HMD Global has (largely) been playing catch-up with more-established smartphone brands like Apple and Samsung. It has taken a few iterations for the current Nokia handsets to integrate many of the features we've come to expect from modern smartphones, and this trend continues with the Nokia 6.1 Plus. This time around, it's the infamous "notch" that makes its Nokia debut, with the Nokia 6.1 Plus's screen featuring a small groove at the top to accommodate the front-facing camera lens.
This allows the Nokia 6.1 Plus to pack a significantly larger screen than its predecessor, expanding from 5.5 inches to a roomy 5.8 inches. The aspect ratio also sees a considerable increase, stretching out from the typical 16:9 to a much wider 19:9. HMD Global kept the resolution at full HD and used Gorilla Glass 3 for the physical screen to give it added protection against bumps, falls and scratches.
Other aspects of the Nokia 6.1 Plus are a little more predictable. There's the now commonplace fingerprint sensor located on the back of the handset below the camera, providing a more secure means of locking your phone as well as preventing other people from making digital payments through platforms like the Google Play store. A 3.5mm audio jack ensures compatibility with traditional wired headphones, while support for Bluetooth 5.0 lets you connect wireless headsets and other Bluetooth devices if you're sick and tired of tangled cables.
Whether you use those headphones for listening to music, watching videos or playing games, the 64GB of internal storage gives you plenty of space for downloading and storing large files. If you find yourself running out, you can always add more storage via a microSD card, with the Nokia 6.1 Plus supporting cards of up to a massive 400GB in size.
Further reinforcing HMD Global's commitment to the Nokia brand is the fact that, like previous handsets, the Nokia 6.1 Plus comes with Android One certification. This means that it will continue to receive security and software updates for a minimum of two years, ensuring it remains protected against the latest threats and compatible with new apps and software. This also means that although the Nokia 6.1 Plus ships with Android 8.0 "Oreo", it shouldn't be long before it receives an update to the newer Android 9.0 "Pie".