Yesterday in China, HMD Global announced the newest member of its range of Nokia branded Android smartphones. We've seen the wallet-friendly Nokia 3 and 5, the mid-range Nokia 6, and most recently came the flagship Nokia 8. While it might appear that HMD doesn't know how to count, the Nokia 7 announcement at least takes us one step closer to a full house. The Nokia 2 and 9 are on the way soon, too.
The Nokia 7 follows the same pleasing design language as its siblings, but where the Nokia 8 was encased in metal, this new phone goes for a mixture, with an aluminum frame and a vacuum molded back made from Corning Gorilla Glass which curves nicely around the back. The display is a manageable 5.2", although there are sizeable bezels on the forehead and chin, just as with the Nokia 8.
SPECS
|
OS |
Android 7.1.1 Nougat |
|
Display |
5.2" 1080p IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 |
|
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 |
|
Memory / Storage |
4 or 6GB / 64GB (MicroSD expandable up to 128GB) |
|
Rear Camera |
16MP Zeiss lens, f1.8 aperture, 80 wide-angle camera, dual-tone LED flash |
|
Front Camera |
5MP, 1.4um pixels, f2.0 aperture, 84 wide-angle camera |
|
Video |
4K HD video at 30fps, Nokia OZO audio technology |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, LTE Cat.6 |
|
Battery |
3,000 mAh |
|
IP rating |
IP54 (splashproof) |
|
Other |
USB Type-C, headphone jack |
Mid-range but capable internals such as the Snapdragon 630 are coupled with 4 or 6GB of RAM, so the phone should be no slouch. Nokia continues to use Zeiss lenses for the main camera, which has a 16MP sensor and dual-tone LED flash. On the front, you've got a 5MP camera, and the two combine for the rather gimmicky Dual-Sight 'bothie' camera mode that allows you to create images from both sides of the phone side-by-side. I expect this is a fad that we'll hear a fair bit more about. Nokia's OZO audio tech is on board so you can record immersive sound with your videos.
While it runs Android Nougat 7.1.1 out of the box, Nokia has promised an Oreo update for the device in the not too distant future. It will also get monthly security updates, as expected. Thankfully, Nokia makes few changes to AOSP so you can expect a near-stock experience with little bloatware.
The Nokia 7 will be available in China from October 24, but there's no information yet on availability for other regions. It's priced at CNY 2,499 ($377) for 4GB of RAM, and CNY 2,699 ($407) for the 6GB model.