Nokia 6 2018 (6.1) Smartphone Review

The thing that truly does stand out to me about the Nokia 6.1 is that, when you hold the device, $300 feels like money well-spent. Holding it in the hand and navigating through the UI, you don't get the sensation of using a half-baked device. It feels complete, like a quality device should
Pros
  • Value
  • Build quality
  • UI
  • Fast charging
Cons
  • No waterproofing
  • Camera is just OK
Final Rating
calcRating
Rating Details
Bottom Line
The thing that truly does stand out to me about the Nokia 6.1 is that, when you hold the device, $300 feels like money well-spent. Holding it in the hand and navigating through the UI, you don't get the sensation of using a half-baked device. It feels complete, like a quality device should
Table of Contents

Specs

  • Display: 5.5″ IPS LCD 1080 x 1920 pixels (401PPI), Gorilla Glass 3
  • OS: Android One 8.1 Oreo
  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Octa-core (2.2GHz x 4 / 1.8GHz x 4)
  • RAM: 4GB
  • GPU: Adreno 508
  • Internal storage: 32Gb
  • Rear Camera: 16MP (f/2.0), 4K @ 30fps video
  • Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0, 1080p
  • Waterproofing: None

Packaging

6.1-box

The packaging for the 6.1 follows the same theme as that used for the packaging of the flagship Nokia 8 Sirocco and 7 Plus. It’s a relatively minimal, yet modern and refined approach. A full-colour image of the Nokia 6.1 is displayed on the front part of the outer-sleeve, as is the Android One logo.

What’s in the box?

  • Nokia 6.1
  • Earbuds
  • USB Type-C data/charging cable
  • Wall charger

Accessories

nokia6.1-accessories

What comes included with the 6.1 is nothing more than the bare essentials. We get a pretty standard Type-C data/charging connector and a pair of earbuds. I suppose the earbuds are OK in terms of getting you by in a pinch, but earbuds have inherently poor frequency responses, and so none of them offer decent audio quality. You’d be much better off replacing them with even a pair of inexpensive IEMs such as the $50 MEE Audio M6 Pro 2nd Gen.

Design

If there’s one thing I’m pretty much convinced of right now, then it’s to say that Nokia simply does not know how to make a cheap-feeling device. From the Sirocco right down to the 6.1, all of their new smartphones feel like solid, dependable devices. Of course, the materials used in the Sirocco does make the device feel more premium, but when we consider the actual build quality in terms of fit and finish, then it’s clear to see that these recent models are crafted with a genuine sense of pride.

nokia-6.1-colours

To some extent the actual design, in terms of the lines and angles does feel a bit dated. It reminds me somewhat of the HTC One and the iPhone 5. So yes, whilst the design is reminiscent of other devices that are 5+ years old, it’s still a very clean look nonetheless. There’s a certain element of minimalist that I personally find very appealing with this design. Perhaps it’s best to think of it as a “classic and timeless” design, rather than “dated” per se. 

6.1-chamfered

The 6.1 is available in 3 different colour and accent combinations, the first being black and gold, then blue and gold, and finally the silver and rose gold. Here the different gold colours are anodised onto the various bevelled and chamfered edges of the body. The blue version perhaps has the most pleasing contrast of colours, whereas the silver version is definitely the most subtle one.
Personally I think I prefer the silver version because of that subtlety. Really, those anodised edges are so thin, you don’t even notice the rose gold colour unless the light hits it at just the right angle. It’s a refined design, rather than something that pops out at you.

6.1-display

The front of the device houses the full-HD 5.5″ display which gives the 6.1 a screen-to-body ratio of just under 74%. This is towards the lower end of the scale as far as modern smartphones are concerned, but it’s not too bad. What does seem odd is that the home, back and recent buttons are all on-screen software buttons, rather than physical capacitive buttons on the bottom edge of the bezel below the display. There certainly is enough space to have done that.

6.1-3.5mm

Along the top edge of the device we do get a standard 3.5mm analogue output jack, which of course negates the need for an external DAC device to listen to your favourite music or streams. 

6.1-rear

The rear features the 16MP rear shooter, and just below that a fingerprint sensor. Under the hood lies a Snapdragon 630 processor alongside 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. No, those aren’t exactly amazing specs, but let’s keep in mind that we are talking about a sub-$300 device here. Also, due to the software, the Nokia 6.1 doesn’t particularly need high-end internals to still offer a fluid user experience.

Like the 7 Plus, the Nokia 6.1 also offers dual-SIM capabilities along with the option to use a microSD card in place of the 2nd SIM-slot. So whilst the 32GB of internal storage isn’t particularly great, the fact is you can opt to install up to a 256GB card if you’d like.

We also get fast charging (18W), but no wireless charging. A lack of wireless charging is to be expected in this price-bracket, though.

Software

6.1-android-one

So, as mentioned, the software used negates the need to use super-powerful hardware bits. Just like the Sirocco and 7 Plus, the 6.1 is part of the Android One programme. This means that you get what is essentially a vanilla version of Android Oreo, much like you’d find on a Google Pixel device.
It’s unadulterated by heavy skins and other bloatware, giving you the Android experience the way it was designed to be. This does mean that you don’t get any standout software features to really make the device unique, and yet this pure version of Android is exactly what makes this device unique within its price-class. In this manner the Nokia lineup is very much like the device lineup of Apple – there’s a particular consistency and familiarity within the entire model line-up’s software. No matter which device you pick, you know what you’re gonna get. There’s no learning curve, it just works!

Camera

The actual camera app used is the same as is used in both the sirocco and the 7 Plus. It’s a somewhat simple, but well-designed app allowing for quick and easy access to all functions. As is found on the sirocco and 7 Plus, the Pro Mode is also available here, giving you full manual-control over the various exposure settings (except aperture).

6.1-image
7plus-image
6.1-100-acrop
7-plus-100-crop

Overall the camera offers decent image quality for this price class, but it can’t quite match what the 7 Plus and Sirocco can do (both of which perform extremely similarly to one another).

Whilst the 6.1 seems to be able to take a brighter image in low light, the images are also more noisy in terms of having more apparent grain and considerably less detailed images. This is probably due to the Auto mode selecting a slightly higher ISO setting.
I’ve already noted in my review on the Sirocco that the Sirocco’s images are over-processed, applying too much contrast and sharpening to the JPEG images. And yet, comparing the images taken by the 6.1, we can see that the dual-shooter on the 7 Plus and Sirocco is clearly more capable at capturing finder details despite the aforementioned software issues.
But again, at less than $300 the Nokia 6.1 costs less than half the Sirocco and around $100 less than the 7 Plus. Surely a compromise in camera quality is to be expected.

Daily Usage

phones-test-compare

No, the 6.1 isn’t as snappy as the Sirocco or 7 Plus, but it doesn’t stutter either. It remains fluid and responsive despite the lacklustre hardware specs. Moreover, it’s got no problem keeping up with the flagship devices of yesteryear.
To get an idea of what I mean by this I conducted a timed test comprised of opening numerous apps, one after the other, and then going back and opening each app again to check how many apps can remain in memory
The Sirocco and 7 Plus performed around 70% and 20% better than the 6.1 respectively. But, thanks to better spec’d processors and higher RAM counts this was to be expected. Throughout it all though, the UI remained smooth, just not quite as snappy as the flagship. The other interesting thing here is how the 6.1 was able to pretty much keep up with a Galaxy S7 equipped with the Exynos 8890 CPU. The Nokia 6.1 was only around 6% slower than the S7 despite having only 3GB of RAM compared to the 4GB installed in the S7.
Then there’s also the matter of the iPhone 6 Plus. The Nokia 6.1 managed to perform around 14% faster than the iDevice. Of course, the 6 Plus is nearly 4 years old, but it’s still interesting nonetheless to see how a budget device can compare against a flagship of yesteryear.

Overall, no, the Nokia 6.1 isn’t going to wow you with speed. But, what I think is more important is the fact that, despite its lower-shelf specs, it remains a fluid device to use, perfectly capable of being a reliable daily driver. You get a vastly faster experience with the Sirocco and a moderately faster one with the 7 Plus, but the 6.1 remains a very good value option for daily usage.

Value

6.1-side

Judging the overall value of the 6.1 proved to actually be an incredibly simple task. At less than $300 it’s incredibly difficult to think of another device in this price-range that will give you as much overall value. The other thing that truly does stand out to me about the Nokia 6.1 is that, when you hold the device, $300 feels like money well-spent. Holding it in the hand and navigating through the UI, you don’t get the sensation of using a half-baked device. It feels complete, like a quality device should. It’s going to be really interesting to see if other manufacturers can step up their game to match what HMD is capable of doing with these Nokia devices!