Every smartphone enthusiast’s calendar has two major annual events – Mobile World Congress (MWC) held in Barcelona Spain and the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) held in Berlin Germany.
As of this writing, the latter event is ongoing until September 11. So far, the tradeshow has already witnessed the official debut of TCL into the smartphone market and the launch even more Nokia-branded Android One phones. It is the latter that is of our interest.
At the MWC 2019 earlier this year, HMD Global was in Spain to unveil four new Nokia phones – the Nokia 9 PureView, Nokia 4.2, Nokia 3.2 and Nokia 1 Plus. Six months later, the Finnish company has unveiled two more phones in Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2.
These two are the third-generation Nokia phones here to succeed the Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 6.1 from 2018. They pack in some solid specs and cool features highlighted by triple cameras and HDR displays to go with the promise of timely software updates.
Nokia 7.2
As we have come to expect, the Nokia 7.2 is the superior of the two. It becomes the first from the company with a massive 48MP main shooter on the back with Carl Zeiss lenses and Quad Pixel technology. The latter means the Nokia 7.2 uses pixel binning tech to produce 12MP images.
According to HMD, the Nokia 7.1 successor is also the first to support DSLR-class bokeh effects in any phone. Apparently, users will be able to take advantage of both foreground and background blur effects when taking shots, which is pretty awesome.
To support the 48MP unit, Nokia 7.2 gets an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP depth sensor. Other specs include a 6.3-inch notched display panel with a 1080p resolution and support for always-on HDR, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chip allied to 4GB or 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage.
Charging of the 3500mAh battery unit will take place via a USB-C, unfortunately, you only get 5V/2A charging standard, which isn’t fast charging by any means. On the brighter side, it still offers the 3.5mm audio jack.
Below is a summary of the Nokia 7.2 specs:
- 6.3-inch FHD+ with PureDisplay
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC
- 4GB or 6GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB expandable storage (up to 512GB)
- Tri-lens main camera: 48MP + 5MP (depth sensor) + 8MP (ultra-wide)
- 20MP selfie camera
- 3500mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie
- Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, Google Assistant button, etc.
The Nokia 7.2 will be sold in Charcoal, Cyan Green, and Ice color variants.
Nokia 6.2
Right below the Nokia 7.2 is the Nokia 6.2 and by design, it ships with a slightly inferior hardware package but with a similar design language to its counterpart. The tri-lens camera on the back has a round module akin to the 7.2, but the cheaper model trades the 48MP main shooter on the back for a 16MP lens while keeping the same 8MP ultra-wide lens and 5MP depth sensor. The 6.2 also gets a weaker 8MP selfie shooter.
More similarities are visible from the front, where the Nokia 6.2 gets the same 6.3-inch notched display screen with a 1080p resolution and HDR tech. You also get the same 3,500mAh battery, USB-C and 3.5mm audio jack on the 6.2, but on the inside, there’s an inferior Snapdragon 636 SoC with limited RAM.
Below is a summary of the Nokia 6.2 specs:
- 6.3-inch FHD+ with PureDisplay
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC
- 3GB or 4GB RAM, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB expandable storage (up to 512GB)
- Tri-lens main camera: 16MP + 5MP (depth sensor) + 8MP (ultra-wide)
- 8MP selfie camera
- 3500mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie
- Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, Google Assistant button, etc.
The Nokia 6.2 will be sold in Ceramic Black and Ice color variants.
Price & availability in Kenya
Considering that both the Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 6.1 were officially sold in Kenya, we also expect that Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2 are on their way into the country as well. As for when they’ll arrive, our guess is as good as yours.
In Europe, the Nokia 7.2 will be priced at €299 for the 4/64GB variant and €349 for the 6/64GB model. There’s no price tag for the 6/128GB variant so far. Going by these figures, the former could cost about Kshs 35,000 while the latter should set you back about Kshs 40,000.
On the other hand, the Nokia 6.2 is priced at €199 for 3/32GB and €249 for 4/64GB, prices that convert to about Kshs 23,000 and Kshs 29,000, respectively.
