Nokia 7 Plus Review – Is it worth Rs 26,000?

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HMD global’s recently launched Nokia 7 Plus addresses a void in the upper mid-range segment – arguably the same zone where OnePlus attained its glory and eventually moved on to cater to a higher price segment. (Nokia 7 Plus Review हिंदी में पढ़िए)

The 7 Plus follows the right recipe and that should give it a comfortable headstart. There is Snapdragon 660, Google certified pure Android, sharp 18:9 display, cameras with Zeiss optics and the signature structural toughness to look forward to.

But, can the practical usage experience match up to the tempting picture it paints on paper? Let’s elaborate everything that’s right and everything that’s wrong with the Nokia 7 Plus in our review.

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Nokia 7 Plus Price in India

  • You can buy Nokia 7 Plus in India in two colors: White and Black, for Rs. 25,999.
  • It’s exclusively available on Amazon.in and you can avail extra 10% discount if you purchase with ICICI cards as part of the introductory offer.

Nokia 7 Plus Review: Design and Build

  • 158.4 x 75.6 x 8 mm; 183 grams
  • Full metal body, 77% screen-to-body ratio

The major portion of Nokia 7 Plus has been machined from a single block of Aluminium which makes it tough and sturdy. This also adds to the overall heft of the phone. The copper color ascent running along the edges, and around the camera module and fingerprint sensor looks appealing. A thin plastic strip fills the gap between glass on the front and the metal casing.

Also Read: Best Redmi Note 5 Pro Alternatives to consider 

The back doesn’t feel quite ceramic as Nokia proclaims, but more as matte-finish plastic. It’s prone to smudges but that shouldn’t be a problem if you use it in a case.

On the front, there are broad bezels running above and below the 18:9 screen, but the overall effect is quite symmetric. The Nokia 7 Plus is a big phone but it still fits well in hands.

  • The Nokia Plus is essentially made of metal with a unique paint coating on the rear. The copper ascent on the phone adds to its appeal.
  • There are sizeable bezels above and below the display, but we can surely live with them.
  • Nokia 7 Plus is a big and heavy phone but it also fits nicely in hands and is comfortable to operate.
  • Those with small hands might have to stretch a bit to reach the fingerprint sensor.
  • The headphone jack is present at the top. We had to apply a little extra force to insert headphones in the jack and aren’t sure how that would pan out in the long run.
  • The Type-C charging port and speaker grill are present at the bottom.

Nokia 7 Plus Review: Display

  • 6-inch, Full HD+ (18:9), IPS LCD
  • Gorilla Glass 3

The Nokia 7 Plus has 6-inch Full HD+ display. The size and resolution is quite standard as of today for 18:9 displays. The IPS LCD panel is quite sharp and the colors are very well balanced. The brightness is on the lower side but everything was still legible under direct sun. The contrast and blacks can’t match AMOLED awesomeness, but they are still good.

  • The 18:9 Full HD+ display panel is sharp and crisp. Brightness good have been better.
  • The whites feel a little blue-ish, but overall the quality is good (Not impressive, though).
  • If Notch isn’t your thing, you have more to celebrate.
  • The software is well optimized for scaling apps to 18:9 screen. YouTube supports ‘Zoom to Fill’ to take advantage of the full screen.

Nokia 7 Plus Review: Camera

  • Rear: 12 MP (f/1.8, 1.4µm) + 13 MP (f/2.6, 1.0µm), Zeiss optics
  • 2X optical zoom, Portrait mode, 4K videos (rear)
  • Front: 16 MP (f/2.0, 1.0µm), Zeiss optics

The Nokia 6 Plus has pretty convincing camera specs. There is a 12MP primary sensor with f/1.75 aperture lens and 1.4-micrometer pixels and a secondary 13MP shooter with a telephoto lens for 2X optical Zoom. This one has f/2.6 aperture and smaller 1.0-micron pixels. The selfie camera is another 12MP sensors. And all three of cameras have Carl Zeiss lens.

Portrait mode works well in good lighting
Details are good outdoors
Camera tends to oversharpen images at the expense of details. Metering is often off in low light

With all those specs backing the camera, the Nokia 7 Plus has a great camera. But, the camera is only good for the price. You won’t be disappointed by overall camera experience, but don’t expect flagship grade performance. The selfie camera can capture decent images but the result can be underwhelming in low light.

  • The Nokia 7 Plus Camera app isn’t very polished, but it’s efficient and gets the job done. There is also an option to directly live stream videos on FB and YouTube.
  • The camera can capture good images in daylight, but the dynamic range could have been better. The wow factor is missing, but that’s ok for the price.
  • Details and metering are fine more often than not in good lighting.
  • The portrait mode performs well indoors and outdoors, but it takes some getting used to. Based on the slider position, you will keep getting ‘too near’ prompts till you strike the right balance. You have the option to adjust an intensity of Blur post clicking as well.
  • Bothie is an additional feature that lets you shoot simultaneously from front and rear cameras, one that we aren’t particularly drawn to. Your opinion, however, may differ based on your individual usage.
  • The low light performance is good enough for the price. The overall rear camera performance is better than phones like Oppo F7 and Vivo V9.
  • The selfie camera is better on Oppo F7 and Vivo V9, but you can capture good shots in proper lighting.

Nokia 7 Plus Review: Performance and Software

  • 2.2Ghz octa-core Snapdragon 660 (Kyro-260 cores)
  • 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage; 256GB microSD support (hybrid)
  • Pure Android 8.1 Oreo-based, Android One

The Nokia 7 Plus has a powerful SoC driving light, pure, and latest Android software. Performance is one of its biggest strengths. The phone can handle high-end gaming and the day-to-day experience is very smooth.

Since this is an Android One Phone, you can expect upgrades and security patches for a couple of years. It’s currently running Android 8.1 Oreo and Android P update is guaranteed as well. For Android enthusiasts, the unadulterated Android should count as a huge bonus.

  • Nokia 7 Plus is a smooth performer. No issues.
  • Nokia 7 Plus has DRM L1 certificate and is the perhaps the only mid-range phone out there that can stream HD content on Amazon Prime and Netflix out of the box.
  • Resource management is The stock Android software runs smooth and you will get updates for the next couple of years.
  • The fingerprint sensor isn’t the fastest that we have seen, but it’s still reasonably fast.
  • You can only 4G on only one SIM at a time. Dual SIM dual VoLTE is not enabled even though the chipset has the support for the same.
  • Call quality was excellent in our area.

Nokia 7 Plus Review: Battery and Audio

  • 3800mAh battery, fast charging
  • Mono speaker

The 3800mAh battery on the Nokia 7 Plus can comfortably last for more than a day. The phone supports fast charging and takes around 2 hours to charge from 10-percent to 100-percent.

The audio output from the Nokia 7 Plus is very clean and reasonably loud. Audio quality via headphones isn’t perfect but it is better than whatever we come across in this price range.

  • The 3800mAh battery can last for more than a day. Drain in standby is quite less.
  • Fast charging is supported.
  • Audio output via headphones and via loudspeaker is pretty good for the price.

Nokia 7 Plus Review – Should you buy it?

The Nokia 7 Plus doesn’t feel like an uncompromised phone (something the specs suggest) but it covers all the basics just right. We would say that it’s a better option than Oppo F7 and Vivo V9 but not as convincing as the OnePlus 5T.

The phone is solidly built, has pure software with the assurance of timely updates, employs a powerful chipset, houses a long-lasting battery, and has a suitable camera for its price. The overall experience is premium and we can surely recommend this to anyone looking for a phone around 25K. You might call it a tad overpriced, but we’d have to respectfully disagree.

If you are considering Nokia 7 Plus alternatives, there aren’t many that fit the bill. You can, however, wait for Xiaomi’s upcoming Android one option, Mi A2 or hope for the OnePlus 5T price to drop after the OnePlus 6 launch.

Pros 

  • Solid build
  • Excellent performance
  • Good cameras for the price
  • Pure Android software
  • Can stream HD content
  • Long lasting battery

Cons 

  • Hybrid SIM slot
  • Big Bezels
  • Selfie camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Review with Pro and Cons

Deepak SinghDeepak Singh
Deepak has more than 8 years of experience in covering technology for several eminent publications in India. He currently leads an enthusiastic team of young writers at Smartprix and tries to uphold the highest quality standards.

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1 Comment
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Dipika
Anonymous
4 years ago

Hi Deepak, How would you rate Nokia 7 plus against Samsung A50 or Redmi Note 7

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