HMD Global already launched the Nokia 6 (2018) in many markets around the world. An US-release was pending, to fill the gap, the company is releasing the phone in the US as Nokia 6.1. The device will be sold for a mere $269, following the company’s earlier pricing scheme.
The Nokia 6.1 is a solid upgrade over the last year’s Nokia 6. In terms of design, the phone might look almost identical but tiny changes go a long way. The fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back from last year’s frontal position. It makes the front of the phone appear much cleaner, however, the company isn’t ditching the bezels completely like other smartphone makers.
With Nokia 6.1, the company has decided to stick to 16:9 ratio while others rush to the 18:9 bezel less design. It’s definitely disappointing to see Nokia not trying to make the screen more immersive. Bezel-free has become the “mantra” and it definitely helps in many cases, for instance, the newer 18:9 makes the phone taller while reducing the width of the phone which makes the phone easier to hold.
It’s at-least good to see that Nokia is not following the “notch” bandwagon. Most of the Android smartphone makers are rushing to create notched phone even when the current Android version doesn’t support notched displays. The next version of Android (P) will be adding support for notch; Android smartphone makers should wait till Android apps are optimized for notch.
One of the best improvement with the Nokia 6.1 is the processor jump, the phone now packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chip which is vastly better compared to last year’s Snapdragon 430. Also, the phone packs 4GB of RAM and ditches Micro-USB for the latest USB-C.
The Nokia 6.1 will hit Amazon and Best Buy on Sunday for $269.