Nokia launched its 6.1 series earlier this year, with the 6.1 coming in January and 6.1 plus in August. While many are of the opinion that Nokia has made a mark for themselves in terms of smartphones, especially in the sub-20,000 budget segment, let’s take a look at their specifications that will help you make a better judgement when investing in either of the two.

Here we compare both the devices over 11 parameters, including their price. Read on to find out which one offers better bang for the buck.

Processor

The Nokia 6.1 runs on an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor and contains an Adreno 508 GPU whereas the Nokia 6.1 Plus runs on Snapdragon 636  with an Adreno 509 GPU.

While the SD630 (8x ARM Cortex A53) on the Nokia 6.1 clocks at speeds up to 2.2GHz, the SD636 (8x Qualcomm Kryo 260 CPU) powering Nokia 6.1 Plus clocks at speeds up to 1.8GHz.

Also read: Oppo F9 Pro vs Oppo F9: 10 things to know

Camera 

The Nokia 6.1 has a rear camera of 16 megapixels (comprising of ZEISS optics) with dual LED Flash and a f/2.0 aperture and a front camera of 8 megapixels.

The camera can record video in 4K and provides a dual-sight mode that superimposes the pictures taken by the front and rear cameras simultaneously — the tech, christened ‘bothie’ by the company, and first seen on Nokia 8 launch last year.

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is a bit advanced, in the sense it supports a dual rear camera that bears a 16-megapixel primary sensor (f/2.0) and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor (f/2.0). The phone has a fixed-focused camera of 16 megapixels.

There are many amazing features in the Nokia 6.1 Plus camera’s application. Some of these include live bokeh mode, AR stickers, dual-sight mode, AI portrait lighting and much more.

Display

While the Nokia 6.1 has a display screen of 5.5-inch and a full HD IPS LCD, the Nokia 6.1 Plus display is a 5.8 inch one with full HD+ display.

Both the smartphones have an aspect ratio of 19:9. They also come with a Corning Gorilla Glass for increased protection against scratches.

Design

While the Nokia 6.1 is made entirely out of aluminium with Gorilla Glass protection at the front, the Nokia 6.1 Plus has a 2.5D curved glass back too.

Falling into the long queue of devices sporting the ‘notch’, which was first popularised by Apple, the Nokia 6.1 Plus — depending on your taste — might seem more striking with its refreshed look.

Also read: Why the iPhone has a Notch and why Pixel 3 XL’s doesn’t make much sense

Battery

The Nokia 6.1 has a battery capacity of 3000 mAh while the Nokia 6.1 Plus has a battery of 3060 mAh. A relatively insignificant increase in the battery capacity and both the devices come with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4 tech, so theoretically, the batteries are recharged at the same speed too.

Operating System

Both the smartphones run on a clutter-free stock Android 8 Oreo out-of-the-box — a part of the Android One initiative — and are expected to be upgraded to Android 9 Pie soon.

Android One ensures that the devices will get OS updates for the next two years and timely security updates for the next three years — making the devices a good bet for the long run.

Memory and storage

The Nokia 6.1 is available in two variants – 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage and 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. Both of their storage capacities can be expanded up to 128 GB via a microSD card.

The Nokia 6.1 Plus has a 4 GB RAM and internal storage of 64 GB which can be expanded up to 400 GB via a microSD card.

Connectivity

Both the smartphones support the same connectivity options more or less, and these include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, FM radio, 3.5mm jack, and a USB Type-C slot. The phones support dual SIM cards (Nano), and the external micro SD card can be connected via a hybrid SIM slot.

Sensors

The sensors included in the Nokia 6.1 series include a light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope and a fingerprint sensor.

Colour Schemes

The Nokia 6.1 is available in 3 colours – black and copper, white and iron, blue and gold and the Nokia 6.1 Plus in gloss midnight Blue, gloss white and gloss black colour schemes.

Price

While the Nokia 6.1 is priced at INR 14,999 for the 4 GB variant and INR 13732 for the 3 GB variant, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is priced at INR 14,999 (on sale at the time of writing) otherwise it’s available for INR 15,999.

Conclusion: While most of the functionality of both the devices are practically the same on paper, the Nokia 6.1 Plus provides a refreshed looked and will be an attention grabber for those looking for a notch as well as a more premium design with the glass back. And at the price point where the higher variant of the Nokia 6.1 costs almost the same as Nokia 6.1 Plus, it makes more sense to go for the latter.

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