Nokia 6.1 Plus

Nokia, under its new parent HMD Global, has made steady strides with its range of Android One smartphones, and the 6.1 Plus is its first smartphone to sport an almost-all-screen notched display. Belying its ‘Plus’ moniker, the phone offers a rather compact form factor, which manages to fit in a sharp and vivid 5.8-inch, FHD+ (2280x1080) resolution display. Courtesy the curved glass that seamlessly blends into the metal frame and onto the Gorilla Glass 3 protected rear, the phone really stands out in its price segment for its premium feel, although it lacks the tank-like durability of the Nokias of yore.

Powering the 6.1 Plus is the capable octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chip with 4GB of memory, and coupled with the clean, bloat-free Android 8.1 Oreo, the phone is snappy and fluid in everyday use and doesn't disappoint during casual gaming. The benefit of being part of the Android One program is that it will receive the security and OS updates from Google for two years, with Android 9 Pie due in the coming months. The screen is bright indoors but fades a bit under bright light. The 6.1 Plus uses a built-in 3060mAh battery, which lasts well over a day of average use and supports fast charging, though you don't get a fast charger in the box.

The camera setup – a 16MP primary sensor (f/2.0) coupled with a 5MP secondary sensor for depth sensing, and a 16MP f/2.0 selfie camera – produces good photos with excellent colors and rich details. Likewise, with selfies in good light. Low light photos, however, exhibit a lot of noise and look washed out.

In and of itself, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is a capable mid-ranger that has a fair bit going for it – clean optimised Android, good battery life and an impressively compact glass design, all at an honest price. Launching after the Xiaomi Mi A2 Android One smartphone, there is no question which one packs a better shooter – if only HMD could roll out some camera improvements, it would be a compelling buy in the sub-Rs 20,000 price segment.