It’s a good time to be shopping around for a sub-Kshs 25,000 smartphone in Kenya right now. Not only are there so many choices in the market, but there are also some very tempting offers right now.
To add to the growing list of smartphones under Kshs 25,000 that you should consider is the Nokia 5.1 Plus.
Announced 3 months ago, the Nokia 5.1 Plus began its life as the Nokia X5 around the time that its already-dated predecessor, the Nokia 5.1, entered the local market. While the Nokia 5.1 Plus is definitely a step up from the 5.1 and a step down from what we consider to be its closest sibling, the Nokia 6.1 Plus aka Nokia X6, it does take a few steps backward. Why HMD Global, why?
As if reading from Samsung’s script with the similarly-priced Galaxy J6+ and Tecno’s new Camon 11 Pro, the Nokia 5.1 Plus goes with an “HD+” display, the corny tech parlance for 720p display panels that have been stretched a bit to satisfy both our unexplained need for 18:9 aspect ratio displays as well as satisfy the me-too trend that device makers have adapted to accommodate a, in my opinion, unnecessary cutout at the top (notch) to complicate matters and make the display have a 19:9 aspect ratio.
That said, there’s still some good in the device, overall, including what HMD Global calls “Artificial Intelligence assist”, a simple way of saying that the device deploys AI to create better bokeh effects for portrait shots and whatnot.
While there’s no mention of the Gorilla Glass 3 that protects the display on another Nokia-branded device that went on sale in the country recently, there is mention of 2.5D glass on the front of the device that also extends to the back, making the Nokia 5.1 Plus an attractive “all-glass” smartphone in its price segment.
- Size and weight: 149.51 x 71.98 x 8.096 mm, 160g
- Display: 5.8-inch HD+
- Camera: Main 13 MP + 5 MP; Secondary 8 MP
- Processor: MediaTek Helio P60
- Memory: 3GB RAM; 32GB 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, USB Type-C
Of course, like every other Nokia smartphone we have seen enter the Kenyan market this year, bar the Nokia 1, the Nokia 5.1 Plus is an Android One smartphone through and through.
The Nokia 5. 1 Plus is available in retail stores across the country in Gloss Black, Gloss White and Midnight Gloss Blue colour options for Kshs 24,000. That is the same pricing as Huawei’s impressive Y9 2019 and Tecno’s Camon 11 Pro.
Let the games begin.
