The $ 350 Nokia 7.1 is a beast on a budget, and it's coming to America

Four-and-a-half years ago, a $ 300 rocket smartphone American tech news with its tier one specifications and shockingly low price tag: the OnePlus One.

The Nokia 7.1 is not, to answer this post's titular question, its second coming. But it spent a little time on it, and at $ 349, it packs a fairly good value wallop in a segment of the market that sees little love in this country, despite the unending songs across the internet for an affordable, high- quality smartphone. This is the most important Nokia in the world yet – 3.1 The Moto G-targeting 6.1. Even if the 7.1 sells less than one, it's a critical test for a company that has hung its success on two widely-loved principles: good value for money and a-messed with, quickly-updated software.

Pre-orders open in the US tomorrow, October 5th, and shipping starts on the 28th. Below, you'll find a quick specification rundown.

The 7.1, as you're likely to be overdriven, does not upset the proverbial apple cart – it's shipping with Android Nokia will, it's Android One certified. That means minimal bloatware, fast updates, and a very Google-defined Android experience. And it's hard to find fault in the formula – here are some of the things that you need, and it's doing a lot of things.

On that spectrum, the new Nokia 7.1 fits squarely in the middle. It does not have flagship ambitions – a Full HD LCD display and a Snapdragon 636 processor keep expectations in check. But it's no slouch, either: that screen supports HDR10 output (including a forced upscaling mode), its dual rear cameras use depth sensing for portrait captures, and an all-glass-and-metal build it has a feeling of quality Nokia HMD devices to date at this price point. It does not look like it's expensive, but it does not look like it's easy, but it does not make sense.

The silver finish has these wonderful copper accents – it's probably the prettiest mid-range phone I've ever seen.

In particular, the new silver color with its copper-tone accents is absolutely striking. Nokia's built (sorry, Scirocco), and I think it's worth it and it's value-for-dollar it stands alone in the US market. Certainly, in countries like India, China, and parts of Western Europe, brands like Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, and Nubia are providing ample competition for HMD's Nokia. But in America, no one else, leaving the market open for a new player. How big that segment is really an open question, though: cheap finance has made it very expensive, and the demand for an unlocked $ 350 smartphone is guaranteed to be meager by comparison. That's just how things are here. But given the size of the US, even a small market can be enough to carve out a business.

As usual, it's typical Nokia: performance is good, I think the HDR-ready 1080p LCD looks nice, and the notched cutout is not much of an eyesore. At 5.84 "with a 3060mAh battery, I suspect battery life will be reasonably good, and the Snapdragon 636 is a very respectable chipset that appears in phones costing far more, like Moto's $ 500 Z3 Play.The US version of the 7.1 will pack 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, too, and it's hard to argue with these numbers. This is one of the many years ago, which launched with a 3 / 64GB SKU for the same price ($ 349). , and the 7.1 has a headphone jack – in case you were curious.

And, in many ways, the 7.1 improves on OnePlus' value formula. By using Android One, speedy software updates are assured, something OnePlus has struggled with over the years. And Nokia's more robust distribution and scale means the company is offering an entire portfolio of smartphone choices to customers, as opposed to OnePlus' more one-size-fits-all approach.

I, for one, am excited to see you in the United States. Here's going to be interested in buying them.