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Nokia 9 PureView Smartphone Review

Connect five. HMD Global went the extra mile with its brand-new Nokia 9 PureView flagship and equipped it with a total of five lenses for the main camera in order to achieve superior image quality. It is not just the camera though, the rest of the device features even more high-end hardware. Find out in our review whether or not the Nokia 9 PureView lives up to its own expectations.

When designing their latest smartphone flagship HMD Global’s engineers went the whole nine yards and equipped the Nokia 9 PureView with not just two, nor just three, but a total of five camera modules with a resolution of 12 MP each at the back. The result is an attempt to revolutionize smartphone photography with exceptional dynamic range and unbelievable depth-of-field information.

The camera is so prominently advertised that it is easy to ignore the rest of the not any less impressive hardware. For around $700 you get a Snapdragon 845, which may not be Qualcomm’s latest and greatest high-end SoC but is still a remarkably fast contender, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage space, dual SIM, LTE Cat. 16, and an aluminum case shielded by Gorilla Glass 5.

Whether or not the Nokia 9 PureView is capable of living up to its own image quality expectations will be an important part of this review. We pitched it against its main competitors and other high-end smartphones, such as the Apple iPhone XS MaxHuawei P30 ProLG V40 ThinQSony Xperia XZ3, and Xiaomi Mi 9.

Nokia 9 PureView
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 8 x 2.8 GHz, Cortex-A75 / A55 (Kryo 385)
Graphics adapter
Memory
6 GB 
, LPPDDR4X
Display
5.99 inch 2:1, 2880 x 1440 pixel 538 PPI, capacitive, P-OLED, QHD+, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, glossy: yes
Storage
128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash, 128 GB 
, 113 GB free
Connections
1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, Audio Connections: USB-C, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: Fingerprint Sensor, G-Sensor, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Hall Sensor, Barometer, Biometric Face Unlock, USB-C
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0, GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz), LTE Cat.16 (Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66), 4x4 MIMO, WiFi Calling, head-SAR 0.88 W/kg, body-SAR 0.86 W/kg, Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8 x 155 x 75 ( = 0.31 x 6.1 x 2.95 in)
Battery
3320 mAh Lithium-Polymer, Qi Wireless Charging
Operating System
Android 9.0 Pie
Camera
Primary Camera: 12 MPix 5 x 12 MP, f/1.82, 1,25 µm, 28 mm (2 x RBG, 3 x monochrome), RAW-Format, Camera2 API Full
Secondary Camera: 20 MPix Display flash
Additional features
Speakers: a speaker on the bottom, Keyboard: virtual, modular 18 watt power supply (5V / 3A, 9V / 2A, 12V / 1.5A), USB cable (Type-C to Type-A), SIM tool, USB-C to 3.5 mm Jack Adapter, Earphone, Quick Start Guide, 24 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
172 g ( = 6.07 oz / 0.38 pounds), Power Supply: 40 g ( = 1.41 oz / 0.09 pounds)
Price
649 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The smartphone’s design is conventional and lacks a notch. The only available color is “Midnight Blue”, and the 8 mm thin case is made of machined aluminum protected by Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides. This not only renders the 172 g heavy Nokia device very sturdy and robust, but it also ensures its IP67 certification according to which it can be submerged in 1 m (3 ft) of water for up to 30 minutes without taking a hit.

The front design is reserved and even somewhat conservative, although the thin silver aluminum frame surrounding the smartphone is definitely nice to look at as it offers a very pleasant contrast to the otherwise dark chassis. We can find the same design element on the back side, which features a glossy slightly beveled surface that looks very classy and premium.

The downside of its protective Gorilla Glass 5 layer is that it is susceptible to fingerprints and smudges, and it offers little to no grip (save for the aforementioned aluminum frame). A protective case would solve both these issues; however, at the time of writing Nokia did not have one on sale in its web shop.

The back side is dominated by the Nokia 9 PureView’s unique feature, its camera ensemble consisting of 5 Zeiss lenses with 12 MP each that do not protrude from the case but sit flush with the rear cover instead. Something that cannot be claimed for the LED flash, which protrudes ever so slightly but not enough to produce any wobble when placed face-up on a flat surface. The fingerprint reader is integrated into the display.

Size Comparison

158 mm / 6.22 inch 73 mm / 2.87 inch 9.9 mm / 0.3898 inch 193 g0.4255 lbs158.01 mm / 6.22 inch 73.37 mm / 2.89 inch 8.41 mm / 0.3311 inch 192 g0.4233 lbs158.7 mm / 6.25 inch 75.8 mm / 2.98 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 169 g0.3726 lbs157.5 mm / 6.2 inch 77.4 mm / 3.05 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 208 g0.4586 lbs157.5 mm / 6.2 inch 74.67 mm / 2.94 inch 7.61 mm / 0.2996 inch 173 g0.3814 lbs155 mm / 6.1 inch 75 mm / 2.95 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 172 g0.3792 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The Nokia 9 PureView is equipped with 6 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB of UFS-2.1 storage memory. Out of the box, around 113 GB is user-accessible with the rest taken up by Android 9. Since the device lacks a microSD slot, storage space is not expandable. The device also features two nano SIM slots and supports DRM Widevine L1, as is expected of a flagship smartphone.

According to the specifications the USB-C port at the bottom supports USB-OTG and is connected via USB 3.1. Unfortunately, we failed to achieve transfer speeds even close to USB 3.1 when using the included USB cable. At just 42 MB/s they were just slightly faster than USB 2.0 would be capable of. A 3.5-mm headphone jack is missing from the device; however, HMD Global does include a USB-C dongle.

Left: No connectivity
Left: No connectivity
Right: power button, volume rocker
Right: power button, volume rocker
Top: dual nano SIM slot
Top: dual nano SIM slot
Bottom: microphone, USB-C port, speaker
Bottom: microphone, USB-C port, speaker

Software

The Nokia 9 PureView is an Android One smartphone, which means that it runs an unmodified vanilla version of Android 9 Pie without any bloatware or other preloaded software of questionable nature and usefulness. The only non-stock software is the camera app, which is provided by HMD Global instead of Google.

Android One smartphones get two years of timely operating system updates and three years of regular security updates. The latter are supposed to be released monthly according to Nokia; however, we cannot attest to that ambitious plan just yet as our review unit was running security patches as of February 2019 when we reviewed it in mid-April of 2019.

Communication and GPS

With NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and LTE Cat. 16 the Nokia 9 PureView supports every standard expected of a high-end flagship smartphone in 2019. Thanks to its huge variety of supported frequencies it should work very well and connect to 4G networks world-wide.

The Wi-Fi modem supports both frequency bands, 2.4 and 5 GHz, and is thus capable of very high transfer rates. When connected to our Linksys EA8500 reference router we managed 523 Mb/s when transmitting and up to 638 Mb/s when receiving data. Accordingly, the Nokia 9 PureView is in good company with its similarly fast competitors. The minor fluctuations noticed during data transfers should not be an issue in day-to-day use.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Huawei P30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP10, Kirin 980, 256 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
670 (542min - 717max) MBit/s +28%
Huawei P30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP10, Kirin 980, 256 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
541 (129min - 633max) MBit/s +3%
Apple iPhone Xs Max
A12 Bionic GPU, A12 Bionic, 64 GB eMMC Flash
602 MBit/s +15%
LG V40 ThinQ
Adreno 630, SD 845, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
554 (492min - 579max) MBit/s +6%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Adreno 640, SD 855, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
534 (430min - 578max) MBit/s +2%
Nokia 9 PureView
Adreno 630, SD 845, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
523 (421min - 559max) MBit/s
Sony Xperia XZ3
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
484 (382min - 499max) MBit/s -7%
iperf3 receive AX12
Huawei P30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP10, Kirin 980, 256 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
1014 (944min - 1115max) MBit/s +59%
Huawei P30 Pro
Mali-G76 MP10, Kirin 980, 256 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
661 (624min - 683max) MBit/s +4%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Adreno 640, SD 855, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
678 (549min - 725max) MBit/s +6%
LG V40 ThinQ
Adreno 630, SD 845, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
677 (655min - 698max) MBit/s +6%
Nokia 9 PureView
Adreno 630, SD 845, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
638 (561min - 664max) MBit/s
Sony Xperia XZ3
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
624 (593min - 636max) MBit/s -2%
Apple iPhone Xs Max
A12 Bionic GPU, A12 Bionic, 64 GB eMMC Flash
624 MBit/s -2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s -41%
03570105140175210245280315350385420455490525560595630Tooltip
Nokia 9 PureView; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø638 (561-664)
Nokia 9 PureView; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø523 (421-559)
GPS signal strength indoors
GPS signal strength indoors
GPS signal strength outdoors
GPS signal strength outdoors

Supported location services include GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. It was able to obtain GPS lock both indoors and outdoors at an accuracy of just 3 m.

Our real-world experience was similar. On our usual 9-km long bike tour the Nokia 9 PureView turned out to be almost as accurate as the professional Garmin Edge 500 satnav.

Nokia 9 PureView: overview
Nokia 9 PureView: overview
Nokia 9 PureView: lake
Nokia 9 PureView: lake
Nokia 9 PureView: turning point
Nokia 9 PureView: turning point
Garmin Edge 500: overview
Garmin Edge 500: overview
Garmin Edge 500: lake
Garmin Edge 500: lake
Garmin Edge 500: turning point
Garmin Edge 500: turning point

Telephony and Call Quality

Given its Android One nature the Nokia 9 PureView uses Google’s default telephone app offering quick access to favorites, recents, and contacts. Call quality was decent, and both conversational partners had absolutely no trouble understanding each other very clearly even in noisier environments. We also failed to notice any static or other background noise during phone calls. That being said, voices were on the tinny side on both earphone and speakerphone.

Cameras

Photo taken with main camera
Photo taken with main camera

One phone with five cameras working simultaneously to create the perfect photo, at least according to Nokia. A total of five 12 MP cameras are located at the back, each one of which features a Zeiss lens and an aperture of f/1.82. This means in return that there is neither an optical zoom nor a wide angle lens.

Image quality is the one feature supposed to benefit the most from the armada of five sensors, three of which are monochrome for improved dynamic range. The remaining two are RGB sensors used to collect color information. When releasing the shutter button all five cameras snap a photo simultaneously, and the software applies various settings automatically. Once applied, all five photos are combined into a single 12 MP large HDR photo. Videos are recorded in 4K at 30 FPS. The front-facing camera offers the same video resolution and features a single conventional 20 MP sensor.

Photo taken with the secondary front-facing camera
Photo taken with the secondary front-facing camera

The combination of five separate cameras has some additional benefits for professional photographers. For example, the Nokia is capable of capturing and saving RAW files (DNG) instead of JPEGs, which can be then retroactively developed on the phone itself or on a PC. In addition, it captures up to 1,200 levels of depth, which not only allows for astonishing bokeh effects but also enables you to change a photo’s focus retroactively in Google Photos.

Unfortunately, we cannot attest to Nokia’s claims and promises of superb image quality. Photos taken in  daylight turned out pretty well (scene 1 and 2), albeit they seemed somewhat synthetic and fake due to the high dynamic range associated with the HDR mode that cannot be disabled. In scene 1 the Nokia 9 PureView had trouble capturing fine details in particular. Many of its competitors, such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, did a much better job in this regard and also excelled in night time photography. This is a category in which the Nokia 9 PureView failed miserably, as can be seen in scene 3. The device successfully prevented noise at the cost of details resulting in a mushy and blurred image.

Another drawback was the camera app itself. While it offered a wide variety of settings and presets, it turned out to be comparatively slow and unresponsive for a smartphone. Expect delays of several seconds when switching between the various presets or when saving a photo. After all, the software needs to apply its filters and combine five separate photos into one. Thus, it can take a while for a photo to appear in the Google Photos app.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3

As with all smartphones we also took a closer look at the camera under normalized conditions. Using the X-Rite ColorChecker and our test chart we attempt to determine color accuracy and focus, respectively.

As can be seen on the image below, colors were captured too bright while grays were fairly accurate. Our test chart was crisp and uniform up to the edges, although we did notice some minor noise as well as a bit of blurriness and inaccuracies around the outlines of fine details.

ColorChecker colors. Reference color in bottom half of each square.
ColorChecker colors. Reference color in bottom half of each square.
Test chart zoomed-in
Test chart zoomed-in
Test chart overview
Test chart overview

Accessories and Warranty

Included in the box are a modular 18 W charger (5 V/3 A, 9 V/2 A, 12 V/1.5 A), a USB cable (Type-C to Type-A), a SIM tool, a USB-C to 3.5-mm headphone jack adapter, a headset, a quick-start guide, and the usual stack of product and safety information. Nokia does not sell any model-specific accessories for this particular smartphone.

While European customers get a full 24-month warranty on the phone and its non-replaceable battery US customers are limited to just 12 months for the device and the battery. The included accessories, like cable, headset, and charger, are covered for no more than six months.

Input Devices and Handling

Thanks to its protective Gorilla Glass 5 shield the Nokia 9 PureView’s 10-point capacitive touchscreen is very smooth, fast, and precise. The default keyboard app, Google’s Gboard, can be easily replaced with any other keyboard app from the Play Store.

The fingerprint reader is integrated into the display. It is used for unlocking the phone as well as authorizing purchases in the Play Store or in-app purchases from within apps themselves. It required more force to detect our fingers than regular fingerprint readers, and we have had to retry authorization repeatedly more often than expected, which became quite bothersome after a while.

Other means of authorization include a PIN, a pattern, or 2D face detection. The latter worked adequately fast; however, it required sufficient ambient light due to its lack of infrared sensors.

Keyboard in landscape mode
Keyboard in landscape mode
Keyboard in portrait mode
Keyboard in portrait mode

Display

Subpixel array
Subpixel array

The HDR10-capable P-OLED 2:1 display measured 5.99 inches and ran at a native resolution of 2880x1440, resulting in a high pixel density of 538 PPI. The display was very sharp and crisp, and we were unable to distinguish individual pixels with the naked eye.

Maximum brightness was measured at 641 nits on average (675 nits maximum) with enabled ambient light sensor, and brightness distribution was a decent 92%. In the APL50 test with equally distributed black and white backgrounds maximum brightness was even higher, and it was measured at 1,097 nits. By disabling the ambient light sensor maximum brightness is limited to just 482 nits.

On the other side of the brightness spectrum the display could be dimmed to just 2.2 nits, which was perfect for our eyes in the dark. In addition, a so called “night light” feature that tints the display slightly yellow for improved readability can be enabled in the display settings. Given that it is based on OLED technology the display can completely shut off individual pixels. As a consequence, the resulting contrast ratio is mathematically infinite.

One of the drawbacks of OLED technology is the requirement for PWM for brightness regulation. Given its comparatively flat amplitude we don’t expect it to be a problem for most users. Those more sensitive to PWM flickering might suffer from the usual consequences, though.

619
cd/m²
625
cd/m²
671
cd/m²
635
cd/m²
648
cd/m²
675
cd/m²
629
cd/m²
629
cd/m²
638
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 675 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 641 cd/m² Minimum: 2.1 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 648 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
92.5% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.3
Nokia 9 PureView
P-OLED, 2880x1440, 5.99
Apple iPhone Xs Max
OLED, 2688x1242, 6.50
Huawei P30 Pro
OLED, 2340x1080, 6.47
LG V40 ThinQ
OLED, 3120x1440, 6.40
Sony Xperia XZ3
OLED, 2880x1440, 6.00
Xiaomi Mi 9
AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.39
Screen
16%
8%
-6%
-74%
24%
Brightness middle
648
656
1%
597
-8%
567
-12%
543
-16%
593
-8%
Brightness
641
659
3%
608
-5%
559
-13%
542
-15%
587
-8%
Brightness Distribution
92
88
-4%
89
-3%
89
-3%
92
0%
94
2%
Black Level *
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
2.3
1.7
26%
2.2
4%
3.3
-43%
6.6
-187%
0.9
61%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
5.2
2.8
46%
3.6
31%
6.1
-17%
11
-112%
2
62%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.2
1.7
23%
1.6
27%
1.1
50%
4.7
-114%
1.5
32%
Gamma
2.3 96%
1.998 110%
2.23 99%
2.46 89%
1.835 120%
2.27 97%
CCT
6592 99%
6487 100%
6268 104%
6495 100%
6817 95%
6548 99%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 235.8 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 235.8 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 235.8 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The Nokia 9 PureView supports a feature called “PureDisplay” for improved color accuracy. The settings can be found in a menu with the same name. By default, the “Dynamic” setting is selected and color, contrast ratio, and brightness are dynamically adjusted based on the screen content. The other three presets include “Basic”, “Cinema”, and “Vibrant”, and we took a closer look at each one of them using our X-Rite i1 Pro 2 spectrophotometer and the CalMAN software.

Should you be interested in a natural and accurate representation of colors your presets of choice are “Basic” and “Cinema”, which were both measured at almost ideal DeltaE deviations of less than 3 for colors and grayscale and featured a nigh perfect color temperature setting. The “Vibrant” option switches to the DCI-P3 color space and sacrifices accuracy for popping colors and an increased amount of blue resulting in a slightly cooler representation of colors.

Color accuracy (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Color accuracy (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Color space (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Color space (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Grayscale (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Grayscale (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Saturation (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Saturation (preset: Basic, color space: sRGB)
Color accuracy (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Color accuracy (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Color space (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Color space (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Grayscale (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Grayscale (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Saturation (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Saturation (preset: Cinema, color space: AdobeRGB)
Color accuracy (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)
Color accuracy (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)
Color space (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)
Color space (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)
Grayscale (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)
Grayscale (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)
Saturation (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)
Saturation (preset: Vibrant, color space: P3)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
3.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 2 ms rise
↘ 1.2 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 9 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
3.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 2 ms rise
↘ 1.2 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 8 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Outdoors, the OLED display worked remarkably well and was even bright enough to remain readable in direct sunlight despite its glossy nature.

Outdoors in direct sunlight
Outdoors in direct sunlight
Outdoors in the shade
Outdoors in the shade

Viewing angles were wide on all sides. Acute angles resulted in slightly decreased brightness or a minor blue shift of colors. That being said, these effects were negligible and had no effect on readability or usability.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The Nokia 9 PureView is equipped with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 high-end SoC that some of its competitors, like the LG V40 ThinQ or the Sony Xperia XZ3, feature. The octa-core CPU is comprised of four high-performance ARM Cortex A75 cores running at up to 2.8 GHz and four power-saving ARM Cortex A55 cores running at up to 1.8 GHz.

As expected, our review unit was on a par with the LG V40 ThinQ and the Sony Xperia XZ3 in the synthetic benchmarks. In some benchmarks, like for example GFXBench, it was slightly faster than its identically equipped competitors. All three were outperformed by the Huawei P30 Pro, the Apple iPhone Xs Max, and the Xiaomi Mi 9.

Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
2421 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
4774 Points +97%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
3306 Points +37%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
2397 Points -1%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
2272 Points -6%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3523 Points +46%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (2272 - 2500, n=27)
2416 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +109%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
8909 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
11244 Points +26%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
9880 Points +11%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
8687 Points -2%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
7934 Points -11%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
10999 Points +23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (7754 - 9231, n=27)
8705 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +52%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
13272 Points
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
8574 Points -35%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
13519 Points +2%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
13194 Points -1%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
7482 Points -44%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (10876 - 14489, n=25)
13578 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points -20%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
9917 Points
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
12996 Points +31%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
10361 Points +4%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
11474 Points +16%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
10985 Points +11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (7998 - 13211, n=26)
10123 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +52%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
8415 Points
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
9135 Points +9%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
8141 Points -3%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
Points -100%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
9035 Points +7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (7360 - 9868, n=27)
8368 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +29%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
64782 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
77599 Points +20%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
51779 Points -20%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
58651 Points -9%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
65330 Points +1%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
62225 Points -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (34855 - 65330, n=27)
61139 Points -6%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
83854 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
159735 Points +90%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
63469 Points -24%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
79818 Points -5%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
83927 Points 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
106534 Points +27%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (53794 - 85487, n=27)
80548 Points -4%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
36069 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
27717 Points -23%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
31483 Points -13%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
30418 Points -16%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
36794 Points +2%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
25339 Points -30%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (15614 - 37475, n=27)
33322 Points -8%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
6007 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
5205 Points -13%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4969 Points -17%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
4947 Points -18%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
6300 Points +5%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
7166 Points +19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (4363 - 6454, n=27)
5811 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3548 Points -41%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
8053 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
7055 Points -12%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
5431 Points -33%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
6439 Points -20%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
8014 Points 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
9963 Points +24%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (5637 - 8312, n=27)
7763 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3905 Points -52%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
3179 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
2713 Points -15%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
3828 Points +20%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
2731 Points -14%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3603 Points +13%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3614 Points +14%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (2124 - 3668, n=27)
3115 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
3005 Points -5%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
6322 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
6667 Points +5%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
5313 Points -16%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
4842 Points -23%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
6517 Points +3%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
7449 Points +18%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (4034 - 6568, n=27)
5761 Points -9%
Average of class Smartphone
  (704 - 23024, n=115, last 2 years)
9038 Points +43%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
8435 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
10374 Points +23%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
5767 Points -32%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
6024 Points -29%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
8369 Points -1%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
10291 Points +22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (5228 - 8451, n=27)
7671 Points -9%
Average of class Smartphone
  (607 - 45492, n=114, last 2 years)
15757 Points +87%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
3368 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
2961 Points -12%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4164 Points +24%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
2871 Points -15%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3672 Points +9%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3788 Points +12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (2110 - 3763, n=27)
3094 Points -8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1075 - 8749, n=114, last 2 years)
4335 Points +29%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
4612 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
3544 Points -23%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4264 Points -8%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
3802 Points -18%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
4700 Points +2%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5509 Points +19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (3197 - 4734, n=27)
4388 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone
  (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2685 Points -42%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
5123 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
3726 Points -27%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4400 Points -14%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
4275 Points -17%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
5092 Points -1%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
6355 Points +24%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (3488 - 5246, n=27)
4919 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2675 Points -48%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
3418 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
3027 Points -11%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
3849 Points +13%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
2740 Points -20%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3703 Points +8%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3758 Points +10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (2118 - 3703, n=27)
3217 Points -6%
Average of class Smartphone
  (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3127 Points -9%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
5057 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
4121 Points -19%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4317 Points -15%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
3741 Points -26%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
5184 Points +3%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5913 Points +17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (3512 - 5200, n=28)
4607 Points -9%
Average of class Smartphone
  (317 - 20131, n=174, last 2 years)
6545 Points +29%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
5828 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
4828 Points -17%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4361 Points -25%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
4133 Points -29%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
5810 Points 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
7076 Points +21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (4133 - 8206, n=28)
5439 Points -7%
Average of class Smartphone
  (267 - 33376, n=173, last 2 years)
9330 Points +60%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
3456 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
2723 Points -21%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4171 Points +21%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
2809 Points -19%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3764 Points +9%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3754 Points +9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (2185 - 3764, n=28)
3088 Points -11%
Average of class Smartphone
  (938 - 8480, n=173, last 2 years)
4158 Points +20%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
4273 Points
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4242 Points -1%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
4914 Points +15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
 
4273 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (365 - 6439, n=96, last 2 years)
2611 Points -39%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
4978 Points
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
4688 Points -6%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5723 Points +15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
 
4978 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (298 - 8601, n=96, last 2 years)
2775 Points -44%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
2857 Points
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
3183 Points +11%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3288 Points +15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
 
2857 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1667 - 3525, n=96, last 2 years)
2671 Points -7%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
60 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
60 fps 0%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
60 fps 0%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
60 fps 0%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
60 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
60 fps 0%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (58 - 89, n=27)
62.1 fps +4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (22 - 165, n=177, last 2 years)
83.6 fps +39%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
151 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
226 fps +50%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
138 fps -9%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
105 fps -30%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
152 fps +1%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
167 fps +11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (98 - 152, n=28)
142.5 fps -6%
Average of class Smartphone
  (19 - 791, n=177, last 2 years)
243 fps +61%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
50 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
59 fps +18%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
59 fps +18%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
33 fps -34%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
50 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
60 fps +20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (33 - 75, n=27)
54.4 fps +9%
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.8 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
71.3 fps +43%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
83 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
107 fps +29%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
91 fps +10%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
59 fps -29%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
83 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
100 fps +20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (54 - 83, n=27)
73.1 fps -12%
Average of class Smartphone
  (9.2 - 363, n=178, last 2 years)
137.9 fps +66%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
32 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
58.9 fps +84%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
47 fps +47%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
21 fps -34%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
31 fps -3%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
58 fps +81%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (21 - 59, n=27)
45.3 fps +42%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.7 - 158, n=178, last 2 years)
60.2 fps +88%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
60 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
69.3 fps +16%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
56 fps -7%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
41 fps -32%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
57 fps -5%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
69 fps +15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (32 - 61, n=28)
53.9 fps -10%
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.2 - 279, n=178, last 2 years)
97 fps +62%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
19 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
31 fps +63%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
27 fps +42%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
13 fps -32%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
19 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
38 fps +100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (13 - 37, n=27)
27.7 fps +46%
Average of class Smartphone
  (5 - 117, n=178, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +126%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
35 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
40 fps +14%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
33 fps -6%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
26 fps -26%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
35 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
42 fps +20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (25 - 35, n=27)
33.4 fps -5%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.9 - 166, n=178, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +67%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
21 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
47 fps +124%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
32 fps +52%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
16 fps -24%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
21 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
37 fps +76%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (16 - 40, n=17)
29.1 fps +39%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.6 - 123, n=218, last 2 years)
43.3 fps +106%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
37 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
36.8 fps -1%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
36 fps -3%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
30 fps -19%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
37 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
41 fps +11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (29 - 38, n=16)
35.2 fps -5%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.3 - 229, n=218, last 2 years)
62.9 fps +70%
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
13 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
32.1 fps +147%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
20 fps +54%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
12 fps -8%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
14 fps +8%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
24 fps +85%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (12 - 25, n=17)
18.6 fps +43%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.8 - 105, n=218, last 2 years)
32.2 fps +148%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
14 fps
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
16.3 fps +16%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
14 fps 0%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
12 fps -14%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
14 fps 0%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
16 fps +14%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (11 - 31, n=17)
15.6 fps +11%
Average of class Smartphone
  (0.85 - 94, n=218, last 2 years)
25 fps +79%
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
Nokia 9 PureView
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
287123 Points
Apple iPhone Xs Max
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 4096
302955 Points +6%
Huawei P30 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 8192
316199 Points +10%
LG V40 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 6144
270884 Points -6%
Sony Xperia XZ3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
292268 Points +2%
Xiaomi Mi 9
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
374820 Points +31%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  (246366 - 299878, n=27)
277434 Points -3%

Even though the web-browsing benchmarks paint a different picture, web-browsing performance was superb. In these tests, both the LG and Sony managed to outperform the Nokia 9 PureView slightly. As expected the Apple iPhone Xs Max remained the king of the web-browsing hill.

Jetstream 2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=167, last 2 years)
104 Points +133%
Huawei P30 Pro (Chrome 73)
60.5 Points +36%
Xiaomi Mi 9 (Chrome 73)
57.2 Points +28%
Nokia 9 PureView (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)
44.6 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (22.7 - 48.9, n=4)
41.2 Points -8%
LG V40 ThinQ (Firefox 67)
22.71 Points -49%
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=151, last 2 years)
104.7 runs/min +107%
Huawei P30 Pro (Chrome 73)
67.8 runs/min +34%
Xiaomi Mi 9 (Chrome 73.0.3683.75)
65.7 runs/min +30%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (46.4 - 54.1, n=4)
50.7 runs/min 0%
Nokia 9 PureView (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)
50.5 runs/min
LG V40 ThinQ (Chrome 71)
46.4 runs/min -8%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Apple iPhone Xs Max (Safari 12)
155 Points +74%
Average of class Smartphone (37 - 304, n=118, last 2 years)
130.7 Points +47%
Huawei P30 Pro (Chrome 73)
122 Points +37%
Xiaomi Mi 9 (Chrome 73.0.3683.75)
108 Points +21%
Sony Xperia XZ3 (Chrome 70)
98 Points +10%
LG V40 ThinQ (Chrome 71)
94 Points +6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (19 - 103, n=17)
90.2 Points +1%
Nokia 9 PureView (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)
89 Points
Octane V2 - Total Score
Apple iPhone Xs Max (Safari 12)
43114 Points +162%
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33355 Points +102%
Xiaomi Mi 9 (Chrome 73.0.3683.75)
24534 Points +49%
Huawei P30 Pro (Chrome 73)
22447 Points +36%
Sony Xperia XZ3 (Chrome 70)
16982 Points +3%
Nokia 9 PureView (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)
16484 Points
LG V40 ThinQ (Chrome 71)
15906 Points -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (3991 - 18275, n=28)
15153 Points -8%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (2154 - 11204, n=28)
2905 ms * -22%
Nokia 9 PureView (Chrome 73.0.3683.90)
2375 ms *
LG V40 ThinQ (Chrome 71)
2361 ms * +1%
Sony Xperia XZ3 (Chrome 70)
2295 ms * +3%
Huawei P30 Pro (Chrome 73)
2009 ms * +15%
Xiaomi Mi 9 (Chrome 73.0.3683.75)
1873 ms * +21%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1658 ms * +30%
Apple iPhone Xs Max (Safari 12)
603 ms * +75%

* ... smaller is better

The device comes with fast UFS-2.1 memory. Unfortunately, it only turned out to be fast in sequential data transfers. Random access was somewhat slow. The Huawei P30 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9 were significantly faster. A microSD card slot is not available.

Nokia 9 PureViewHuawei P30 ProLG V40 ThinQSony Xperia XZ3Xiaomi Mi 9Average 128 GB UFS 2.1 FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
191%
3%
1%
204%
154%
460%
Sequential Read 256KB
728
849
17%
690
-5%
681
-6%
666
-9%
763 ?(427 - 1011, n=112)
5%
1468 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
102%
Sequential Write 256KB
200.3
250.8
25%
203.9
2%
196.1
-2%
388.3
94%
295 ?(13.6 - 719, n=112)
47%
1078 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
438%
Random Read 4KB
132
174.4
32%
130.1
-1%
135.7
3%
149.4
13%
152.4 ?(92.6 - 239, n=112)
15%
242 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
83%
Random Write 4KB
20.18
159.2
689%
23.36
16%
22.22
10%
165.3
719%
130.6 ?(18.2 - 290, n=112)
547%
266 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
1218%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
82.6 ?(Huawei NanoSD 128 GB)
84.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
34.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
76 ?(13.4 - 88.3, n=43)
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
68.2 ?(Huawei NanoSD 128 GB)
63.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
30.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
59.6 ?(8.4 - 72.4, n=43)

Gaming

Thanks to its Adreno 630 GPU, one of the fastest currently available smartphone GPUs, the Nokia 9 PureView had no trouble running the latest Android games smoothly. As our Gamebench results proved, it was capable of achieving maximum frame rates even at maximum settings, for example a constant 30 FPS in PUBG Mobile and 60 FPS in Dead Trigger 2. The gyroscope and touchscreen worked flawlessly.

The single downward-facing speaker was only capable of producing mono sound; however, this turned out to be perfectly fine in our tests. By holding the device in landscape mode in both hands the sound waves are reflected by the palms of your hands, and therefore seem to be originating on both sides of the device.

Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile
Dead Trigger 2
051015202530354045505560Tooltip
Nokia 9 PureView; 1.5.5: Ø59.4 (18-60)
PUBG Mobile
051015202530Tooltip
Nokia 9 PureView; 0.11.0: Ø29.9 (23-31)

Emissions

Temperature

GFXBench T-Rex battery test
GFXBench T-Rex battery test
GFXBench Manhattan battery test
GFXBench Manhattan battery test

Surface temperatures remained fairly low, and the Nokia 9 PureView remained lukewarm at worst. Even after a full hour of maximum load its surface temperatures never exceeded 33.8 °C. However, as running the GFXBench battery test showed, the CPU tends to performance throttle depending on temperature.

Throttling started after just five out of 30 iterations in the more demanding Manhattan scenario, and dropped by around 30% around the 10th run. The less intensive T-Rex scenario showed no throttling at all.

Max. Load
 32.2 °C
90 F
32.6 °C
91 F
32 °C
90 F
 
 32.5 °C
91 F
32.8 °C
91 F
31.9 °C
89 F
 
 32.1 °C
90 F
32.6 °C
91 F
31.5 °C
89 F
 
Maximum: 32.8 °C = 91 F
Average: 32.2 °C = 90 F
31 °C
88 F
32.6 °C
91 F
32.5 °C
91 F
30.3 °C
87 F
31.1 °C
88 F
33 °C
91 F
30.9 °C
88 F
32.6 °C
91 F
33.8 °C
93 F
Maximum: 33.8 °C = 93 F
Average: 32 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  28.6 °C = 83 F | Room Temperature 21.5 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.2 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 32.8 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 33.8 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.6 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

Speaker characteristics
Speaker characteristics

The Nokia 9 PureView’s single speaker is located on the right-hand side of the USB-C port and can get surprisingly loud (up to 85.7 dB(A)). Unfortunately, it tends to overemphasize mids and highs and therefore sounds rather tinny. This is an effect that gets worse with increased volume levels. That being said, it is still decent enough for videos, music, gaming, and voices.

To improve your audio experience you can use either wireless Bluetooth 5.0 aptX speakers/headphones or wired ones via the included USB-C adapter.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2033.533.92523.734.53125.828.64022.224.45033.1336326.628.18024.22310023.326.112521.83416022.544.420018.24525016.349.531515.655.740015.161.550014.167.263013.970.180013.671.1100014.873125013.676.7160013.675.7200013.872.8250014.374315014.676.3400014.577.5500014.672630014.867.4800014.665.31000014.960.91250014.968.91600014.956SPL26.685.7N0.862.3median 14.8median 67.4Delta1.78.833.537.823.73225.82322.225.733.13726.626.524.223.623.322.721.832.922.545.418.250.316.358.215.66315.164.914.167.513.967.813.67114.872.613.672.913.673.113.873.114.376.214.678.214.579.914.677.914.874.414.674.914.97714.973.614.95926.687.50.871.6median 14.8median 72.61.77.9hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseNokia 9 PureViewHuawei P30 Pro
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Nokia 9 PureView audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.1% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.5% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 26% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 65% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 47% of all tested devices were better, 9% similar, 45% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Huawei P30 Pro audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 6% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 89% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 25% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 68% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life

Power Consumption

Compared to its high-end competitors the Nokia 9 PureView showed an increased average power consumption of 23% and 10% higher power consumption than other SD845-equipped smartphones. Therefore, we do not expect particularly great battery life from this device.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.06 / 0.56 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.65 / 2.34 / 2.43 Watt
Load midlight 5.02 / 6.51 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Nokia 9 PureView
3320 mAh
Apple iPhone Xs Max
3174 mAh
Huawei P30 Pro
4200 mAh
LG V40 ThinQ
3300 mAh
Sony Xperia XZ3
3300 mAh
Xiaomi Mi 9
3300 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
23%
11%
24%
30%
27%
10%
16%
Idle Minimum *
1.65
1
39%
0.68
59%
0.87
47%
0.8
52%
0.67
59%
0.862 ?(0.42 - 1.8, n=26)
48%
0.894 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
46%
Idle Average *
2.34
1.4
40%
2.6
-11%
1.39
41%
1.2
49%
1.26
46%
1.728 ?(0.67 - 2.9, n=26)
26%
1.452 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
38%
Idle Maximum *
2.43
1.7
30%
2.77
-14%
1.41
42%
1.5
38%
1.29
47%
2.07 ?(0.87 - 3.5, n=26)
15%
1.632 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
33%
Load Average *
5.02
4.6
8%
3.74
25%
3.96
21%
4.8
4%
3.71
26%
4.87 ?(3.56 - 7.41, n=26)
3%
5.55 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-11%
Load Maximum *
6.51
6.7
-3%
6.82
-5%
8.6
-32%
6.2
5%
9.3
-43%
9.27 ?(6.2 - 12.3, n=26)
-42%
8.23 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-26%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

As expected battery life was somewhat of a disappointment, and the Nokia 9 PureView managed to drain its 3,320 mAh large battery comparatively fast in all battery tests. It performed particularly poor in the Wi-Fi test and ran out of power after just 8:06 hours. Thanks to its poor test results the device almost landed in last place of its comparison group; however, it was outpaced by the Sony Xperia XZ3 that had an even shorter battery life.

On a more positive note charging the device from near empty to full with the included 18 W charger only took around 2 hours, with the first 50% only taking around 30 minutes. Since it supports wireless charging all it requires is a Qi-compatible wireless charger.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
20h 50min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 06min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
12h 12min
Load (maximum brightness)
3h 22min
Nokia 9 PureView
3320 mAh
Apple iPhone Xs Max
3174 mAh
Huawei P30 Pro
4200 mAh
LG V40 ThinQ
3300 mAh
Sony Xperia XZ3
3300 mAh
Xiaomi Mi 9
3300 mAh
Battery Runtime
19%
66%
11%
-14%
20%
Reader / Idle
1250
1305
4%
1966
57%
1140
-9%
1270
2%
1650
32%
H.264
732
801
9%
1193
63%
659
-10%
420
-43%
1008
38%
WiFi v1.3
486
742
53%
838
72%
510
5%
419
-14%
546
12%
Load
202
223
10%
344
70%
320
58%
202
0%
194
-4%

Pros

+ dust and waterproof to IP67
+ Android 9 & Android One
+ good GPS
+ NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE Cat.16
+ very bright OLED display
+ fast SoC

Cons

- slow USB-C port
- disappointing camera
- fingerprint sensor with moderate detection rate
- PWM flicker
- throttling under load
- weak speaker
- short battery life

Verdict

In review: Nokia 9 PureView. Review unit courtesy of Cyberport.
In review: Nokia 9 PureView. Review unit courtesy of Cyberport.

What started out as an ambitious idea ended up in a disappointment. The Nokia 9 PureView’s quintuple camera is certainly not anything special or even particularly good. Its camera app is slow and unresponsive, which further belittles the overall impression of this smartphone camera.

We can only hope that HMD Global will improve upon both of these with a software update. It is a shame, really, because the innovative idea of combining three monochrome images with two RGB photos has a lot of potential. The astonishing bokeh capabilities are living proof thereof.

The Nokia 9 PureView does not take full advantage of its innovative quintuple camera design. As a result, it is definitely not among the best smartphone cameras available.

If camera quality is of utmost importance to you then you will have to look elsewhere. Xiaomi’s Mi 9 flagship comes to mind, which also happens to be quite a bit cheaper to boot.

Overall the Nokia 9 PureView still managed to leave a decent impression. Its high-quality IP67-certified aluminum case is worthy of a flagship phone, and thanks to Android One feature and security updates are guaranteed for the coming years. In addition, its LTE Cat. 16 modem offers fast cellular communication speeds, it features a good and accurate GPS modem, a very bright OLED display, and it offers a very high overall system performance.

Nevertheless, the list of drawbacks is simply too long for a flagship smartphone. While the missing 3.5-mm headphone jack can be dealt with thanks to the included USB-C adapter, other problems such as the pigheaded fingerprint reader that occasionally failed to detect our fingers completely or the comparatively short battery life are much harder to swallow.

Nokia 9 PureView - 04/18/2019 v6(old)
Manuel Masiero

Chassis
89%
Keyboard
66 / 75 → 88%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
44 / 60 → 74%
Weight
90%
Battery
92%
Display
90%
Games Performance
69 / 63 → 100%
Application Performance
77 / 70 → 100%
Temperature
94%
Noise
100%
Audio
61 / 91 → 67%
Camera
60%
Average
79%
87%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Manuel Masiero, 2019-04-19 (Update: 2019-04-21)