HMD Global has finally announced its first smartphone for 2018, and it's none other than the Nokia 6 (2018)- an upgraded version of the original Nokia 6. The major changes in the Nokia 6 (2018) when compared to Nokia 6 is the upgraded processor, slightly modified design, and the addition of USB Type-C port. The device is launched in China, so for the next couple of months, it will be exclusive to the Chinese market itself. HMD may announce the smartphone for global markets at the MWC 2018 event.
Its been exactly a year since HMD Global launched its first Android smartphone, and it's the Nokia 6. So an anniversary upgraded model is a nice gesture, but the Nokia 6 (2018) packs in competitive hardware for the asking price. The smartphone will retail for 1499 Yuan (approx. Rs 14,700) for the 4GB RAM and 32GB storage model, while the 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage variant costs 1699 Yuan (approx. Rs 16,600). The device will be up for sale in China starting January 10.
The pricing is sensible from HMD Global this time around. The only letdown with the original Nokia 6 was the processor. The Snapdragon 430 chipset on the Nokia 6 was sluggish for the most part, but in other aspects such as design, display, it excelled. The upgraded variant makes it a better phone altogether.
Nokia 6 (2018) Specifications and Features
The Nokia 6 (2018) comes with the same 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top. This display has an aspect ratio of 16:9, and not 18:9, which is a sad thing. But HMD managed to shrink the top and bottom bezels, as compared to the original Nokia 6. Also, the fingerprint scanner is now moved to the rear, and the company even ditched hardware navigation keys, opting for on-screen navigation keys.
The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC, built on the 14nm manufacturing process. The chipset is paired with Adreno 508 GPU for graphics, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM for system operations, and 32GB/64GB internal storage. There's a microSD card slot for storage expansion up to 128GB.
Sadly, the Nokia 6 (2018) boots Android 7.1.1 Nougat out-of-the-box, but the company promised Android 8.0 Oreo update very soon. The camera setup is still the same- a 16MP rear camera is present at the back of the phone, along with an 8MP front-facing camera.
The sad part is the Nokia 6 (2018) is a tad thicker than the original Nokia 6 at 8.6mm, and it's slightly on the heavier side as well at 172grams. All the connectivity options such as 4G LTE, VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS are present on the smartphone.
Another major upgrade is the USB Type-C port and fast charging support. The Nokia 6 (2018) still has the same 3000mAh battery, but the company added support for fast charging with a promised charge rate from 0 to 50% in just 30 minutes.
Overall, the Nokia 6 (2018) is a major upgrade over the original Nokia 6. HMD is left with yet another job. The company has to launch the smartphone in India at the earliest and price it aggressively to gain some market share. What's your opinion on the Nokia 6 (2018)? Should HMD have included any other features? Let us know by commenting below.
