If there was ever a way to show the world that it was back from the dead, Nokia is certainly delivering it, unveiling yet another phone heading to Australian shelves.
Another week, another phone, as Nokia churns out yet another release so close to the end of the year.
It seems we’re seeing Nokia models quite regularly, and this week, there’s one more, as HMD Global — the brand that owns Nokia — pushes out yet another model, this time a mid-range model that relies on a spec that might seem high-end simply by reading it, but probably won’t be when you get up close and personal, with some obvious indicators.
The new phone is the Nokia 5.1 Plus, a handset that offers a 5.8 inch display that covers most of the front of the phone, with a fingerprint sensor on the back, two cameras, and Android One, meaning it will have a close to stock Android experience as set out by Google.
Nokia has also equipped a MediaTek processor to the Nokia 5.1 Plus, and it’s paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, the latter of which can be upgraded with microSD later on. While that should be enough for the sub-$400 price, the MediaTek P60 doesn’t fill us with a lot of confidence, and neither does the screen’s HD+ only resolution, which will net only 277 pixels per inch, a fairly low number in the grand scheme of things, and certainly lower than Apple’s “Retina” number which is often beaten by other phones.
There’s also facial scanning on the front, and the extra camera on the back is there for depth control, meaning portrait-styled images are possible, too.
Really, though, it seems one of the main reasons Nokia’s 5.1 Plus would grab attention is the price, which HMD Global has set for $379 outright at Harvey Norman, JB HiFi, and Officeworks in Australia.
As to whether it’ll be a great phone, our guess is that it will be acceptable, though it just adds to what is definitely a wide and varied range for Nokia, and one that might be quite confusing.
In fact, Nokia feels like it has seen a good nine or ten releases locally, providing not just more competition, but a touch more confusion, as well.
Hopefully the Nokia 5.1 Plus can provide a good point of difference, though given that many of Nokia’s phones sit in the budget to mid-range category, we’re not sure what that will be. Big screen and low price? Maybe, though that’s a hard area to choose from this year.
However if you don’t need convincing, you’ll find the Nokia 5.1 Plus in stores from the end of this week, with the new phone landing on November 2.
