Nokia 6 review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

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It's been more than 10 years since Apple announced the original iPhone, and while the house that Jobs built may be sitting on top of the smartphone mountain now, back in 2007 the king of phones was Nokia. At the time Nokia refused to acknowledge the threat of Apple's simple smartphone with an easy to use operating system, and that hubris saw the company collapse, get bought by Microsoft and ultimately disappear until HMD Global decided to resurrect it in 2017.

The Nokia 6 is the top model in the trio of Android devices that launched in July here in Australia, both in terms of specs and cost. But it still rests squarely in the budget spectrum, which is reflected in its overall performance.

Design

• Bright and crisp, the 5.5-inch screen is the Nokia 6's greatest strength
• Hard edges make it awkward and uncomfortable to hold

• Read more on the Nokia 6's design

  As the biggest of the three new Nokia devices, there is a definite heft to the Nokia 6. There's a 5.5-inch 1080p screen and a 16MP rear camera to house in that body, plus 3GB RAM and 32GB of on-board storage, expandable via microSD slot. Not to mention the 3,000mAh battery, plus dual Dolby Atmos speakers and precision-milled aluminium body.

  It's a fairly heavy phone at 167 grams, but it's not the weight that makes the Nokia 6 uncomfortable to hold. Instead, it's the hard back edges. While the Nokia 5 at least had the decency to soften the aluminium corners with a rounded edge, the Nokia 6 is all about the square lines, which digs into your palm and makes single-hand use a step away from painful.

  Below the screen sits an integrated fingerprint scanner, as well as the standard Android Back and Menu soft keys. While it should be commended that a phone at this price point features an integrated fingerprint sensor, the placement is cumbersome to actually use unless you employ two hands for the job.

Camera

• Serviceable enough in good lighting conditions
• Slow focus makes taking shots more laborious than it should be

• Read more on the Nokia 6's camera

  On the back of the Nokia 6 is a 16MP camera with a dual-tone flash and a phase detection autofocus built in. And in perfect lighting conditions, that sensor is perfectly capable of snapping decent shots.

  But when things get a litter darker, the camera struggles to compete against the likes of Apple or Samsung. The focus is slow and generally a little soft, while the time to actually take a shot seems like forever.

  The 8MP selfie camera is even worse. If you're hoping to be able to see the focus point on your face on the 1080p screen, you're bound to be disappointed, as even the focusing process looks blurry.

  Like its siblings, there's not much to be said for the camera app either. It functions fine, with simple control of the flash and designated modes for panoramas and a beauty mode for selfies, but the camera doesn't preview just how much the mode will change your photo. Instead, you just have to snap the shot and hope for the best.

Performance

• HMD's decision to use the same hardware as the Nokia 5 leads to relatively lacklustre performance
• The promise of ongoing Android support is encouraging

• Read more on the Nokia 6's performance

  It's quite fascinating that HMD Global decided to pack the Nokia 6 with the same processing guts as the slightly smaller Nokia 5. Both phones run on the entry-level Snapdragon 430, but the 6's slightly larger 5.5-inch (and 1080p) screen mean that when it comes to benchmarks, the Nokia 5 has a slight edge.

  The Nokia 6 does have 3GB of RAM inside, but it doesn't seem to make too much difference to the phone's overall performance.

  Handset	Geekbench 4 CPU Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 4 CPU Multi Core (higher is better)
  Moto G5 Plus	842	4180
  Motorola Moto X Force	1352	3581
  Huawei GR5 2017	814	3398
  Huawei Nova Plus	843	2985
  Nokia 5	662	2833
  Nokia 6	664	2832
  Moto G5	630	2605
  Nokia 3	552	1527

  That extra RAM doesn't even help the Nokia 6 when it comes to 3D rendering, so it's probably not going to cut the mustard for the latest and greatest mobile gaming experiences. But given the price point, you probably wouldn't expect it to anyway.

  Handset	3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Result
  Huawei Nova Plus	13969
  Moto G5 Plus	13753
  Huawei GR5 2017	11859
  Moto G5	9532
  Nokia 5	9483
  Nokia 6	9435
  Nokia 3	3676

  The Nokia 6's 1080p screen is a highlight of the device. Again, it's not going to compete with the AMOLED screens from Samsung Galaxy devices, but the 1080p resolution is clean and clear and does a solid job even in bright sunlight.

  Also on the positive side of things is HMD Global's commitment to keeping the Nokia devices up to date for at least two years. The Nokia 6 is running Android 7.1.1, and the experience once you turn it on is akin to what you get from a pure Android device.

  That includes access to the Google Assistant voice control function, as well as the Google Now style news feed, tailored to your interests and search history.

  The spec sheet for the Nokia 6 proclaims Dolby Atmos support from its dual speaker system, but unfortunately the experience is underwhelming. The audio quality is tinny and empty, which isn't a quality you would expect to see aligned with the Dolby brand, and is even a far cry from the Atmos speakers we saw in the ZTE Axon 7.

  So when it comes down to it, this isn't a phone that's going to deliver an impressive experience. On a pure performance front, you'd be better off opting for the slightly smaller Nokia 5, although in reality, it's still essentially the same device.

Battery life

• Decent stamina, but not as long-lived as its specs might suggest
• Under moderate use, all-day battery is not a guarantee

• Read more on the Nokia 6's battery life

  Given the low-powered processor and the somewhat disappointing performance results, there were high hopes that the Nokia 6 would stand up in the battery life department.

  And while it didn't disappoint, it didn't really blow us away either, and was again trumped by the slightly smaller Nokia 5 in our Geekbench 3 battery life tests:

  Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
  LG X Power	14:50:30	5714
  Huawei Nova Plus	13:21:20	8013
  Huawei GR5 2017	11:33:50	6938
  Motorola Moto G5 Plus	11:15:40	6756
  Motorola Moto X Force	9:46:50	3914
  Nokia 5	8:42:30	5044
  Nokia 6	8:19:10	4833
  Nokia 3	7:34:10	3028
  Motorola Moto G5	6:32:50	3833

  Again, that smaller display makes the Nokia 5 the standout in the Nokia pack if you're very brand-conscious, but there are many other budget options with better overall battery performance.

Verdict

• A mediocre handset that fails to live up to the Nokia name

• Read our full Nokia 6 verdict

  The Nokia 6 is a disappointment. Admittedly it isn't claiming to be a revolution in smartphone engineering, but anyone looking for the return of Nokia the Great will be disappointed.

  HMD Global has managed to build a robust device, and the screen is nice to look at even if the phone itself is uncomfortable to hold.

  The commitment to the cleanest version of Android does make for a nice change in the budget space, where many manufacturers choose to preload their bloatware onto the device. But it's not enough.

  The simple truth is that if you're looking for an affordable Android smartphone, there are better options out there. In fact, there are better Nokia options out there – the Nokia 5 has almost all the same internal parts, performs better in benchmarking and feels much more comfortable in the hand, all for $50 less.

  At this price point, you'd be better off pointing your dollars at the Moto G5 or something from Oppo or Alcatel.

Pricing and availability

• Price: RRP $399
• Where to buy: Amazon | eBay

Specifications

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