OUR EARLY VERDICT
A big screen, promise of excellent battery life, relatively premium design and affordable price tag makes the Nokia 7 Plus an enticing proposition.
FOR
- Display great for games and video
- High-end dual camera
- Smart design
AGAINST
- Not out until April
The Nokia 7 Plus offers up a big screen and premium design at a mid-range price tag.
It slides in below the Nokia 8 and new Nokia 8 Sirocco, which launched alongside the 7 Plus at MWC 2018.
The 6-inch full HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio is the main attraction here, dominating the front of the phone, but you also get a Snapdragon 660 chipset, 4GB of RAM, the same dual camera as the flagship Sirocco and a 3,000mAh battery.
The 7 Plus is well equipped then, as it looks to steal the hearts of those after a big screen on a budget.
Nokia 7 Plus release date and price
The Nokia 7 Plus release date is set for April 2018, so there’s going to be a little bit of a wait until it hits stores.
That will give its closest 6-inch competitor, the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra, a couple of months head start which could prove costly.
In terms of the Nokia 7 Plus price you’re looking at €399 / AU$749 (around £350, $490), which again puts it right up against the aforementioned Sony.
Design and display
The Nokia 7 Plus is big, and while the firm claims its slender bezels either side of the display make it possible to use one handed, we’d recommend two hands for typing.
Its 158.38 x 75.64 x 7.99mm dimensions reaffirm its large size, although it is slim which works in its favor.
The frame of the 7 Plus is machined from a single block of aluminium, but the rear panel has been coated in six layers of ceramic feel paint.
What does this mean? If gives the back of the phone a different texture, although we suspect it’s been applied to a plastic cover. A tap on the rear and it doesn’t sound like metal, but considering the price point it’s not a surprise.
It still feels premium in the hand, and the accent color that runs around the phone’s circumference, camera, screen and fingerprint scanner is a smart look.
The rear mounted fingerprint scanner falls nicely under forefinger, while the power/lock and volume keys on the right of the handset are easy to reach.
Unlike the more premium Nokia 8 Sirocco, the Nokia 7 Plus does come with a 3.5mm headphone jack allowing you to plug a set of cans or buds directly into the handset without the need for an unsightly adapter.
The 6-inch full HD+ IPS LCD display looks great to, and we expect it’ll provide an excellent viewing experience for movies and games. It’s not quite as punchy as its AMOLED rivals though.
Camera and battery
The rear cameras on the Nokia 7 Plus are promising, as it’s the same dual camera setup up as you get on the more premium Nokia 8 Sirocco.
That means there’s a 12MP main sensor alongside a 13MP telephoto lens allowing you to take Bokeh effect photos (where the background is blurred).
On screen and the camera app is also well stocked, with a Live Bokeh mode allowing you to adjust the level of background defocus before taking your shot, and a Pro mode allowing you to tweak a range of settings. Round the front there’s a 16MP selfie snapper too.
The Nokia 7 Plus promises excellent battery life from its 3,800mAh power pack too, with two days from a single charge being quoted.
We’ll be putting that claim to the test in our in-depth Nokia 7 Plus review, so make sure you keep an eye out for that.
Performance and interface
With a Snapdragon 660 chipset and 4GB of RAM under the hood the Nokia 7 Plus is well equipped in the power department.
We found apps opened quickly and general navigation was smooth when moving around the Android 8 Oreo interface.
Nokia has signed up all its new phones to Android One, which guarantees the handsets Google’s next two major dessert updates as well as three years of security updates. It means that the Nokia 7 Plus has a solid lifespan ahead of it.
This also means you get the stock version of Android, as Google intended it, giving you a clean and fuss free interface without any skin on annoying pre-installed apps getting in the way.
64GB of storage resides inside the 7 Plus too, with a microSD slot allowing you to build on that with cards up to 256GB in size.
Early verdict
A big screen, promise of excellent battery life, relatively premium design and affordable price tag makes the Nokia 7 Plus an enticing proposition.
We’d like to see it go on sale sooner than April, so it can really challenge the Xperia XA2 Ultra, but if you’re in the market for a big screen phone that won’t break the bank the 7 Plus is worth keeping an eye on.
Source: techradar.com
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