Nokia 7.1 premium mid-range smartphone launched with affordable price

The New Nokia 7.1 integrates premium features like the HDR10 LCD display and the rear dual-camera sporting Zeiss optics. (Source: HMD Global)

HMD Global is bringing premium features like an HDR10 screen and Zeiss optics for the rear dual-cam to its mid-range lineup. The display features the infamous notch, but, other than that, the specs are quite compelling for the affordable price point, as the Nokia 7.1 is powered by the Snapdragon 636 SoC coupled with 3 or 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32 or 64 GB storage.

by Bogdan Solca, 2018/10/05

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The latest Nokia 7.1 from HMD Global is now available as a premium mid-range smartphone, with which the company is trying to bring some high-end specs to its mainstream devices, but still keep decent MSRPs.

Speaking of premium features, right off the bat there is the notched 5.84-inch LCD display with 2244 x 1080 resolution (19:9) and HDR10 capabilities. HMD also integrated a PixelWorks chip that upscales SDR content to HDR and adjusts the best visual experience depending on the environment. The screen itself is covered with Corning’s Gorilla 3 glass for added protection.

Powered by the Snapdragon 636 octa-core SoC, which integrates the Adreno 509 GPU, the new Nokia 7.1 also comes with either 3 or 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and users can choose between 32 or 64 GB of storage. Additionally, there is a speedy X12 LTE modem, a microSD storage extension slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 supports, NFC compatibility, an audio jack and a USB-C 2.0 port.

Just like in the good old Nokia days of the early 2000s, the optics assembly of the cameras included in the Nokia 7.1 are provided by Zeiss. The 8 MP selfie shooter is not that impressive, but the dual cam on the back gets a 12 MP main shooter with f/1.8 aperture and Dual Pixel APDF, plus a 5 MP depth shooter with f/2.4 aperture, and a dual-LED.

The 3,060 mAh battery is quite enough for a mid-range phone of this size. The device is running Android 8.1 out of the box, but HDM Global promised an Android 9 update later on.

Availability will be limited to select markets, including the U.S. The Nokia 7.1 will start shipping on October 20, with the 3 GB / 32 GB version being priced at US$349 and the 4 GB / 64 GB version costing US$400.