 cameras and battery life
Like other low-cost phones, the Nokia 1’s cameras disappoint. In low light, pictures taken with the rear camera have a lot of noise, and colors appear washed out. Photos come out better in better light. However, the shot lacks detail. Fixed focus seems to struggle when taking macros and close-up shots. You will be able to record videos of maximum 720 pixels. We found that the recorded clips were noisy.
The front camera is also average. It gives poor results in low light. Selfies taken during the day are slightly better, they can be used on social media. The camera app is easy to use. It also has a manual mode. You will be able to control white balance and exposure.
The Nokia 1 took 8 hours and 45 minutes in our HD video loop battery test, which is disappointing. In normal use the battery can hardly last a whole day. We found that it became necessary to charge the phone by 7-8 pm every day. It also takes 2 hours to be fully charged, which is disappointing.
our decision
The biggest complaint we have with the Nokia 1 is its price tag of Rs 5,499. If the price of Nokia 1 had been kept lower, it would have been a great option for users who are thinking of upgrading from a feature phone to a smartphone. If Jio users keep the cashback offer in mind, its effective price becomes Rs 3,299. But other users should investigate some more options before purchasing this phone. Because today there are many great options for less than Rs 10,000.
Redmi 5A and 10.0r D are priced around Nokia 1, whose user experience is much better. Android Go is still in its early stages, but the existing shortcomings cannot be ignored.