Nokia 5.1 Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Nokia 5.1 is a budget-friendly smartphone that combines style, performance, and affordability. With its sleek metal body and slim profile, it exudes a premium look and feel. The 5.5-inch 18:9 display offers sharp visuals and vibrant colors, perfect for immersive viewing experiences. Running on Android Oreo and part of the Android One program, the Nokia 5.1 ensures regular software updates. Capture stunning selfies with the 8MP front-facing camera and cherish memories with the 16MP rear camera. Priced at £129, the Nokia 5.1 is available in various regions, making it an enticing option for those seeking a reliable and feature-packed smartphone without breaking the bank.

Design and Build Quality

The Nokia 5.1 boasts an aesthetically pleasing design that exudes a premium look and feel. Its sleek and slim form factor, along with its metal body construction, gives it a robust and sturdy build quality. The phone's physical appearance is enhanced by its minimalistic design elements and finishing touches. The back panel has a smooth texture, providing a comfortable grip. The placement of buttons and controls is well-thought-out, ensuring easy accessibility without compromising on the overall aesthetics. The bezels surrounding the 5.5-inch display are kept to a minimum, maximizing the screen-to-body ratio and enhancing the immersive viewing experience. The frame of the Nokia 5.1 further adds to its durability, offering protection against accidental drops and bumps. Despite its solid construction, the phone remains lightweight and portable, making it easy to carry in hand or slip into a pocket. The Nokia 5.1 is designed with ergonomics in mind, allowing for comfortable one-handed usability. Overall, the design and build of the Nokia 5.1 showcase Nokia's commitment to delivering a device that not only looks stylish but also withstands the test of time.

Display

The Nokia 5.1 boasts a 5.5-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution, providing sharp and detailed visuals. The 18:9 aspect ratio offers a taller and more immersive viewing experience. The phone utilizes IPS LCD technology, which delivers good color accuracy and vibrant hues. The brightness levels are decent, making the screen readable even in outdoor environments. The touch responsiveness is smooth and accurate, ensuring a seamless user experience. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass, which adds an extra layer of durability and scratch resistance. The pixel density is adequate for everyday use, delivering clear and crisp text and images. While the Nokia 5.1 does not feature OLED technology or HDR support, the display still offers satisfying performance with wide viewing angles and an anti-reflective coating that minimizes glare. The bezels surrounding the display are slim, contributing to a higher screen-to-body ratio. Overall, the Nokia 5.1's display is well-suited for multimedia consumption and everyday tasks, offering a visually pleasing experience.

Performance

The performance of the Nokia 5.1 is decent, considering its budget-friendly price tag. Powered by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek processor, the phone offers satisfactory performance for everyday tasks and multitasking. While it may not be as fast as smartphones with Qualcomm processors, it still manages to provide a smooth user experience with minimal lag.

In terms of gaming capabilities, the Nokia 5.1 is suitable for casual gamers. It may struggle with more demanding games like PUBG Mobile, but it can handle less graphically intensive games without any major issues. The GPU benchmarks indicate that the phone's graphics performance is average, delivering satisfactory graphics scores.

CPU benchmarks highlight the Nokia 5.1's processor efficiency, allowing for efficient multitasking and app loading speeds. The phone's system optimization ensures that most apps and processes run smoothly without any significant hiccups. Additionally, thermal management is well-handled, preventing the device from overheating during prolonged usage.

While benchmark tests and scores for the Nokia 5.1 are not provided, it is safe to say that the phone's performance is in line with other devices in its price range. Synthetic benchmarks and gaming benchmarks may not be mind-blowing, but they demonstrate the phone's ability to handle everyday tasks and casual gaming without major performance issues.

In summary, the Nokia 5.1 offers a satisfactory performance for a budget smartphone. Its chipset performance and GPU benchmarks indicate decent gaming capabilities, particularly for casual gamers. The phone's CPU benchmarks highlight its efficiency and multitasking capabilities, contributing to a smooth user experience. While detailed benchmark scores are not provided, the Nokia 5.1's performance is on par with other devices in its price range, providing a decent overall performance for everyday tasks and casual gaming experiences.

Software and User Interface

The Nokia 5.1 runs on the Android Oreo operating system, which provides a clean and user-friendly interface. Being a part of the Android One program, it guarantees regular software updates for a few years, ensuring that users have access to the latest features and security patches. This is a significant advantage as it keeps the phone up to date and enhances the overall user experience.

In terms of customization, the Nokia 5.1 offers a good level of flexibility. Users can personalize their device by changing wallpapers, setting up themes, and rearranging app icons. The phone also allows for easy navigation and multitasking, thanks to its intuitive interface.

The software comes with a few pre-installed apps, but they are not excessive or overwhelming. This helps in keeping the phone's storage free from unnecessary bloatware, allowing users to install the apps they actually need without worrying about limited space.

Overall, the software experience on the Nokia 5.1 is smooth and user-friendly. With its clean interface, regular software updates, and minimal bloatware, it provides a hassle-free experience for users. Whether you're a tech-savvy individual or someone who prefers simplicity, the Nokia 5.1's software is designed to cater to a wide range of users.

Camera

The Nokia 5.1 is equipped with a 16MP rear camera that offers decent image quality in various lighting conditions. The camera features a wide aperture and a good focal length, allowing for clear and sharp shots. The sensor size is sufficient for capturing detailed images, especially in daylight photography. The camera produces natural colors with good accuracy, and the sharpness of the images is commendable. The dynamic range is decent, ensuring that highlights and shadows are well-balanced in the captured photos.

In terms of low-light performance, the Nokia 5.1 struggles a bit. While it does have a night mode and low-light sensitivity, the noise reduction could be better. The camera's performance in night photography is average, with some loss of detail and visible noise.

The Nokia 5.1 offers a range of camera features, including portrait mode, HDR, and panorama mode. These modes allow users to experiment with different photography styles and capture stunning shots. The camera also supports video recording, including 4K video, with video stabilization for smoother footage. Slow-motion video and time-lapse are also available, providing users with creative options for capturing moments.

Overall, the Nokia 5.1's camera is suitable for everyday photography, especially in well-lit conditions. While it may not excel in low-light situations, it offers a range of features and shooting modes to enhance the user's photography experience.

Battery Life

The Nokia 5.1 comes with a 2,970mAh battery, which offers decent battery life for its price range. The battery capacity is not the highest, but it is sufficient to last a full day with moderate usage. The screen-on time is impressive, allowing for extended entertainment and browsing sessions. However, the phone does not support fast charging, so it takes over two hours to fully charge the battery. The charging speed and efficiency are average, and there are no options for wireless charging. The Nokia 5.1 lacks advanced battery optimization features, but it does have a battery saver mode to extend battery life when needed. Overall, the battery performance of the Nokia 5.1 is satisfactory, but it may not meet the demands of heavy users who require extended usage without frequent charging.

Connectivity and Networking

The Nokia 5.1 offers a good range of connectivity options to keep you connected wherever you go. It supports 4G LTE network compatibility, allowing for fast data speeds and reliable internet connectivity. Whether you're browsing the web, streaming videos, or downloading files, you can expect a smooth and seamless online experience. The phone also supports dual SIM functionality, which is convenient for users who want to use two different phone numbers or have separate work and personal lines.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the Nokia 5.1 supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of Wi-Fi networks. This means you can connect to both older and newer Wi-Fi routers and enjoy fast and stable internet connections. The phone also has Bluetooth 4.2, which allows for easy pairing with other Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headphones, speakers, and smartwatches.

Additionally, the Nokia 5.1 features NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, which enables quick and hassle-free pairing with compatible devices, as well as easy mobile payments. It also has a USB-C port for fast charging and data transfer, ensuring that you can quickly charge your phone and transfer files without any hassle.

For navigation, the Nokia 5.1 comes with GPS support, allowing you to accurately track your location and find your way around using navigation apps. It also supports mobile hotspot functionality, so you can share your phone's internet connection with other devices when needed.

Overall, the Nokia 5.1 offers a good range of connectivity options, ensuring that you can stay connected and make the most of your smartphone experience.

Additional Features

Comparison with Other Related Phones

When comparing the Nokia 5.1 with related gadgets in the market, it is important to consider its competitors and how it stands out in terms of features, specifications, performance, and pricing.

One of its main competitors is the Motorola Moto G6. Both phones fall into the lower to mid-range segment, offering similar price points. However, the Moto G6 has a slightly larger display at 5.7 inches and a higher resolution. It also has a more powerful Snapdragon processor, which gives it an edge in terms of performance.

Another competitor is the Honor 9 Lite, which also falls into the same price range. The Honor 9 Lite offers a sleek design and a dual camera setup, which gives it an advantage in terms of photography capabilities compared to the Nokia 5.1. However, the Nokia 5.1 runs on the Android One program, guaranteeing software updates for a few years, which is a unique feature that the Honor 9 Lite lacks.

In terms of market positioning, the Nokia 5.1 is positioned as a budget-friendly smartphone with a stylish design and good camera capabilities. It competes with other smartphones in the same price range, such as the Honor 7X and Samsung Galaxy J3.

When comparing the specifications, the Nokia 5.1 features a 5.5-inch Full HD+ display, a MediaTek processor, and expandable storage via a microSD card slot. It also runs on Android Oreo and has a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. While these specifications are decent for its price range, other competitors may offer slightly better performance or additional features.

In terms of pricing, the Nokia 5.1 is priced at around £189 in the UK, which is comparable to its competitors. However, the value for money may vary depending on the user's priorities and preferences.

Overall, the Nokia 5.1 offers a good balance of design, camera capabilities, and software updates for its price range. However, it faces tough competition from other smartphones in the market that may offer better performance or unique features.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Nokia 5.1 offers a compelling package for budget-conscious consumers. The phone impresses with its sleek design, featuring a metal body and a large 5.5-inch Full HD+ display. The inclusion of Android One ensures a clean and pure Android experience, while the camera performance is decent for its price range. However, the phone does have some drawbacks, such as a slightly underwhelming processor and average battery life. Despite these shortcomings, the Nokia 5.1 provides good value for its affordable price. If you're in the market for a budget smartphone with a stylish design and reliable performance, the Nokia 5.1 is definitely worth considering.