Nokia introduces two affordable Android One smartphones with a notch

After days of waiting, it turns out that the most awaited phone from Nokia isn’t a flagship device that we hoped for. Instead, HMD Global had announced two new smartphones in India, and they are global versions of their X series from China.

Nokia 5.1 Plus

The most affordable of the lot is the Nokia 5.1 Plus which is based on the Nokia X5. It gets a 5.86″ “edge to edge” display that pushes a HD+ resolution of 1520×720 in a 19:9 aspect ratio.

Despite being a budget device, it uses 2.5D curved glass for both front and back, with a high gloss finish frame for an upmarket feel. It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 processor with 3GB RAM and comes with 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded via a microSD card of up to 400GB.

Over at the rear, the Nokia 5.1 Plus has a dual camera setup consisting of a 13MP f/2.0 main camera and a 5MP secondary shooter with AI features. For selfies, it gets a 8MP f/2.2 front facing camera. Also included is a fingerprint sensor that’s mounted at the rear. Juicing up the device is a 3,060mAh battery which charges via USB-C.

Out of the box, it runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and since it’s an Android One device, it gets guaranteed software updates including the upcoming Android Pie. HMD Global will only reveal the pricing for the Nokia 5.1 Plus in September and the device is available in 3 colours – Gloss Black, Gloss White and Midnight Gloss Blue. In China, the Nokia X5 is officially priced at 999CNY (about RM597) for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant.

Nokia 6.1 Plus

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is the better of the two and the hardware is on par with the likes of the Redmi Note 5. In front, it gets a 5.8″ Full HD+ display that’s protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. It also uses glass at the rear and it comes with an aluminium frame.

Under the hood, it gets a powerful Snapdragon 636 processor that’s mated to 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM. Internally, it gets 64GB of eMMC 5.1 storage which is also expandable via microSD.

For taking pictures, it features a 16MP + 5MP dual-camera setup at the rear with EIS while the front gets a 16MP selfie shooter that’s enhanced with AI photography features.

Powering the device is a 3,060mAh battery which charges quickly via USB-C. Like the Nokia 5.1 Plus, it also gets a 3.5mm headphone jack and comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

In India, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is officially priced at 15,999INR (about RM937) which is hitting the sweet spot for a mid-range smartphone. The only question left is when it’s coming to Malaysia?

After the introduction of the Mi A2, the similarly spec’ed Redmi Note 5 is now priced at RM869. Would you consider the Nokia 6.1 Plus if it’s priced under RM1,000 in Malaysia? Let us know in the comments below.