Nokia 6 phone - first thoughts

I decided that I needed to update my Android device a couple of weeks ago. After a little research I decided on the Nokia 6 phone. Before you say, 'but this is a Linux Blog' for those of you that might not be technical, Android is based on the Linux Kernel so I think its a valid topic.

This is a mid range phone with the following specifications:

5.5-inch 1080p screen
Snapdragon 430 chip set

CPU - Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU -  Adreno 505
3GB of RAM
Dual 4G SIM capable (All UK networks) 
32Gig internal storage + expansion with SD card up to 128Gig
16MP and 8MP cameras
Fingerprint scanner
3.5mm Headphone Jac
All metal Aluminium case

Price at purchase, network unlocked £200  

The phone came with Android 7.1 and as soon as it was connected to the Internet it updated to 7.1.1 so has the latest September security patches.

The first issue encountered was that this phone uses a nano Sim card for the phone network and my old One Plus used the bigger micro Sim, so I had to get a new Sim card sent to me which took 24 hours. In the mean time I was installing some of the applications that I have on the phone and checking that all my contacts had transferred to the new phone, which despite a backup of same some had not migrated, but that’s a Google issue not the phone.

When the SIM arrived I put it and a 16Gig micro SD card into the SIM slot, the cards were recognized and after configuring the SD card as additional storage I was able to set my pod catcher and camera to save files to the SD card rather than internal storage thus leaving internal storage for apps and Android updates.

First thing I noticed over my previous One Plus1 is how snappy everything is the CPU upgrade was definitely and improvement over my old phone. Another thing is the fact that Nokia has decided to keep the 3.5mm headphone Jac which for me is essential as I listen to music and audio recordings at some time on the phone most days. A lot has also been said about the 3000mAh battery not being up to all day use and the slowness of recharging it if needed. For my use profile I find the battery more than adequate, I surf, use social media, take occasional snaps, watch the odd You Tube video and listen to pod-casts/music, Oh and make the odd phone call.

After a 14 hour day I have still got 50-60% of battery left. Granted the other night I got down to 40% it did take all night to recharge to 98% with a 2.5A charger, with the official 2A charger it does seem to be a little faster, but yes if your a heavy user you will need to carry your charger or a portable battery for emergency top ups.

So would I recommend the Nokia6 to someone in the market for a phablet, the short answer is yes, if you need the larger screen but can't afford the high end larger screen phones this is a very good mid range option, if you need to use the dual SIM capability it might be worth spending the extra £40 and getting the 64Gig version to give extra room for updates and plenty of space for Applications as you will not be able to use the expansion capacity as the second SIM uses the space where the Micro SD card goes.

After the first 2 weeks or so my first impressions are this is a good phone and well worth the £200 price point.