So far, we’ve already seen HMD Global release into the Kenyan market the Nokia 2.1, Nokia 3.1, Nokia 5.1 and, recently, the Nokia 6.1 Plus. As such, it is only logical that the Nokia 7.1 (give or take the Plus model) follows suit since it is already available in the global market, right?
Starting yesterday (November 6th, 2018), the Nokia 7.1, which was only announced globally last month, is available across the country through select retailers.
The device’s cling to fame, besides being the second Nokia-branded device from HMD Global to launch in the country with a feature some of us love to hate, the notch, also happens to be the first such device from the Finnish company that arrives packing its “PureDisplay screen technology”.
Marketing speak aside, what that means is that the device’s 5.84-inch display provides its users with the best in-class HDR10 experience (I have tried to explain what HDR here so maybe you may want to have a look at that before proceeding). What this means is that the display has a higher contrast and clarity level thus allowing light and dark areas to pop. This is useful for similarly-tailored content that users can access from YouTube, Netflix and such. What’s more, the device will even convert standard definition content to HDR level before beaming it, in real time.
Like other Nokia devices we have seen released this year, the Nokia 7.1 is an Android One smartphone and we all know what that means, don’t we?
Of course, it’s not a Nokia if the photography isn’t great, right? HMD Global will be crossing its fingers that the ZEISS optics which make it into the device, like the Nokias from a decade ago, go a long way in helping its devices maintain an edge over rivals like Huawei, Oppo and others who have introduced very attractive camera-centred devices in the Kenyan market this year.
Like the two aforementioned Chinese device makers and its other competitors, HMD Global has also incorporated AI (Artificial Intelligence)-driven features to make the Nokia 7.1 smarter, faster and highly adaptive of the usage situations it is likely to find itself in, complementing features like Adaptive Battery arriving at the operating system level courtesy of Android 9 Pie. The AI smarts also, naturally, extend to the cameras. The device’s front-facing camera harnesses the power of AI to create “animated 3D personas/masks and filters”.
Specifications of the device are as follows:
- Size (minus the camera bump) and weight: 149.7 x 71.18 x 7.99mm, 160g
- Display: 5.84-inch PureDisplay Full-HD+ protected by Gorilla Glass 3
- Camera: Main 12 MP + 5 MP; Secondary 8 MP
- Processor: Snapdragon 636
- Memory: 4GB RAM; 32 or 64 GB internal storage (expandable up to 400GB)
- Operating System: Android 8.1, Oreo
- Battery: 3,060mAh
- Network: 3G, 4G
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C
- Others: Dual-SIM
The Nokia 7.1 is available in Gloss Midnight Blue and Gloss Steel colours for Kshs 30,000, a little less than the equivalent pricing in other markets.
