
Actually I bought this phone from Best Buy with preorder. I received it on release date but I won't use it because its glass back is so slippery. So I waited until I get a case from Amazon. I chose Nokia over some other Chinese brands around $300 phones. I think I did the right thing.
Very first thing I got trouble was "4G" icon at the top and LTE speed. We usually see literally on every phones "LTE" icon if we are on LTE network. But this Nokia would show only "4G". I am not sure it is only me. Also my data speed was about 15mbps at that time. So I chatted with Nokia rep and he asked me to do few things like clearing caches of about 20 items of system apps. After that I get speed about 45mbps on T-Mobile in central Florida which I used to get with my LG G5 or my wife's iPhone. I understand LTE is considered 4G. But still it annoyed me a bit.
Phone comes with Android 8.1. Run smooth despite weak Snapdragon 636 processor. You will notice lag when you are taking video iPhone-like animoji with Camera. Also there are 1 animoji, 3 filters and few light effects currently for the built-in camera for now. I hope the more will come with updates. I don't think 3D games are going to play well on this.
Actually picture quality is so good. Low light shots are even better than iPhone 7. Live Bokeh mode is not bad. But it is not as clean as iPhone X. It looks like artificial, done by software, not by lens. Google Lens is built in into Camera app and it works great.
Screen is really good. Vivid and accurate for LCD. But when I put it side by side with my old LG G5's OLED, then I see the difference. But can't complaint for $350 phone.
I found the gesture "Swipe Fingerprint for notification" I like it. Because I would hate if I have to use 2 hands to pull notifications down from the top of the screen. LG phone can be customized button at the dock for it. It is very useful for large screen phones.
Battery life is OK so far. Quick charge works.
What I don't like ;
(1) You have to remove SD card if you want to use second SIM.
(2) Doesn't show Quick-charge status at notification bar like Samsung or LG , so I wouldn't know if cable or adapter is broken quick-charge function right away. It shows on Lock-screen and disappeared after 2 seconds. So I do not know it is functioning or not.
(3) Official case will have to wait until December?
(4) No water-resistant in 2018.
(5) Music Player (Google's Play Music App is suck)
Overall this is a really good phone for the price. Can't wait to get Android 9 update. And this is Nokia quality. 2018 Chinese Brand phones are look nice. But for the long term, usually they don't function as you would expect. I have seen those a lot with my friends. I will update if I see something strange in the future.
* (1 week later) Camera bump is huge. Even with a case, it is still higher than thickness of the case. I already have 3 scratches on camera lens. Now I am super annoyed by it. Now I have to find a thicker case which will protect camera lens.
Android Play Music App is truly suck. I am used to LG, HTC, Sony all music apps are great. Free App Musicolet player is not bad. So far it is OK.
Call quality is clear. But speaker phone mode is not that loud. I use bluetooth on my car, so it does not bother to me.
Battery life is really good.
To be translated to another language by Google lens AI, I have to install Google Translate app, then it will appear Translate menu when you select text from an image you shot. Before that I did not see the menu. Or may be I am doing it wrong. But it is working great. I am happy with it.
11/27/18- updated Android Pie. I hate that cannot remove annoying Google search bar on home page. Knock a star off. What's wrong with Google?
This phone is wonderful. I had not upgraded my phone in over 4 years. I was tired of being tied down by carrier phones that I had to pay off over 2-3 years just to get a decent phone that would work in the US. There are many phones from overseas that are offering so much, except that usually they dont have the correct bands to get LTE speeds in the US. I did a ton of research and decided to go with this phone and I am so happy I did.
The biggest complaint I have seen about this phone is that it crashes or that the experience isn't smooth. I have not seen any of this. Granted the processor inside is not the latest and or greatest, but I have had 15-20 plus apps running at once and have seen no signs of slowdown or stutter. I may not use that most resource intensive apps but my old phone couldn't handle even 5-6 apps running so I feel like this is a win.
Also if you have never used an Android One phone, it is very bare bones which I love. There were only 23 apps installed when I turned it on for the first time. My old LG phone had around 80+ when it was brand new. You know how many of those apps I used? Only the google default ones like apps and photos, so maybe 10-15. This is a huge win, and really allows android to run much faster. Also there is no manufacturer UI skin over the top. This usually slows phones down as well.
The screen is really nice, the colors pop and the screen brightness is great as well.
The camera does a nice enough job for me, even my friends with higher end IPhones and Samsung phones cant believe that I am getting photos like this out of a $350 phone.
The build quality is beautiful, now I use a case ALL of the time for any phone I am using so you dont see it much but when I do take it out of the case it looks really nice, and much more expensive than what you are paying for.
Overall, if you are like me and looking for a nice phone for not a lot of money, and you are not doing any high end mobile gaming I would highly recommend this phone. I am most likely going to buy another for my girlfriend if that says anything!
Biggest thing is that this does not ship with Android Pie. It's installed with Oreo 8.1. Not sure how they get away with advertising it as a Pie phone, although hopefully the update arrives soon enough. It's noticeably smaller than the 6.1, and it makes for a different experience. The glass backing is extremely slippery, but the build quality is still there, which is good since this will likely get dropped and slip off surfaces until the cases start to ship.
Excellent phone for the price. Run great on T-Mobile on the phone. 4G LTE run great and fast.
Very happy with the purchase. Must buy case to avoid phone slipping off your hand.
Clean android phone at a budget price. The HDR screen is just a wow. Most apps are easy to use and google assist is great addition on stock android. In addition the 4 gb ram and 64 gb storage is all you can ask for

Feature Product
- Discover the power of the latest generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 that will let you reimagine what can be done on a smartphone, complete with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and up to 400GB with a micro SD powered with an all day battery
- Bright, high contrast 2. 5D 5. 84" FHD+ HDR screen with 2220x1080 resolution and 19: 9 aspect ratio with a Compact screen to body ratio of 80% and Corning Gorilla glass
- Dual 12+5MP rear camera for vibrant and stunning images and an 8MP selfie camera with an 84 degree FOV so everyone fits in the picture every time that utilizes HDR, Dual Sight, and pro camera modes to create unparalleled images
- Built on the most advanced version of Android One that brings a Google designed software experience with a streamlined, easy to use interface and curated set of pre-installed Google apps and two years of OS upgrades
- All the latest connection options including NFC, Bluetooth 5. 0, OTG, fast USB Type-C charging, and a fingerprint sensor. LTE Bands supported: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 28, 38, 40, 66
Description
Discover the power of the Nokia 7. 1 a modern and carefully crafted phone featuring the latest generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 mobile platform that will let you re-imagine what can be done on a smartphone. The Nokia 7. 1 has been built with the user in mind at every step of the process. We started with a bright, high contrast 2. 5D 5. 84” full HD+ screen that create brilliant saturated colors making your photos, videos, and apps look better than ever. The 2220x1080 resolution and HDR support saturates your screen and makes everything from text to icons sharper and cleaner. The all new 19: 9 aspect ratio and a compact screen to body ratio means that 95% of your phone is more screen and less borders all protected by Corning Gorilla glass. The Nokia 7. 1 is made even more powerful by taking advantage of the efficiencies of Android One. With Android One from Google you have: the most advanced Android with no bloatware or confusing re-skins, monthly security updates, and start with Android 8. 0 Oreo (soon Pie). The 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage of internal storage ensures that everything works just the way you want and if you find yourself needing more space, the Nokia 7. 1 storage is up expandable up to 400GB with a micro SD card. All that storage is put to use with the dual 12+5MP rear camera that creates vibrant and stunning images utilizing HDR+ technology for photos and an 8MP selfie camera with an 84 degree FOV so everyone fits in the picture every time. The Nokia 7. 1 is made complete with all the latest connection options including NFC, Bluetooth 5. 0, OTG, a fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C fast charging that takes your phone to 50% charge in less than 30 minutes so you never have to stop for long. Stand up and tell your story with the Nokia 7. 1, a phone built for you.
I'm coming from a Moto X and used an Essential Phone for a couple months before settling on this phone. One of the best Mid range phones available in US. I'm an average user and this phone more than meets my needs. Much better than the Essential phone since I had problems with it freezing. I haven't experienced any lags or freezing with this phone. Nokia announced it will be getting Pie soon, so expected to get even better.
Pros
- Long batter life (get over 24 hours on a charge and still have about 20%). Fast charging too.
- 4 GB Ram and 64 GB storage
- Memory expandable
- Build quality
- Fast for normal usage
- Good camera quality, good nokia camera app
- Android One and upgrades for 2 years
- New 636 processor
- Does well with Tmobile
CONs
- Its slippery and you'll need a case
- Speaker on the bottom easily covered by hand. Better if it were on top.
- OLED screen would have been better but hard to complain as this price
I compared screen quality/hdr10 video on YouTube on iPhone x. There is not much difference between . I get screen on time of 6 hours which is excellent for Android phone. Just wish had Android pie already.
This is another best Nokia Android phone with orginal Nokia qulaities inbuild. Its deliverying much better result of $500plus phone in $350/-
I've only had this for a few weeks, but so far, for the most part, this is a great phone. My last phone was a Nexus 6 that lasted nearly 4 years (as it should have, given the name). I loved that phone dearly and was sad when Google stopped making Nexus products. I'd basically resigned myself to a Pixel until I discovered this phone and the fact that Google was bringing the Android One phones over to the states. This is exactly what I wanted: a pure Android phone with a guarantee of updates directly from Google, and it's about half the price of the comparable Pixel phone.
My only complaint is the size. Rather, the really tall and skinny aspect ratio the Nexus 6 was a 6" screen that was nearly as wide as it was long. By comparison, the Nokia 7.1, which boasts a 5.84" screen, is as slim as the HTC Evo I'd had prior to the Nexus. I consider this a step backwards. I don't even mind the notch, which I thought would annoy me most of all. The fact that the entire phone is made of glass is a bit weird to me, but since I never use a phone without a case, it's not that big of a deal. Though it would make me feel a lot better if there were more rugged case options for this, preferably something like an Otter box.
I won't go into too much detail where others have already gone as far as specs, performance, build quality, etc. but since i bought this phone for my non-techie spouse, and after a few days of use on Cricket Wireless network, here are few comments that might impact your use and lean you to buy or not buy:
- The phone will upgrade to Android Pie (9.0) at start up right out of the box so be prepared for that when you get the phone
- cell phone coverage and LTE work fine on cricket wireless (AT&T network), BUT Cricket Visual Voicemail app does NOT work since Android Pie (9.0) upgrade. you can still access voicemail via usual call number, but if you want to read the voicemails there doesn't seem to be an easy way to do that right now until they fix the app to work with android 9.0
- aside from voicemail, after Pie 9.0 upgrade, i think the phone runs fairly smoothly as far as performance. it is NOT as fast as a Qualcomm 800-series processor (my LG G6 Snapdragon 821 seems quicker/more responsive) but it is not super slow or laggy all the time. so i think initial performance concerns from others may have been impacted by the fact that it launched with android 8.1 and not 9.0. DISCLAIMER: my wife is not a gamer so the apps that seem to launch smoothly are basic ones like google maps, texting, contacts, google search, calendar, etc.
- camera is nice but not amazing; if you need a great camera look to a more expensive phone like the iphones, samsungs, google pixels, xiaomis, etc. but this is basically a good phone camera (would give it a 7 out of 10) and slightly better than my daughter's Moto G6 which is a less expensive mid-ranger. low-light photos may suffer.
- battery life: my wife gets through the day fine on light to moderate usage without gaming.
- the build quality is nice but still glass so it is a bit slippery (ordered a case), has that "small" phone feel but the screen is great. my wife has small hands so she did not want a big phone
- the software is nice and clean without bloatware because of the android one program
- the fingerprint reader is not as big as other phones we've used so sometimes hard to find on back with index finger
- the glass attracts fingerprints
TL;DR:
EXCELLENT - software (android 9.0 and quick updates), display quality, size (for those who like smaller, one-handed use phones), build quality/looks, works with Cricket wireless, still has headphone jack, USB-C quick-charging
GOOD (not necessarily great)- camera, performance, battery life
BAD - not all apps optimized for Pie 9.0 (like cricket visual voicemail), glass (screen and back) attracts fingerprints, fingerprint reader is a little small and close to flush with back so takes some time getting used to finding it blindly
OVERALL: quality phone and probably best android One phone you can get specifically for US market
UPDATE (JAN 7): Cricket Visual Voicemail App DOES WORK. need to wait for the text/notification from Cricket to activate before setting up on the app. so now, that complaint is OFF the LIST.

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