Nokia - 7.1 with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Blue

I've been a Motorola devotee for a few years now, my first Motorola Android phone being the first Moto G (back when they were still owned by Google), but I'm not at all happy with way Motorola has supported their phones since Lenovo took over. Nor am I happy with the shroud of secrecy surrounding when security patches and software updates will be released, along with the vague promises of “soon.” So right after New Years it was time for a new phone, as my Moto X Play had slowed considerably, and even things like typing were becoming tedious tasks (it's hard to type when GBoard keeps crashing). I began looking at alternatives to Moto. I don't like the pricetag or the bloat associated with Samsung, so a Galaxy S-whatever was out of the question. I'm not fond of LG's customizations to Android. And even though the specs on the Razer Phone 2 are awesome, I'm just not ready to shell out that kind of money – for a phone! I thought about switching to iPhone, but honestly, I prefer Android (full disclosure, I'm a Mac guy, so even *I* am surprised at my lack of enthusiasm for iPhone). And then I saw that Nokia was back in the game with their new line of Android phones. After doing some research, finding out that HMD Global, the company that makes the Nokia phones, is essentially the original Nokia mobile phone division, and comparing Nokia phones to others, I knew that I had found what I was looking for. After viewing all of their models – the 3.1, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 – I settled on the Nokia 7.1. Thanks to the AndroidOne program that Nokia's phones are a part of, they receive regular updates for at least two years, there's no bloat, and the experience is as close to stock Android as you can get (which, honestly, I prefer). Indeed, right out of the box it updated from Android Oreo (which the phone shipped with in November) to Android Pie, and then last week the first security patch came through. The phone is fast and responsive, and has all the features that you would want: 64GB built in storage, 4GB RAM, SDXC support up to 400GB, dual SIM support, Fingerprint sensor, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and a pretty decent camera. The rear camera is a 12MP camera with a 2nd 5MP camera that does things like depth of field, portrait mode, and HDR images. And it has a decent front camera, too. Nokia can't be beat as far as features for the price. It's priced like a value phone with all the features you'd expect from a flagship phone. And it's backed by the AndroidOne program. As of today, you just *cannot* go wrong with a Nokia phone, and I highly recommend it to people.

Screen viewing quality is excellent using enhanced HDR 10 display. I manually set display brightness level instead of adaptive due to screen definition and color being easy on the eyes at brighter setings than most phones. Fingerprint scanner works flawlessly and has not failed yet on first scan using programed scan finger only. The camera really captures small font print A1, several settings available for more active photographing. Audio is good and speaker on top of phone, volume control is smooth as silk with options. A case for this phone is not a option if you lay it on a surface with any slope or loosely in a pocket. The glass back looks great but is slick finish. I know because this is the first phone I have had a cracked screen. It slipped from jacket pocket prior receiving a ordered protective case. I sent phone to HMD repair in TX. Inside a week the phone was returned 100% like new for reasonable cost of repair to home address by Fed Ex.

I upgraded from a Nokia 6.1 with PIE to this phone. I was a little taken back it came with Oreo. I tried to force it to update to PIE no luck. I can't download my backup SMS as Google backups are not backward compatible. Contacted Nokia support. They said PIE had been out for it since November. They said to remove carrier SIM and reset it boot to WiFi and it should update. The first day no luck. So I inserted the carrier SIM. And uses SMS backup and restore on old phone saved to cloud and restored on new phone. And started using it. 2 days later PIE dropped informing the update. And WOW MOM WOW. Now the phone is really awesome. Much faster than the Nokia 6.1 and much better call support holding calls that dropped on the old Nokia 6.1 I like the fact the phone is a little narrower in width and makes it easier one handed. And the display is awesome. Great photos too. And the camera has motion stills and bokeh. I'm very happy. Oh I got the official Nokia clear case it's incredible.

Please be aware of the SERIOUS Bluetooth issue when using the phone in your car: When first connect to a car, the cell signal is normal, but after you make the first call, the signal drops SIGNIFICANTLY, usually down to 0 or NO SERVICE! This issue is 100% replicable, and I've tested it in 2 cars - 2016 Toyota Sienna and 2016 Mazda 3. If you Google the issue, you will find results indicating the issue happens to many auto makes and models, and the issue is NOT limited to the Nokia 7.1 model, some reported the same issue with other Nokia phones. so far the root cause is not identified, and I'm not sure if it's hardware related or software related. Overall we really like the phone, and thought it was the best in that price range, but the issue is quite significant that we cannot ignore.

The Nokia 7.1 s a very good looking phone. With the all glass feel and metal frame, this phone smooth and still sturdy. I've dropped it a couple times already and still has no scratches. It has been optimized with the very clean Android One system running with no bloatware. The color range on the screen is beautiful. The camera app is very consistent with the Bokeh mode and the manual focus. It can handle any mobile game out there. 2 issues I encountered were the on speaker volume for calls and the HDR10 screen feature. When on a phone call there was some adjusting because the small hole for the speaker needs to be directly in the ear or it will sound really low. When on loud speaker it is decent. The HDR10 feature it has for enhancing the screen still needs some work. I ran into issues when using full screen for videos. Just turn it off until it is updated. Overall this phone is definitely a keeper. I would definitely recommend this phone to anyone looking for a phone that feels like a flagship, without paying that flagship price.

This is a great phone for the price. Could it be naturally priced $50 cheaper at $299 MSRP? Absolutely. I think that's the only thing I could consider "bad" about this phone in that it would make more sense to list this at $299 by Nokia. Now to the review! Pros: +Build Quality - simply amazing at this price point. +Fingerprint sensor - very fast recognition and virtually no delay to waking up the phone and allowing you access. Friendly tip: always set up the same finger twice (I've done this on all phones with a fingerprint sensor and it makes recognition that much better). +Speaker - loud and clear +Screen - nice amount of real estate to work with here, LCD is very bright and decent in direct sunlight. Keep in mind viewing angles might not be the best at this size, but nothing the average user would notice. The notch doesn't really play much interference with focusing on screen content however it would be nice to see Android One get the option to hide the notch for those who don't like it. +Android One - absolutely no bloatware or preinstalled apps aside from the apps Google requires (for their own services). The only non-Google app is a Support app from Nokia which can easily be disabled. +Performance - Not bad at all (see cons). +Fast Charger brick INCLUDED in the box (Apple seems to be the only manufacture who doesn't do this....cheapos). +USB Type C - so happy all of my devices now use USB Type C! Cons: -Android One lacks a toggle for showing the battery percentage in the notification bar -There is no notification LED (single LED that blinks when a notification arrives) so for those who love the notification LED beware it's not on this phone. -Accessories - Nokia released this phone before official accessories could be made available for purchase (folio case and TPU case). Accessories are pretty limited for this phone but give it a few weeks before Amazon and Best Buy have them readily available. -Performance - The snapdragon chip in this phone is capable of snappier performance. You can tell Nokia didn't optimize Android One 8.1 a whole lot for this snapdragon 636 chipset as 9.0 will be released in the next few weeks (by end of November). I hope they spend more time optimizing performance in their 9.0 release for the 636 because it is capable of more! NOTE - you won't be disappointed from the performance as the average user won't notice a difference but a nerd like me does. I would wholeheartedly recommend this phone against any other mid-range phone on the market (including Moto G and E series as well as the X4, any LG or even the Nokia 6).

This phone is a well rounded budget phone. I'm coming from a pixel XL. In my opinion, the rear facing camera is the weakest point. Lighting needs to be perfect for a really good picture, and it is hard to focus sometimes. Front facing camera is great, even in dim lighting. The phone isn't snappy like the pixel, but it doesn't freeze up like some other budget phones that I've used in the past. One big complaint that I have is that notifications will turn on the screen in my pocket and there can be accidental button presses. I tried getting a flip cover to make sure there weren't any button pushes, but I couldn't find a quality one. I ended up turning off the "screen on with notifications" to fix this. On the plus side, it survived a 3' drop into tile flooring without a crack or scratch!

I pre-ordered this phone at Best Buy and got it immediately, which is great on Best Buy's part. I've been using the phone for more than a week now, and I can, without a doubt, say that this is a very good phone. Especially considering the price point (some may say it could be even cheaper, but I feel this is good), the phone is more value for money. I may be reiterating what the other reviewer (sinnwo) has already said (very detailed), but I will try to add some more (or other) points. I will update the review in the coming weeks as I keep using the phone. Also, I haven't played any games on the phone (not a gamer), so I can't speak of it. Pros: 1. Design & Build. The design does have a premium feel to it, with the solid-feeling buttons and I think the build is also strong; may not be "Nokia strong", but I haven't tested it and don't intend to. I'll leave that to some of those YouTubers. 2. UI and Performance. Absolutely no bloatware, since the phone comes with Android One. The UI is also very smooth and the performance is also very good (hardly any lag so far). 3. Fingerprint Sensor. Although I'm not a big fan of fingerprint sensors and face identification (call me old), I did use it for a couple of days or so and it's very fast. On that note, I did see facial recognition under "Smart Lock" (tested it and it works alright), but after an update, it doesn't appear now, for some strange reason. 4. Camera. I don't have any photos to post, but I did test the picture quality and a couple of "effects" and I feel they come in a very good and natural quality. 5. Headphone jack, USB-C port and a fast charger. Mentioning about headphone jack and placing it in "pros" is silly, but you know what most other phones are doing. Anyway, the fast charger does charge fast enough. I think it took about 40 minutes for an 80% charge (may not be entirely accurate). Cons: I haven't really come across any major issues, but I'll point out the minor ones, and I'm nitpicking here. 1. Notch? Although you don't tend to notice it much, it does exist and it cannot be hidden at the moment. Will update the review if/when I'm able to hide it. 2. The look of the accessories in the box. The charger doesn't look good (it's strong, but it's old), but it does its job well. I don't think anyone would use the headphones bundled with the phone, because they look very old and they don't fit well either. Nokia has the quality and nostalgia associated with it and people still like the brand, despite its absence in the market. It has made a delayed, yet a nice entry to the US market with this phone. I would definitely recommend this to others. You wouldn't be disappointed.