Nokia 3.1 Plus

The Nokia 3.1 Plus was released in October 2018 and is a budget smartphone by Nokia. There is a difference between a budget and a midrange smartphone by the way – I have to clear the air. This is one is a midrange smartphone that is considered a budget smartphone because of its price point and some of its specifications. It is a very affordable smartphone with very good features as you will learn from the list of features below.  What I already love about it is how much more it may seem to cost than the amount you actually pay for it. All these I will discuss later on in this article. First we take a quick look at the main features of the Nokia 3.1.

Main features

• GSM, HSPA and LTE network technology
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
• Front glass, aluminum body
• IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
• 6.0 inches, 92.9 cm2 (~77.5% screen-to-body ratio)
• 720 x 1440 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~268 ppi density) resolution
• Android 8.1 (Oreo); Android One
• Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm) chipset
• Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU
• Power VR GE8320 GPU
• Micro SD, up to 400 GB
• 32 GB, 3 RAM or 16 GB, 2 GB RAM
• Primary camera: 13 MP, f/2.0, AF5 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor
• LED flash, HDR, panorama
• 1080p@30fps video recording
• Selfie camera: 8 MP, f/2.2
• LED flash, HDR
• 720p@30fps video recordingWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, hotspot
• Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, LE
• GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
• NFC Yes (APAC & EMEA only)
• FM radio
• Micro USB 2.0, USB On-The-Go
• Fingerprint (rear-mounted)
• Non-removable Li-Ion 3500 mAh battery
• Nokia 3.1 is available in colors Blue, White and Gray.

This clearly is a budget smartphone judging from the list above. After years of smartphone reviews I can tell a flagship from a midrange of a budge smartphone by reading through its list of feature. And this one, the Nokia 3.1 is a budget smartphone no doubt and a very solid one for that matter. Below are my thoughts about the Nokia 3.1.

Design and build

For a budget smartphone, front glass and an aluminum body build is an absolute gift. Why I say this is because usually (and at this price point) you get a plastic build on a smartphone. And who wants to walk around with a plastic smartphone that doesn’t feel or look premium? Not me! It weighs about 180 grams the Nokia 3.1 and has a design that sees it have the primary camera (dual) on the middle back and in vertical orientation with a fingerprint scanner below it and Nokia branding as well. The bottom has grills on both sides of the micro USB port (shame, it is 2018 Nokia we need USB type C) one of which is a décor and the other is the real speaker. The front part features a top bezel with Nokia branding, speaker (for calls), sensors and that selfie camera while the chin has been left untouched. Its display is a 6.0 inch panel sandwiched by these two bezels.

Display and camera

Display

As already mentioned it is a 6.0 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen that has support for 16M colors and sits on 92.9 cm2 surface area. It also has a~77.5% screen-to-body ratio and comes with a 720 x 1440 pixels resolution, 18:9 ratio and a 268 ppi density. Be advised the display of the Nokia 3.1 is not its key selling point. There is nothing to be afraid of though you get a good display for its price point that boasts a large display estate. I’m not sure if there is any sort of protection on this display but hey- it should last a life time I’m sure. There has to be some measures taken to ensure that.

Camera

Primary camera

I was wowed when I saw a dual camera setup here since this smartphone really is a budget smartphone. This is something you see only on midrange smartphones and the likes. But Nokia knows no limits. The lenses are a 13 MP, f/2.0, AF and 5 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor. Images it takes are sharp and interestingly very good looking.  Don’t expect 4K video recording here though we get 1080p@30fps video recording. We also see an LED flash, HDR and panorama features come with it.

Front facing camera

Also and commonly known as the selfie camera is an 8MP shooter. Be assured you will love the selfie phots you take with it especially on a brilliant display.

A phone I would recommend to them who love taking pictures.

Performance and memory

Platform

It is at this point that Nokia is considered a midrange budget smartphone. It comes running on Android 8.1 (Oreo); Android One. But that is not it, a Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm) chipset and an Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU power this device together with that Power VR GE8320 GPU.

Memory

Here you get two versions of the Nokia 3.1 with respect to memory and storage. The first a 32 GB, 3 RAM and the other a 16 GB, 2 GB RAM. Both internal storages can be expanded using a micro SD card up to 400 GB. And the good news is that there is a dedicated slot for this function.

Battery

It nails it here with a non-removable Li-Ion 3500 mAh battery that should last up to a whole day of usage, and maybe stretch to the next day before another charge is needed.

For more Nokia smartphones click here

There are no reviews yet.