Nokia 7.1 Revealed To Be An Android One Phone, Only Costs $349

HMD Global has officially announced the Nokia 7.1 and this mid-range Android smartphone is headed to the United States. The Nokia 7.1 seems to be the successor to the China-exclusive Nokia 7 from last year and it’s also part of Google’s Android One program.

The Nokia 7.1 comes with a 5.87-inch LCD display with a full HD+ screen resolution and a 19:9 aspect ratio. The LCD panel on the handset is named PureDisplay by Nokia and it supports HDR10. PureDisplay is also capable of upscaling SDR content to HDR. There is a notch on top of the phone’s screen, but it’s smaller than what’s found on the iPhone X and the device has a somewhat thick bottom bezel.

The display is housed in an all-glass body and an aluminum frame, giving the device a premium look that can match the design of modern flagships. The Nokia 7.1 will be available in two color options: silver and blue. The blue model has a sleek look, while the silver model has a more expensive look thanks to its gold accent.

Inside, the Nokia 7.1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s also a variant that comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but that will only be available in the U.K., according to The Verge. The handset is packing a 3,060mAh battery that supports Nokia’s 9V/2A fast charging technology.

When it comes to camera technology, the Nokia 7.1 is equipped with a dual-camera setup on its back: one with a 12-megapixel sensor and another with a 5-megapixel sensor. Both cameras have f/1.8 aperture lenses and they support dual phase detection autofocus. There’s also a live Bokeh mode for blurring the background and a pro camera mode for full manual controls. Up front, the device has an 8-megapixel shooter. Nokia’s “bothie” camera feature makes a comeback with the Nokia 7.1, which allows users to take photos and videos with the front and rear cameras at the same time.

The Nokia 7.1 is running Android 8.1 Oreo and the phone is part of the Android One program. This basically means that the handset is running the pure Android experience without any bloatware or a proprietary launcher. This also means that users should expect faster software updates with software support guaranteed for the next two years. The phone will receive an update to Android 9 Pie by the end of November, according to Android Police.

The Nokia 7.1 is now available for pre-order in the U.S. for $349 and it will start shipping to customers on Oct. 28. The handset has dual-SIM support and is compatible with T-Mobile, AT&T and other carriers that offer GSM networks.