Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Nokia’s Latest Phones: A Beautiful Sequel and a Flip-Phone Throwback”.
[, Michael ], Here’s the thing with affordable smartphones in the U.S. they’re, not always great lookin’.. Last summer, HMD Global started doing something about that with the Nokia 7.1 and the grass is only getting greener.. I got some time with the new Nokia 7.2 ahead of its announcement at Berlin’s IFA 2019 trade show and at the same time I got to go hands-on with this blast from the past, a feature phone with a stormtrooper paint job and a hinge that I’m already Hooked on., ( upbeat music, ), Smartphone, first.
Nokia, says the 7.2 elevates the game in all dimensions and, while the most obvious evidence of this is in that Lumia, like camera crater around the pack first I wan na talk about the face. See last summer’s Nokia. 7.1 was beautiful from the backside, but boy, oh boy, that chin and notch combo on the front was a face. Only a mother could love. Well on 7.2. That chin is still hanging around, but that big honkin’ bucket up top has given way to a much nicer, teardrop.
Baby. Steps., More important is what’s running on that screen. Android Pi with the Android One guarantee of no bloatware or pre-loads or crappy custom keyboards. It’S great.! Now I bring this up because Nokia actually doesn’t have a flawless record when it comes to software. HMD Global, the Finnish company that makes Nokia phones works with subcontractors to provide the software.. So over the past year, some Nokia devices have shipped with an optimization suite. It was called Evenwell., It was meant to keep the phone from wasting memory and battery on run away background apps, but what it’s actually done is caused a lot of consternation for being too aggressive and intrusive., And you know a lot of folks made the argument that It was just Android One.
There shouldn’t be anything extra on there at all. Anyway, devices like the 7.2, which run Android Pi or later will not ship with Evenwell.. So this should actually be what it was meant to be from the start, a very pure form of Android. That software runs on a by-the-numbers, but by and large positive combination of mid-range silicon, adequate memory, large screen and a battery that Nokia says should give you two Days of use., We’ll see., There’s also a dedicated Google Assistant button on the side which I always like to see., And I bet you’re tired of me dancing around that disk on the back.
Yeah Boom A 48 megapixel sensor behind the primary lens, supplemented by a depth sensor for portraits and my favorite, an ultra wide 118 degree camera for when you need to cram a lot of bloggers into one photo.. It’S just eight megapixels, though so don’t expect it to be too sharp. The Zeiss branding on the back has software to back it up with special portrait modes that aim to emulate Zeiss glass. And improved noise reduction and low-light performance plus a boosted beauty mode for that 20 megapixel selfie shooter up front.
Now, unlike with the 7.1 hands-on, I didn’t get time to put any of these claims to the test out in the real world, which is a shame., But it seems clear. Nokia is serious about resurrecting its reputation for photographic excellence.. The Nokia 7.2 will be available at the end of September for a buck shy of 350.. That again puts it quite close to the excellent Pixel 3a and look given Google’s excellence in photography and consistency in updates. You’Ll, probably still wan na buy the pixel. If those are things you value., But the versatility of the added wide-angle lens here and the siren song of this emerald green glass.
Well, it ain’t nothing. If it lives up to its promises. It just might be enough to flip yeah. Speaking of flips. Don’T act like you didn’t see that one coming. For the third year in a row we’re getting a throwback this time to a decade. Ago. The Nokia 2724G might not be as iconic as the last. To tribute models, but it’s a clamshell phone and as a Star Trek fan, I’m contractually obligated to like anything that resembles a flip-top communicator.. Ah, there’s more to it than that.
See this isn’t just another budget phone. It runs something called KaiOS, which is this kind of middle ground between a smartphone and dumb phone operating system.. You can install third-party apps on it, including popular ones like YouTube. And while watching videos on a 2.8 inch display is about as fun as it was in 2009.
There are more useful apps, like Google Assistant, WhatsApp Google Maps and, of course, Snake. Close the phone and that 1.3 inch display on the cover is there to tell you who’s calling., And you don’t need to open it to take a call which reminds me of my Old Nextel days. Speaking of there’s a side key here too, but it’s not for push-to-talk. In fact, you can make it do whatever you want.
HMD promises, 27 days of standby battery life on this one and an expected global launch price, just shy of 90 euro.. Now, on the downside, getting the cost that low meant HMD had to give it a microUSB port for charging. (, scoffs ). Also, this cheap plastic is gon na pick up oils and scratches faster than sunglasses in a beach bag and as of press time, it’s not coming to the U.S. sad. While HMD didn’t have any flagships to announce at the briefing. That’S not a surprise.
We usually expect to see those around Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. For details on the other Nokia phones announced alongside these get up the Android Central rundown., A link in the description. And folks. If you want me to take a longer look at the Nokia 7.2, please let me know in the comments and subscribe to the website on YouTube. So you don’t miss it.
If I do find the time. Finally be sure to follow me on Instagram @ themrmobile for up-to-the-minute mobile updates from IFA 2019. Until next time, thanks for watching And stay mobile, my friends .