Nokia 7.2 Is An Elegant Looking Phone That Feels More Expensive Than Its Selling Price
Nokia's comeback to the Android world was definitely admired by many, but today, amidst competitively priced devices, it's still managed to carve a niche of buyers and admirers.
Nokia's definitely making its voice heard more than before with its range of devices on offer, and Nokia 7.2 is the newest addition to the market and we got to take it for a spin. Here's what we liked and disliked about the Nokia 7.2.
What I Like
Design and Build
Nokia is known to make some really good looking and sturdy devices and the Nokia 7.2 is no exception. The device is available in a royal green or a jet black colour variant. As you can see we got the latter. Then device looks and feel elegant and premium like no other competing phone in its price bracket, offering a distinct personality and sophistication. We actually took the phone for a spin around our office, asking people to guess its retail price, and almost everyone guessed it to be more than what it actually is -- a testament to the Nokia 7.2's look, feel and design, no doubt.
The phone's edges are made of a different type of polymer with flat edges that feels just right in your palm. Moreover, it looks really clean with the matte coating that is neither smudgy nor slippery to hold onto.
The right of the device gets the power button with the volume rockers, while the left of the phone gets a dedicated Google Assistant button to summon the Google Assistant whenever you want.
The round camera cutout sits well with the matte body and overall, this is one clean looking device that will tempt you to keep your case off.
LED Indicator
The power button also has a built-in LED that acts as a notification light and lights up either while charging or if you've got any messages.
Its just white in colour but it is still great that Nokia thought of including one on their phone.
Software Experience
Nokia 7.2 is one of the few smartphones that offer a near-stock Android experience with Google's Android One program, and this also means a clutter-free user experience without any adware or unnecessary apps. The clean UI is preferred by many, and if you do too, you are in for a treat. Even though the phone isn't the most powerful at its core, the snappy UI and lack of bloatware won't make you feel that -- it feels quite fast in daily use.
Camera
Nokia 7.2 gets a triple camera setup in a round manhole cover-like design. The primary shooter is a 48-megapixel sensor, followed by an 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter and a 5-megapixel depth sensor.
The cameras also get Zeiss optics for better image clarity that is also evident in the photos you click from them.
During day time the colours are accurate, natural and just perfect.
During low-light too the cameras managed to keep the subject well lit, however, there was a decent amount of noise with some detail loss.
At the front, you have a 20-megapixel shooter that delivers some crispy selfies and even shows a great depth perception in portrait mode.
Overall a decent camera for the price that won't disappoint.
What I Dislike
Display
Nokia 7.2 features a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels. While the display does a good job of seeming like a bezel-less phone, it does happen to have chunky bezels not just on the bottom, but also the sides.
The IPS nature does offer good viewing angles, but the colours and contrast won't take your breath away. Overall, at this price point, you can surely get better displays.
Hardware
While the software makes the phone feels snappy and fast, the Nokia 7.2 still offers dated hardware on a smartphone in order to make the overall package affordable. We're getting Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660, paired with 4GB/6GB with 64/128GB storage. Our unit was the 4GB/64GB unit which was fine for taking phone calls and answering texts. However, don't expect to do a lot of gaming on this because it just won't be able to keep up. Powering the device is a 3500mAh battery that can easily last a busy day.
Conclusion: Should you buy Nokia 7.2?
Nokia 7.2 definitely is a strong phone to consider, if you're looking for a solid Android phone without having to break the bank. As a day-to-day smartphone to do normal tasks, it has pretty much nailed it. It looks and feels extremely good, the clean user interface keeps things simple and it has a bunch of cameras that can take decent shots.
Sure it isn't loaded with specifications, but that's not the point of what the Nokia 7.2 is going for. Everyone wants their phones to just run well and provide a smooth user experience, which the Nokia 7.2 does admirably -- while looking elegant, premium and classy at the same time. At the price of Rs 18,599 (for the 4GB/64GB variant), it's an option you definitely have to consider for your next phone upgrade under Rs 20,000.