It’s a common complaint from Android users: Nobody makes a decent, cheap Android phone that also has decent software. And by “decent software” we usually mean “stock Android (or close to it) with rapid updates.”
Enter Nokia. The company’s first trio of Android phones under parent company HMD Global are decidedly low-end. The highest-spec device, the Nokia 6, is only 229 Euros. And Nokia hasn’t yet confirmed that it will come to the U.S., only starting that it is “in talks with carriers.” But you should hope that it will, because if you’re in the market for a cheap phone, it might be exactly what you’re looking for.
The processor isn’t going to blow you away. It’s a Snapdragon 430 with 3GB of RAM, which is a step below the mid-range chip you would hope for. But the rest of the phone’s specs punch above their weight. There’s a decent 16Mrear camera with phase-detect autofocus an f/2.0 aperture, along with an 8Mfront camera. The 5.5-inch 1080p display gets the job done, is bonded to the Gorilla Glass front panel to remove that reflective air gap. The body is solid aluminum, thin, lightweight. The 3000mAh battery should last a good amount of time, with such modest internal hardware. You get 32GB of flash storage, there’s a micro SD slot if that’s not enough.
Sadly, it’s got micro-B instead of B-C. And while there’s a fingerprint sensor NFC, I’ve been told the phone doesn’t have the security necessary for payments, so it’s just for things like transfers.
So what’s the big deal? y do we want it? Because it’s got stock Android 7.1.1. It’s almost an entirely xel-like experience. You get the Assistant, the Feed, round icons. There’s no bloatware, no bundleware, nothing that you wouldn’t get on a Nexus. The one exception is the camera app, which is Nokia’s own (though it does bear a strong resemblance to the camera app).
Nokia says rapid updates are a big priority, that’s one reason it went with a stock experience. The company promises to be on the ball with monthly security patches race to release new versions of Android.
That alone makes it a stout product, at any price. And it’s exceptional to find in a phone that would likely cost $249 or less. There’s a special “Arte Black” version with a glossy finish, an extra gig of RAM, 64GB of storage that will cost 299 Euros. Hopefully, Nokia can work out a deal with U.S. carriers to support the phone—preferably a deal that doesn’t involve carriers installing a bunch of bloatware that can’t be removed. The world needs more affordable phones with a good stock software experience, the Nokia br may still carry enough weight to help popularize the concept.
