HomeMobileAndroidNokia X6 Review: Dawn of a Notched Future
Under HMD Global’s umbrella, the iconic Nokia brand has been revived and is once again flourishing in contrast to its previous Windows 10 Mobile days. The company has already given us some stellar devices, such as the refreshed Nokia 3310 or Nokia 7 plus, but it is no longer a bearer of the innovative torch it once was.
Nokia 6.1 Plus (2018) Price, full specs, review, usb driver, official hd wallpapers, background images, theme, screen saver. 6.1 Plus (2018) Release date is 01 August 2018. Updated on Saturday 8th of June 2019. 6.1 Plus (2018) price is 194 Finnish Markka. Nokia 6.1 Plus (2018) release date is 01 August 2018 it is currently available and display screen size is 5.8 inches, internal memory is 64GB and 6GB ram, tag price is 880 Dubai Dirham.
Instead, HMD Global has fallen into the pattern like every other phone maker and adopted the infamous ‘notch’ trend. The Nokia 6.1 Plus, the global variant of the hotly anticipated Nokia X6 (Rs 16,130 on Banggood), is gunning for mass adoption, coupled with a premium aesthetic, modest specs, and an attractive price point. I have been using the Nokia X6 as my daily driver for a couple of weeks now and here’s my experience with the device:
Note: We are using the Nokia X6 (the Chinese variant) for this review, so you may notice some additional features atop the stock Android One experience.
What’s in the Box
As we have come to expect from Nokia unboxings, the X6 also comes packed in a wide cardboard box that’s plastered with the company’s branding and the design of the phone on the front. Here’s everything you get in the box:
- Nokia X6
- A silicon clear case
- Charging adapter
- USB Type-C charging cable
- SIM ejection tool
- Instruction guides
HMD Global previously provided a pair of in-ear headphones with its devices but I was disappointed to not see one of those in the box this time.
Nokia X6 Specs
Before I dive in and share my experience with the Nokia X6, take a quick look at the complete specs sheet of the device:Dimensions | 147.2 x 71 x 8 mm |
Weight | 151 grams (5.33 oz) |
Display | 5.84-inch Full-HD+ IPS LCD, 19:9 aspect ratio |
Processor | octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 |
GPU | Adreno 509 |
RAM | 4GB |
Internal Storage | 64GB, expandable up to 256GB |
Primary Camera | dual 16 MP (f/2.0) + 5 MP (f/2.4) with PDAF, dual-tone LED flash, EIS, HDR |
Secondary Camera | 16 MP (f/2.0) |
Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo, under Android One program |
Battery | 3,060mAh Li-ion non-removable |
Sensors | rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, WiFi Direct, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS, GLONASS |
Colors | Black and Blue |
Price | HKD 2,288 (approx Rs 19,999) |
Design and Build Quality
Right from the moment you take the Nokia X6 out of the box, you will realize that it doesn’t have a lot of similarities to the previous Nokia 6.1 but brings along aesthetics that holds its own. Yes, I’m talking about the notch in the front, the stunning glass-body, and the lightweight construction of the device that help it stand out from other phones at its price point. Let us take a closer look at each of these aspects.
Starting off, I know you would have already noticed the notch at the top of the screen. It’s 2018 people and there’s no point running away from the notch that surely has become the norm for Android phones. I’ve come to terms with this ongoing trend and did not mind the small notch, holding the earpiece, front camera, and sensors on the Nokia X6.
Instead, I really like the notch since it helped shape one of the key aspects of this device – its compact and lightweight design. The notch on Nokia X6 has helped push the bezels to a minimum at the top and the edges. There’s a chin at the bottom with the Nokia logo, which makes it look similar to the Honor 9N, but it doesn’t hinder the user experience at all.
The notch makes the Nokia X6 look like it has been designed for single-handed use from the get-go. It’s the perfect device for someone like me, who has smaller hands.
Coming to my favorite aspect of the design, the Nokia X6 boasts of a gorgeous all-glass build to help it stand out and get noticed among the flood of metallic or plastic phones in its price bracket. The glass back makes the device look notably premium but it also makes the device susceptible to fingerprints and damage (in the long run).
The fingerprint sensor on the rear of the Nokia X6 is very fast, with a modest haptic feedback to make you aware that the device has been unlocked. Though the sensor may seem to have been placed at an apt location on the back panel, it’s actually placed a little lower and your index finger will usually land on the flash. You’d have to slide it down to reach the fingerprint sensor.
The buttons on the right are clicky and feel solid to the touch, plus there’s the USB-C port and speakers at the bottom and the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top. All this makes the Nokia X6 a well-rounded device for even the average consumer.
Display
The NokiaX6 sports a 5.84-inch Full-HD+ IPS LCD panel, with a 19:9 aspect ratio and an impressive 81.5% screen-to-body ratio because of the notch up-top. This also gives the device an impressive pixel density of about 432ppi, which seems to works in the favor of the device.
The improved screen-to-body ratio gives you more screen space than other popular phones around this price point, making it easier for you to read content or scroll through your social media posts. However, I was quite impressed by the quality of the IPS LCD panel, whose color reproduction was on point and crisp viewing angles made it a joy to enjoy content with friends.
Yes, you have a notch at the very top and it’s still hard to ignore for some but I have come to terms with the ongoing trend and I’m now more inclined to use a phone with the notch rather than without one. The Nokia X6′ screen gets quite bright indoors, as well as outdoors. I was able to view all the contents on my screen under direct sunlight as well, making it a well-rounded display for the price.
Performance
The Nokia X6 is powered by a Snapdragon 636 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. It runs on stock Android 8.1 Oreo and I have zero complaints with the performance of the device in my week-long usage.
The Snapdragon 636 is a great budget chipset, which can handle everything thrown at it – apps launch quickly and load up within a split second, the fingerprint scanner is fast, the camera is responsive, and I believe the stock Android experience will only get better with time.
If you’re an avid mobile gamer, the Nokia X6 may sometimes leave you craving for more. Although most of the game titles such as Shadow Fight 3 and the recently launched Asphalt 9 run quite smoothly on this phone, PUBG Mobile doesn’t run on the highest of settings. It picks up the lowest settings by default, which is disappointing, but I played on medium settings and found that it ran okay-ish. There was an occasional frame drop or two, else the game worked just fine for me.
I had an excellent time with the Nokia X6 and would pick it over my Nokia 7 plus any day because of the smaller form factor and an equally good experience. However, if you are one of those people, who give a lot of weight to benchmark scores then you can find the screenshots of the results right here:
User Experience
The Nokia X6 runs stock Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box, thanks to it being a part of Google’s Android One program. This means you get everything Android has to offer in a neat package that’s totally free from any bloatware, something a lot of other phone makers really cannot promise. It is for this reason that I would pick an Android One phone over other custom skinned phones any day.
In my time with the Nokia X6, I had a truly satisfying experience and did not notice any jitters or lag in the software – just like the Nokia 7 plus that I have been using as my daily driver for the past couple of months. All the apps, camera, settings, as well as the animations, are all quite responsive and make for a robust experience on this device.
I’m a huge fan of the pure, untouched Android experience, but after testing the China ROM on the Nokia X6 I think I would love to see HMD Global bring some of its add-on features such as gestures or face unlock (which is yet to make an appearance) over to the Android One devices. Well, one can wish, but even if they don’t fulfill this dream of mine, we can always get similar features with the use of third-party apps.
HMD Global also promises to deliver two years of software upgrades (Android P coming soon) and three years of security patches, so that’s another plus with this device.
Cameras
In the optics department, the Nokia X6 comes with a dual rear-facing camera-setup that consists of a 16MP primary sensor and a 5MP depth sensor with EIS on board, while the front-facing camera ships with a 16MP sensor coupled with a f/2.0 lens.
The rear camera on the Nokia X6 manages to capture images with decent clarity, which manages to just about justify its price tag. The overall structure is good and the photos appear to be quite sharp. However, the color reproduction is mostly a hit and miss, with images appearing slightly saturated at times, and washed out during others.
It’s worth pointing out that the images are not social media ready, so you might have to do some post-processing.
As for the low-light photography, the Nokia X6 is not really that good. Yes, the dual-rear camera does manage to highlight the subject but it does have a level of noise that is not really acceptable. And even when there’s no noise, you can notice graininess in a couple odd photos.
The front camera of the Nokia X6 manages to capture some good photos. It actually highlights the subject and the results produced are actually dependant upon the hardware and are not heavily altered by the software. The photos are well lit and I find them to be pleasant in my experience.
As for the portrait mode, the Nokia X6 is mostly a mixed bag.
With most devices, the edge detection is generally off the mark, and the blurring is either too much or too less. However, with the Nokia X6, I found that the edge-detection is mostly right but the blurring is highly unstable from the rear camera. The same carries forward in the portrait mode on the front camera as well, so while the Nokia X6 “CAN” capture great bokeh images, chances are, you’d be tempted to take a couple more to ensure that you get the perfect shot.
Telephony and Audio
After spending almost a week with the Nokia X6, I can firmly say that the overall calling experience of this device is top-notch. The earpiece gets adequately loud and you can hear everyone without any network issues. The Nokia X6 is known to support dual-SIMs with dual-4G standby, thus, allowing me to use my Airtel 4G and Reliance Jio SIM card for calling and data purposes simultaneously.
As for the speakers on the Nokia X6, there’s only one speaker at the bottom of the device – right next to the USB Type-C charging port. This is not the most ideal position for the speaker as it is easy to muffle when you’re lying down in bed or playing games in landscape mode. It seems that Google Pixels or Razer Phones are the only few devices left with front-facing stereo speakers, otherwise, we have to make do with such mono speakers.
I’m not saying that the speaker on the Nokia X6 is bad. It gets pretty loud and was pure joy to rock out to Linkin Park’s “In the End” and NF’s “Therapy Session.” The sound, however, becomes a bit tinny or hollow at high volumes as the speaker drowns out the vocals. You can always turn to the trusty 3.5mm headphone jack for a nice time as it delivers a better sound experience.
Battery
The Nokia X6 comes with a moderate 3,060mAh battery in tow. It may not sound like a lot, but the device easily managed to last me a whole day on medium-high usage. I was able to get close to 6-7 hours of screen-on time, with close to 20 percent juice left to go, which seems to me like a decent battery backup.
Now, I believe if you completely milk the device at a concert or friend’s wedding, then too the Nokia X6′ battery should be able to hold its ground and keep the party going. But even if your battery does run out, you need not worry as Nokia X6 supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology as well.
This simply means you can get your phone juiced up from 10% to 60% in around 35 minutes. Yes, just plug in the device and it will rapidly give you the required charge in a short period of time instead of taking its merry time to fill up the battery.
Also, I love that HMD Global decided to opt for the USB Type-C charging port on the Nokia X6 rather than the microUSB port, which most budget phone makers (ahem, Xiaomi) use to cut costs.
Nokia X6: Trying To Build A Class of Its Own
If you ask me whether you should buy the Nokia X6 or not, I would almost instantly, without thinking, shout out yes. But, you will have to remember that a Nokia phone does come at a bit of a premium. You’ll be shelling out a few extra bucks for that premium glass body, stock Android experience, and of course the brand itself, while having to compromise with the camera quality in the long run. You will, however, also get timely Android updates and that gives you a lot to like in this device.
However, if you cannot stretch your budget up to Rs 20,000, you can still get a complete package with an equally fluid performance and better cameras in the form of Redmi Note 5 Pro (Rs 14,999). But if you don’t want to be caught up in flash sales, you can also choose to pick up the Asus ZenFone Max Pro (starts at Rs 10,999) to get the same processor, a larger battery, and even stock Android but you would again have to compromise in the camera department.
Pros:
- Premium glass design
- Built for one-handed use
- Fast fingerprint scanner
- Quick charging support
- Android One experience
Cons:
- Slippery & fingerprint magnet
- Average camera performance
- Speaker could’ve been better
SEE ALSO: Redmi Note 5 Pro Review – Should You Buy?
Nokia X6 Review: Dawn of a Notched Future
HMD Global may have adopted a tried and tested route with the Nokia X6, but it has already generated a ton of hype and why wouldn’t it when it has a lot of things working in its favor. The Nokia X6 is a complete budget device, with a premium design and top-notch performance, only if you’re not an avid mobile photographer. Then, the Nokia X6 may fall short of your expectations but I expect the company to improve the quality via upcoming updates. So, does the latest Nokia phone meet your expectations? Let us know in the comments down below.
Buy Nokia X6: (Rs 16,130 on Banggood)
PUBG Mobile’s New Team Deathmatch Mode: First Impressions
PUBG Mobile is a mobile gaming phenomenon that we're all pretty familiar with and may have even spent a boatload of time trying to...
Galaxy M40 Launched with Punch-hole Display, Snapdragon 675 at Rs. 19,990
Redmi and Realme may be at each other's throats to capture a bigger chunk of the budget and mid-range smartphone market in India, but...
Mi Band 4 Launched with Color AMOLED Display and Voice Assistant Support
After teasing the launch of its upcoming fitness band on Twitter over the past couple of days, Xiaomi today finally took the wraps off...
Microsoft Unveils Xbox “Project Scarlett” at E3 2019
At its E3 2019 keynote, Microsoft finally unveiled its next generation console. Named 'Project Scarlett', the Redmond giant is claiming that the next generation...
Google Stadia Pricing and Availability Announced
Google has finally given us some more details around its new game streaming service. Unveiled back in March this year, Stadia is a game...
BenQ Zowie XL2546 Gaming Monitor Review: Feature Rich but Slightly Flawed
Sony SRS-XB12 Bluetooth Speaker Review: Loud Sound in a Tiny Package
Asus TUF Gaming FX505 DT Review: A Pretty Solid Gaming Laptop at an Affordable Price
HomeMobileAndroidNokia 6.1 Plus Performance Test: Great Performance All Around
The Nokia 6.1 Plus has been launched starting at Rs. 15,999 and unlike the Chinese variant (Nokia X6), this one comes only in the 4GB/64GB variant, sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor. We’ve already covered the battery test of this new smartphone from HMD Global, and if you’re wondering what the performance of the phone is like, we’ve done that for you too.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Specifications
Before we dive into the tests we performed on the Nokia 6.1 Plus and the way it handled different tasks, let’s get the specifications out of the way.Display | 5.8-inch FullHD+ 2280x1080 pixels |
Processor | Snapdragon 636 |
GPU | Adreno 509 |
RAM | 4GB |
Storage | 64GB |
Primary Camera | 16MP f/2.0 + 5MP f/2.4 |
Secondary Camera | 16MP f/2.0 |
Battery | 3,060 mAh |
OS | Android 8.1 Oreo |
Sensors | Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer (G-sensor), E-compass, Gyroscope, Fingerprint Sensor (on the back) |
Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 5.0; GPS/AGPS+GLONASS |
Now that we’ve gotten those out of the way, let’s jump into how the phone actually performs in various benchmarks and real world performance tests.
Benchmarks
We ran the usual benchmarks on the Nokia 6.1 Plus to get an overview of what we can expect from the phone before we put it through its paces in our real world tests. We also benchmarked the Redmi Note 5 Pro since it’s in a similar price range so as to get a comparative idea of where the two phones stand.
Geekbench
Starting off with Geekbench, the Nokia 6.1 Plus with its Snapdragon 636 scores very similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro (which also features the Snapdragon 636). That’s not very surprising to be honest; the Nokia 6.1 Plus scored 1,336 in the single core test, and 4,820 in the multi core test whereas the Redmi Note 5 Pro scored 1,336 in the single core test, and 4,879 in the multi-core test.
AnTuTu
We also benchmarked both the Redmi Note 5 Pro and the Nokia 6.1 Plus on AnTuTu and here the Nokia 6.1 Plus beats the Redmi Note 5 Pro, though not by a huge margin. While the Redmi Note 5 Pro scored 112,569 on AnTuTu, the Nokia 6.1 Plus got a slightly higher score of 115,398.
![Nokia Nokia](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125870167/493011936.png)
Real World Performance
While the benchmark scores of the Nokia 6.1 Plus are basically indicative of the fact that we can expect Redmi Note 5 Pro like performance from the phone. To test out the real world performance I put the phone through some gaming tests, and I used it as my daily driver for almost a week.
Gaming Tests
In terms of gaming, I played Asphalt 9, PUBG Mobile (obviously), and Marvel Strike Force on the phone. I also kept a track of the FPS values that each of these games was pushing out.
Starting off with Asphalt 9, the newest game from Gameloft has some incredible graphics and races that are more intense than ever. In terms of perceived performance, I think the phone went through the game like a charm and I didn’t notice any stutters or lags while racing through People’s Square or in Cairo. It was all pretty awesome and I loved it. In terms of frame rate, Asphalt 9 ran at a median frame rate of 30FPS, and had 89% stability. True, that could’ve been higher, but it’s still a decent score to get.
Moving on to PUBG Mobile, the game auto-set the graphics to Low, which I expected because of the Snapdragon 636 and 4GB of RAM that the phone has. Surprisingly though, PUBG wouldn’t even let me turn up the graphics settings. Anyway, in Low settings, the game performed smoothly (as it should) and I faced no issues with getting a Chicken Dinner. It was definitely a fun experience even though I’m used to playing on high settings with my OnePlus 5. In terms of frame rates, the phone got a median frame rate of 26FPS which is okayish, though nothing to be overly proud of, and had 87% stability in its FPS values which is definitely good for a game like PUBG Mobile.
I also played Marvel Strike Force on the Nokia 6.1 Plus and as expected, the game ran perfectly fine. I personally don’t enjoy this game all that much, but it’s definitely a fun game. In terms of frame rates, the phone churned out an easy 55FPS median frame rate with a stability of 77%.
Everyday Usage Tests
In terms of everyday usage, the Nokia 6.1 Plus won’t disappoint you. Thanks to stock Android running on Snapdragon 636 and with 4GB of RAM, the phone doesn’t lag even when I’m using multiple apps and constantly switching between them. I also found that app launches are generally fast on the Nokia 6.1 Plus, although sometimes apps like Instagram would take a millisecond longer to launch which can get infuriating, but I won’t blame the Nokia 6.1 Plus for that; I’ve observed Instagram behaving like this on my OnePlus 5 as well.
The phone has standard Android animations though, and those can sometimes make things feel slower than they actually are. I’d recommend you to turn down the ‘Transition animation scale’ inside Developer Settings to 0.5x to get a snappier feel without feeling like the phone is absolutely not animating anything at all.
Nokia 6.1 Plus Performance Test: A Great Performer for Its Price
So basically, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is a pretty great performer for the Rs. 15,999 price it’s coming in at. The phone has decent hardware for the price, and if you look at it that way, it’s basically a Redmi Note 5 Pro with stock Android. It performs pretty much the same way as the Redmi Note 5 Pro does, however, in some places, especially in games like PUBG Mobile, I feel like Xiaomi’s offering performs slightly better, though not really noticeably so. It’s more or less a personal choice at this point. If you want a metal build, gesture navigation, and performance that won’t let you down, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is the one for you; however, if you want stock Android, decent hardware, and performance that is definitely pretty great, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is the phone to go with.
Buy the Nokia 6.1 Plus from Flipkart (Rs. 15,999)
Motorola One Power vs the Competition: How Does It Fare?
Motorola, a name which seemed to be lost amid the whirlwind of aggressive Chinese brands like Xioami and OnePlus setting a foot in India,...
Motorola One Power vs Mi A2 vs Nokia 6.1 Plus: A Quick Comparison
Motorola just dropped its new smartphone with Android One and a huge 5,000mAh battery. Since the Motorola One Power is priced at Rs 15,999,...
Nokia 6.1 Plus Will Get Option to Hide Notch Again: Juho Sarvikas
HMD Global recently rolled out a new update for the Nokia 6.1 Plus which brought along the August security patch to the phone. However,...
![Nokia 6.1 Plus Drivers Nokia 6.1 Plus Drivers](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125870167/194861375.jpg)
Nokia 6.1 Plus Update Removes Option to Hide Notch
HMD Global has started pushing out a new update for the Nokia 6.1 Plus which brings along the August security patch to the phone....
Nokia 6.1 Plus Goes on Sale at 12PM Today: All the Offers You Can...
The Nokia 6.1 Plus from HMD Global is going on its first sale in India on Flipkart today at 12PM. The phone is priced...