We are now into 2019 and Nokia now have quite a slew of devices on the market with an odd naming structure that in some cases overlap even with the timely gap between predecessors I have seen some instances in store with two devices from the same series and then you have plus models on top of that.. In short they need to deal with this. The 7.1 also falls into that and is the upgrade to the 7 plus.. BUT IS IT??
The 7.1 looks great from any angle with the chamfered edges and rounded corners and glass front and rear it feels good to hold in the hand, A little on the small size for my taste but I got to like it quickly though I think the 7 plus was a better sized device but the 7.1 looks better as a whole but that is my personal view
With cost to performance ratio coming down in price now on smartphones Nokia and HMD are well placed here but again its a saturated market and competition is tough but design is one factor to step back and look at and this is nice in this case but just dont keep repeating it like Samsung and others have over the years and from an aesthetics point of view it is not good to have a portfolio of devices all looking the same.
Main features below. I wont bore you with specs..
Out of the box the 7.1 will meet most peoples needs but for a power users like me the battery let me down, Remember I am a power user there is a difference between that and your average user this is big when it comes to comes to battery drain and I have alot going on on my phones which is annoying sometimes. I would not get a full day on one charger but we have USB-C and fast charging,which is great but no wireless charging which is not so great despite the glass back on this phone…
The camera is what everyone talks about on Nokia phones and with ZEISS optics and an array of settings to play with you are covered overall even low light is not too shabby compared to others in this price range but overall you can in short point and shoot and get results which is what people want without the need to be messing about with settings even though there is many here to try out do most people actually use them?? If you do they are there and they can improve your photography game if that is your thing. See samples below of all options…
When it comes to multitasking I was happy with how it handled things with multiple pages open and switching between apps all was fine and smooth, Web browsing, social and emails all a breeze but I did see some freezing particularly on Twitter however this is common on several phones including the 7 plus and 8. Screen freeze was present on a few occasions but a quick lock/unlock addressed this. Gaming was fine I am not a massive gamer but for the heavier games I did notice some lag here and there but for your average game you will be fine.
I loaded up my SD card which is full of photos,videos and games and music and I did notice a small slowdown in performance. I am an old school person who has a few sd cards copied and full of stuff I like to use and look back on and never have much need for them these days but there is quite an amount of material on these and it did hamper performance slightly.Like I say I am a power user and have more than your average needs than the typical user would have.
NEED A CASE FOR YOUR NOKIA 7.1 CHECK OUT OUR MOZO CASE REVIEWS
With specs on board here at the pricepoint you cant complain really for what you get, The screen is great for media consumption,the speaker is decent and for the most the battery will last and it fits that sweet point in general. For point and shoot folk you are on a winner and photos are great with the right conditions and no over saturated or grainy images. I think the 7 plus was perhaps better overall but this comes in cheaper than last years but lets see how it gets on after a longer period of use and lets hope that we have not a repeat situation like the Nokia 7 plus we had last year and seems to be an issue. Also I have noticed issues with bluetooth connectivity with my car that is keeps disconnecting and having to pair it back up and the same on some headphones or earphones.The support forum lacks help which i have tried to address and is something that needs to change and for me it is a gripe I personally have that needs to change compared to the former NSD forum. There’s a certain level of ignorance which needs addressing when it comes to support and more and I’m not the only one to point this out.
Would I recommend this phone?? Yes if you are on a budget this is an easy recommendation for the price and what you get for your hard earned cash you get value for money. With the likes of Xiaomi around and other players in the market there is marginally better but the issue at hand for them is availability in stores here and support and you are left to do your business online and returns are a problem and time consuming. The 7.1 is priced well against its competition here in Ireland giving you a well built phone and specs though.
Argos now sell cases for Nokia Devices
The 7.1 is now widely available in Ireland but your best deal is through your operator starting at €269, Argos at €229 sim free and most likely that price will drop soon enough with more new handsets coming at MWC 2019.