“The Nokia 9 PureView is the world’s first smartphone to feature a penta-camera module on the rear panel”
The Nokia 9 PureView (first impressions) was one of the most anticipated smartphones before the start of MWC 2019, as was reflected by an AMA hosted on our Instagram stories and rightfully so. After months of speculations, rumours and leaked renders, it was surreal to see the latest HMD Global flagship officially break cover at the event. For starters, despite being leaked extensively in the past, the penta-camera module on the rear panel of the Nokia 9 PureView managed to awe everyone at the time of unveiling. However, the Nokia 9 PureView is not all about cameras but is also a loaded smartphone worthy of being called a flagship. Here is a list of the top features of the smartphone that make it quite appealing.
Table of Contents
One of its kind penta-camera setup
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. The five camera setup on the rear panel is the highlight of the package. Unlike other brands, which offer multi-camera setups with varying sensors and apertures, Nokia has taken a completely different route. All five cameras on the back of the flagship are 1.25µm, f/1.8, 28mm 12MP Sony image sensors, of which three are dedicated monochrome sensors and two are RGB cameras. It’s obvious now that Nokia is focussing purely on capturing high level of details and bokeh, courtesy the 3D ToF sensor. All cameras work simultaneously when you click a picture and capture the frame at different exposure levels. Post which, the smartphone processes all the five shots using the CPU, GPU, ISP as well as the DSP to produce an extremely detailed 12MP shot. The smartphone also enables users to capture uncompressed RAW images in DNG format, which can be edited directly on the phone using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom application. We are sold!
Staying relevant despite sticking to the 18:9 aspect ratio
Anti-notch brigade of the smartphone industry rejoice! The phonemaker is sticking with the conventional 18:9 form factor for the display of Nokia 9 PureView. This means at a time when every other brand is in a race to increase the screen-to-body ratio and innovating notches, Nokia has separated itself from the herd as far as its flagships are concerned. The flagship phone flaunts a petite 5.99-inch QHD+ pOLED display on the front with no notch obstructing the view, but it does come with sizeable bezels on the top and bottom. The display still manages to stay relevant as it comes with Nokia PureDisplay, which includes HDR10 support. Basically, you can enjoy high-resolution HDR content on providers like YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. The display also house an optical in-display fingerprint scanner.
Robust design that also turns heads
In the past, Nokia has been known for making phones that bore the brunt of time and were extremely durable. It seems that when HMD Global took over Nokia, that’s one of the aspects it has decided to retain. The Nokia 9 PureView flaunts a premium glass sandwich design, which features a layer of Gorilla Glass on both sides and 6000 series Aluminium chassis for durability. Additionally, the smartphone is IP67 certified, which means it’s protected against accidental splashes and dust. Moreover, the metal sides of the handset are chamfered to make it comfortable to hold, which was our only grouse with the Nokia 8 Sirocco (review) because of the latter’s sharp edges. The glass make of the handset has allowed Nokia to equip the 9 PureView with Qi wireless charging as well.
Stock Android 9 Pie with Android One
HMD Global is one of the few brands that offer its torch-bearing flagship phones with stock Android out of the box. Just like Nokia’s entire line-up, the Nokia 9 PureView is an Android One offering and as such, boots the latest Android 9 Pie in its stock avatar. This means that the flagship comes without any bloatware or pesky animations bogging the performance down. Moreover, the smartphone also gets the assurance of two major software updates from Google, which is a plus.
Loaded specs sheet
The only complaint that one could possibly have from the Nokia 9 PureView is the generation-old Snapdragon 845 chipset ticking at its core, when most flagships now are equipped with the latest Snapdragon 855 SoC. However, the Snapdragon 845 is not a slouch and is quite capable and powerful. The chipset has been mated to 6GB of RAM and 128-gigs of storage, which can be expanded using microSD card. A 3,320mAh battery with fast charging keeps the package running.
The Nokia 9 PureView has been priced at $699 (about Rs 50,000) and shipping will begin in March 2019. However, there is no word yet about the Indian launch of the flagship.
