Introduction
Nokia, rebooted. The Finnish brand that was once synonymous with mobile phones had gone missing since Microsoft acquired the company's smartphone business in 2014. Lumias were rolling off production lines with Microsoft stamped on them instead of Nokia, and the acquisition terms mandated a two-year moratorium on the use of the brand on smartphones.
Fast-forward to the spring of 2016 when Microsoft parted with Nokia completely, selling the feature phone part of the business to a Foxconn subsidiary and the Nokia brand to the Finnish company HMD Global Oy. Established specifically for this purpose, HMD is based in Finland (pretty much across the street from the actual Nokia headquarters) and is made up of long-time 'original Nokia' employees - it's almost as if the brief Microsoft fling never was.
One major change, though - the 'new' Nokia will be making Android phones, not Windows. Breakup aside, it's only logical to be a part of a platform that accounts for 4 out of 5 phones being sold, as opposed to one that commands only 0.3% market share.
The first child of HMD's Nokia is the Nokia 6. Announced early this year, it's been on sale in China for two months now, and a global version is also coming next quarter. So for now, we've only got the Chinese version. A few notable differences between the two include the OS (world gets Android 7.1.1, China is 7.0), RAM and storage specifics (3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB for the global variant, only the latter in China), and Google Play Services (or, rather, the lack thereof in the Chinese-bound handset).
The rest should be mostly identical - a par-for-the-course 5.5-inch FullHD IPS display, a midrange Snapdragon 430 in charge of number crunching, a 16MP primary camera without bells and whistles and an 8MP front-facing shooter for selfies. All of this is packed in an understated but premium aluminum body that's proven quite sturdy in torture tests. When the time comes, it can be yours for the quite reasonable sum of €230 (global, 3GB/32GB).
Nokia 6 key features
- Body: Aluminum body, 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3 front.
- Display: 5.5" IPS LCD, 1,920x1,080px resolution, 403ppi.
- Rear camera: 16MP, 1.0µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus; dual-tone dual-LED flash; 1080p video recording.
- Front camera: 8MP, 1.12µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture; 1080p video recording.
- OS: Android 7.0 Nougat.
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 430; octa-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, Adreno 505 GPU.
- Memory: 3GB/4GB of RAM; 32GB/64GB storage.
- Battery: 3,000mAh, sealed.
- Connectivity: Dual-SIM; Cat.4 LTE (150/50Mbps); microUSB 2.0; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; GPS; Bluetooth 4.1; FM Radio; NFC.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader; hybrid microSD/second SIM slot; dual speakers; Dolby Atmos; 3.5mm jack.
Main shortcomings
- Smallish battery capacity
- Awkwardly placed fingerprint sensor
The Nokia 6 isn't ticking all of the boxes, but at this price point we have no right to complain. There may be a lack of ingress protection or dual cameras, but the 6 does give you stereo speakers, which many flagships don't have. The 3,000mAh battery capacity is still a bit of a red flag, but we'll see how it does in the tests.
To reiterate, the Nokia 6 we have for review is the Chinese version. It wasn't the the easiest review experience for us without the official Google apps, but we worked around it when possible. If it affected the testing procedure (battery life is what comes to mind), we've pointed it out.
There's no reason for this to play a role on the phone's look and feel, and that's what the hardware overview on the next page is all about. Meet you there.
Unboxing
The Nokia 6 comes in a flat box with the phone printed over an image of two folks holding hands - 'Connecting people', get it? Inside there's enough to get you started - a 5V/2A charger, a microUSB cable, and a headset.
Retail bundle covers the basics
Nokia 6 360-degree spin
The 6 measures 154 x 75.8 x 7.8mm, which is about as wide as you'd expect it to be, but a few millimeters above average in terms of height. It's not as tall as the iPhone 7 Plus, though.
Weighing in at 169g, the phone is a bit the heavy side for a 5.5-incher. Most other devices in this segment are a few grams lighter, but you're unlikely to notice, even if you have them for immediate comparison.
Hardware overview
If the new Nokia got one thing right on the first try, it's build quality. The Nokia 6 is one of the most solid-feeling phones we've tested lately. And even if we're not ones to test durability, we do go on YouTube, and this phone is doing splendidly in bend tests. It looks like the legendary Nokia toughness lives on.
Phone abuse aside, the 6 looks like it means business. It's not good-looking, strictly speaking, but it's appealing in a cold, utilitarian way. An engineer might love it, but a teenage girl would look the other way.
Now, that same engineer would grumble about matte finish's penchant for keeping smudges visible. However, he'd quickly see that the Nokia 6's aluminum rear is miles better at staying clean than its glass counterparts, and whatever marks remain on it after contact are easily wiped away.
A metal-backed phone requires some sort of an antenna placement solution so that the device can serve its primary purpose, which isn't all about looks. Here it's done the like the iPhone 7: placed top and bottom, the plastic antenna inlays are very discreet, particularly on our black unit.
Unfortunately the camera isn't quite as unobtrusive. The Lumias of old typically opted for a circular design with a smallish lens and a flash on the side (1520, 930), on occasion placing the flash inside a larger black glass element (830). The Nokia 6 uses the second approach, but the glass is flattened on the sides. We feel it looks too Moto and not enough like Nokia.
It's raised a bit too - about half a millimeter. If you're one of those that puts their phone on a table, tries to get it to wobble, and then complains when it does - well, you'll have issues with the 6. If you're a sane person, you'll appreciate the fact that the device rests on the flash end of the bump, and not on the actual lens.
Matte black back • Camera assembly plus a secondary mic on top • Camera sticks out a bit
Flip over to the front and you're greeted with some more black - the 6 is staying true to the serious look. A Nokia logo in the top right is a throwback to the old days, and the last true Nokia flagship. You shall not be forgotten, Lumia 930.
There's more than just nostalgia here, but functional bits as well. Immediately next to the logo is the front-facing camera, while the earpiece is in the center - where earpieces tend to be. This one is no ordinary earpiece, however - it also doubles as a second loudspeaker, for the left channel. To the left of it is the proximity/ambient light sensor assembly and a tiny notification LED below them.
Back in black • Lit up • The usual stuff in the top bezel
We'll skip over the screen for now (it does have its own section on the next page), and move over to the bottom bezel. Much like the top one, it's not overly thin - both are quite sizeable, actually. Why then has the Nokia decided that the fingerprint reader must be so thin and placed so low?
It's not a huge deal, but it looks a little off - we tend to like our home buttons centered in both the horizontal and vertical axis. It's not a mechanical button, there's no travel, but it serves as Home, and for the purpose of navigation it's joined by backlit 'Back' and 'Recent tasks' capacitive keys on either side.
The sides of the phone have the same matte black finish as the back, but the chamfers of the frame are shiny polished aluminum. Apparently, the design team thought that it would be a nice accent, but we can't help but wonder 'what if all black?'
Both the power button and the volume rocker are on the right, and we can add the small power button in the nit-picking list. It's okay, it just could have been a little more substantial. All the buttons click very nicely, though - it's a much more positive feedback than the LG G6's volume controls can muster, for example.
On the opposite side is the card slot - it accepts two nano SIMs or a nano SIM and a microSD card, but not all three at the same time. If so you wish, you can go for one nano SIM, and no microSD, of course.
Right side • Buttons • Left side • Card tray with a hybrid second SIM slot
On the bottom of the phone there's a microUSB port for charging, wired file transfer and attaching peripherals. A USB-C port would have been nice, but Nokia went with the old one - does that count as another Lumia 930 throwback? The primary mic and loudspeaker complete the picture.
Up top there's not much to talk about, unless we start talking about the usefulness of the 3.5mm jack. We won't. There is one.
Bottom of the phone • Trusty old microUSB 2.0 • 3.5mm jack on top
In your hand, the Nokia 6 feels reassuringly solid. The flat sides are super easy to grab and offer secure grip, but the back is somewhat slippery.
The 5.5-inch FullHD display doesn't disappoint
The Nokia 6 doesn't have a 6-inch display as the name might suggest, but we're sure you already know that if you've read this far. It's 5.5 inches instead, in 1080p FullHD variety. It's an IPS LCD panel with Gorilla Glass 3 on top, ending in 2.5D curves. The microscope shot revealed a conventional RGB subpixel arrangement, no surprises there.
Nokia claims 450nits of brightness, but we actually measured more - 522 is the number in our test. Few of its competitors in this price bracket are any brighter - only the Moto G4 Plus in auto mode and the Honor 6X. Minimum brightness on the Nokia is a respectable 1.9nits, too.
Contrast is also good - the Nokia 6's 1385:1 is practically the same as the HTC 10 evo - a decidedly more premium offering. The Honor 6X tops that, but the Redmi Notes by Xiaomi can't really match it.
Display test | 100% brightness | ||
Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
0.377 | 522 | 1385 | |
0.38 | 439 | 1158 | |
0.322 | 484 | 1503 | |
0.00 | 408 | ∞ | |
0.42 | 403 | 953 | |
0.321 | 579 | 1804 | |
0.00 | 353 | ∞ | |
0.00 | 484 | ∞ | |
0.33 | 478 | 1448 | |
0.43 | 587 | 1365 | |
0.3 | 425 | 1417 | |
0 | 346 | ∞ | |
0 | 510 | ∞ | |
0.614 | 463 | 754 |
The Nokia 6 also fares quite well in our sunlight legibility test as well. A value of 3.244 puts it among the better performing LCDs.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Sony Xperia X Compact
3.694 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 6
3.244 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
2.378 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Sony Xperia L
1.351 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Sony Xperia C
1.283 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
As for color accuracy, the Neutral mode isn't all that neutral, with whites being shifted towards blue, but it has a decent average DeltaE of 5.3. Cool mode, you guessed it, makes whites even bluer and the average DeltaE jumps to 7.5. If you want the most faithful colors, warm mode's the way to go, with an average DeltaE of 3.3 and actually truly white whites for a change.
Connectivity
The Nokia 6 is a dual-SIM device of the hybrid variety - you can have two nanoSIMs inside, but if you want to use the microSD slot, you'd have to give up the second SIM. Courtesy of the Snapdragon 430 chip, the phone supports Cat.4 LTE for theoretical maximums of 150Mbps down and 50Mbps up. That's just the one SIM though, the second card only gets 2G connectivity.
Local connectivity is well covered as well - Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v.4.1 are present, there's GPS and GLONASS for positioning, and to top it all off - the crowd-favorite, FM radio.
The Chinese spec sheet lists NFC as well, but we didn't find it in settings, nor did it miraculously work when we attempted to put the Nokia 6 next to other phones. The phone's metal back also makes it seem like someone made a mistake in the specs. That's something we'll surely look into once we got a review unit of the global version.
The USB port on the bottom is the old one, though - the trusty but headed for obsolescence microUSB 2.0. Oldies, but goldies - the 3.5mm jack is here too.
Nokia 6 battery life
The Nokia 6 is powered by a 3,000mAh battery. In this age where 5.5-inch Redmi Notes come with 4,100mAh power packs, the 6 appears under-prepared. The Galaxy J7 (2016) and the J7 Prime each have 3,300mAh worth of juice, while the Honor 6X' specsheet says 3,340mAh. That said, the likes of the vivo V5, Moto G4 Plus, and Oppo F1s are around the 3,000mAh mark, just like the Nokia.
On to the actual tests, and the Nokia 6 does an admirable job with what it has. Twenty-two and a half hours on a 3G phone call should be plenty for all but the most talkative. Those should look in the vivo V5's direction - that one's capable of 5 more hours of voice calls, or the Oppo F1s (26h).
Video playback longevity on the Nokia 6 is 10 full hours. The Galaxy J7 (2017) does 18h, but that's an exception rather than the rule. The Honor 6X outlasts the Nokia by 3h, but those two outliers aside, the 6 is about average.
In Wi-Fi web browsing the Nokia 6 keeps reloading them sites for nine and a half hours - again, not an exceptional performance, and somewhat trailing the competition, but not too shabby on its own either. The Oppo is good for another hour, the Moto G4 Plus adds half an hour on top of that, and the Galaxy J7 (2016) posts 12:21h. The Honor 6X calls it quits after 13:41h, but it's also good to keep in mind that the vivo V5 barely made it through the 5-hour mark.
While those tests aren't really influenced by the fact that they were carried out on the Chinese version of the phone, and are very likely to be the same on the global variant, standby is inevitably affected by the lack of Google Play Services and Google apps. That means no constant syncing of emails and background app updates. On the other hand, the Chinese app store could have taken a bigger toll on the battery - we can't know for certain. And since standby battery drain is part of the formula for overall endurance, the Endurance rating of the global Nokia 6 may be different. We'll see; this one got 75 hours.
The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Nougat with some Nokia blue on top
The Nokia 6 boots Android Nougat, and for our Chinese version review unit this means v7.0. The global version will ship with Android 7.1.1. In our case, there's a customized but not very customizable Nokia overlay on top.
The lockscreen displays the standard Nougat notification cards, complete with grouping, expanded view and direct reply. There's a clock and weather widget, and the clock part can be changed to one of several different designs (though they don't work particularly well).
There's a camera shortcut in the bottom right, while the bottom left is home to a padlock icon that changes to a fingerprint likeness if you've enabled fingerprint unlock. We couldn't find a way to change those. While we're at it, the camera can be launched with a double press of the power button if you enable the setting.
Lockscreen • Clock designs • Clock on the lockscreen
That's good, since you probably won't be seeing much of the lockscreen once you enable the fingerprint recognition. You can record up to 5 prints and setup takes a few more taps than usual. But, we feel like it's better spend a few extra seconds initially than go mad later when the phone refuses to recognize your digits.
This one works pretty much every time, and while it's not the absolute fastest to unlock, it's doesn't really keep you waiting. We may be repeating ourselves when we say that the very low position of the sensor isn't ideal, but that's very likely something you'll forget about a week into using the phone.
Security settings • Setting up a fingerprint
The homescreen is where the Nokia looks like no other. All of the system icons and pre-installed apps are painted in Nokia blue, and they're all circles. It's really too consistent - we found ourselves scrambling to find the icon we're looking for, because we couldn't tell them apart by shape or color. Of course, once you get used to what's where, it gets easier. There are no themes - the blue color scheme is the one you get and that's it.
On the other hand, all the third-party apps retain their original icons - the launcher doesn't apply any changes to them. That makes them recognizable, but then they look nothing like the built-in ones. We found ourselves keeping the stock icons on one homescreen and other apps elsewhere.
Default homescreen • Folder view • Homescreen options • Pane rearrangement
Speaking of, you can have the UI in either classic Android two-tiered mode with homescreens and an app drawer, or go with the default single-layer launcher where all apps are on the homescreens.
Homescreen in two-layer mode • App drawer • Sorting options • Managing apps
The notification area is a little bit different too - the toggle icons are unusually large. Pull once and you get a set of 4 toggles, pull a second time and 8 more appear, plus a brightness slider (but no Auto). A two finger pull will directly expand the entire list of toggles. The notification shade can be summoned by swiping down from an empty area of the homescreen too - you don't need to reach all the way to the top.
Notifications with one row of toggles on top • Toggles expanded • Editing the toggle arrangement
The task switcher is business as usual - the Android rolodex is present here. The 'clear all' button only appears when you scroll all the way to the top - a bit of a nuisance.
Task switcher • 'Clear all' out of reach
There is multi-window multitasking (thanks, Nougat), but the screen is always split 50/50 - you can't resize the windows.
Screen pinning lets you lock the view on one app that you choose - say you want to show someone a few photos, but don't want them poking through your messages. The feature needs to be enabled in settings first, and then when you open the task switcher you tap on the pin icon to pin the respective app. To get out of the pinned app you long-press the back key, and at this point the phone will go into a locked state prompting you for a password or fingerprint. That last bit is optional, but to us it makes the most sense.
There are a few gesture controls - nothing we haven't seen before. You can enable a shake gesture to advance to the next song when listening to music. Or, turn the phone flat on its face to reject an incoming call, mute the ringtone when you pick up a ringing phone off the table, or call the person whose contact info you're looking at on the screen. That being said, we don't find ourselves using these too often. Smart alert is handy, though. If you're in the other room and you have a missed call, when you next pick up the phone it'll prompt you with a vibrating alert.
Synthetic benchmarks
The Nokia 6 is powered by the Snapdragon 430 chipset - a midrange Qualcomm SoC built on a relatively outdated 28nm process. Much like the bulk of processors priced in this segment, the 430 packs 8 Cortex-A53 cores, which tick at a frequency of up to 1.4GHz. The GPU is an Adreno 505.
Again, we have the Chinese version of the smartphone, which comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage as standard. The global version will be available in both 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB configurations.
We subjected the Nokia 6 to the usual set of benchmarks, starting off with GeekBench. A single Cortex-A53 core clocked at 1.4GHz can only do so much, and the Nokia posts one of the lower single-core results. It's nothing to do with Nokia's implementation though - the Zenfone 3 Max and the Lenovo K6 Note we've tested before score virtually identical numbers.
The Snapdragon 617 in the Moto G4 Plus is marginally faster (same Cortex-A53, but at 1.5GHz), while the Helio P10-powered Moto M is even better (A53@1.8GHz). Both the Honor 6X and Snapdragon version of the Redmi Note 4 should also whiz through single-core tasks more quickly than the Nokia 6. Then again, it's hard to beat the Helio X20's vastly superior Cortex-A72 cores.
GeekBench 4 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
1551 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
1546 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
832 - Huawei Honor 6X
801 - Lenovo Moto M
771 - Meizu M5 Note
683 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
669 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
641 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
638 - Lenovo K6 Note
635
In multi-core, however, the S430 in the Nokia 6 performs above its pay grade. It leaves the K6 Note and Zenfone 3 Max way behind and matches the Meizu M5 Note's Helio P10. This isn't the highest scoring of P10s though, and the Moto M still outperforms the Nokia 6. The Honor 6X and its Kirin 655 can't compete with the Helio X20s, but those aside, it remains undefeated in this test.
GeekBench 4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
4456 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3885 - Huawei Honor 6X
3351 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
3011 - Lenovo Moto M
2921 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
2719 - Meizu M5 Note
2690 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
2040 - Lenovo K6 Note
2027 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
1822
The Nokia 6's less than impressive benchmark run continues into crowd favorite Antutu. Again that's not due to poor optimization on Nokia's part - that's just what the hardware is capable of, as evidenced by the similar numbers from the Zenfone 3 Max and the Lenovo K6 Note. Here we observe larger gaps between the various chips, though the Helio X20 is again undisturbed at the top.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
85162 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
77442 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
76186 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
61616 - Huawei Honor 6X
57012 - Lenovo Moto M
51831 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
49094 - Meizu M5 Note
47806 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
45474 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
45190 - Lenovo K6 Note
44972 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
44062 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
43957 - Oppo F1s
30657
Basemark X shows the Chinese 6 in better light. Here, the Nokia beats the Exynos 7870-powered Galaxy J7 (2016), the K6 Note (S430), Moto G4 Plus (S617), and the lowly Helios too - Redmi Note 3 and Meizu M5 Note. The Moto M makes better use of its P10 though, and pulls ahead of the 6. The Honor 6X is again on top of the Nokia.
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
1914 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
1648 - Huawei Honor 6X
1307 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
1290 - Lenovo Moto M
1127 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
1041 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
999 - Lenovo K6 Note
967 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
956 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
951 - Meizu M5 Note
944 - Oppo F1s
888
Moving on to graphics-only benchmarks, and since we're already into the Basemark suite, it Basemark X first. Very little to split the different Snapdragon 430s here, and they are all ahead of the Helio P10s, so there's that. The Helio X10, on the other hand (Redmi Note 3), matches the Honor 6X (Kirin 655), and both are somewhat ahead of the Nokia 6. The S650 is the clear winner here, inside the (other) Redmi Note 3.
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14717 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
13666 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
12190 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
10446 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
8540 - Huawei Honor 6X
8458 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
7522 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
7510 - Lenovo K6 Note
7480 - Lenovo Moto M
6732 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
6380 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
5383 - Meizu M5 Note
5276 - Oppo F1s
419
GFXBench comes next with some framerates to judge gaming performance. None of these devices is a true 3D powerhouse really, but some are obviously better than others. The Helio X20 and Snapdragon 650 lead the way, clearly. The Nokia 6 with its Snapdragon 413 is in the middle of the pack, inching ahead of P10s and the S617 (with the previous-gen Adreno 405).
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
9.9 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
8.5 - Huawei Honor 6X
8.4 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
7.2 - Lenovo Moto M
7.1 - Lenovo K6 Note
7 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
6.9 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
6.4 - Meizu M5 Note
5.5 - Oppo F1s
5.1 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
4.9
GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
14 - Oppo F1s
10 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
9.7 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
9.5 - Huawei Honor 6X
7.9 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
7.9 - Lenovo Moto M
7.6 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
7 - Lenovo K6 Note
7 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
6.9 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
6.6 - Meizu M5 Note
5.5
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
7.2 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
6.2 - Huawei Honor 6X
4.8 - Lenovo Moto M
4.7 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
4.6 - Lenovo K6 Note
4.4 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
4.4 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
4.1 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
4 - Meizu M5 Note
3.6 - Oppo F1s
2.4
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
9.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
9.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
9 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
6.2 - Oppo F1s
6 - Lenovo Moto M
5.2 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
4.6 - Huawei Honor 6X
4.6 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
4.4 - Lenovo K6 Note
4.4 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
4.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Helio X10)
3.9 - Meizu M5 Note
3.6 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.2
GFX 3.1 Car scene (offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
5.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
5.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
5.3 - Huawei Honor 6X
4.6 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
3.4 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.6 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
2.5 - Lenovo Moto M
2.5 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.5 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
2.4 - Meizu M5 Note
1.9
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (S650)
5.5 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
5.4 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
5.4 - Huawei Honor 6X
4.8 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
3.4 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.8 - Lenovo Moto M
2.7 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
2.5 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.4 - Asus ZenFone 3 Max ZC553KL
2.4 - Meizu M5 Note
1.9
As far as current chipsets go, the Snapdragon 430 at the heart of the Nokia 6 is a modest performer, and there's no going around its inherent limitations. Still, the Nokia engineers have managed to squeeze the most of it (or not mess things up, depending on the perspective), and the phone scores on par or better than other similarly equipped devices. That being said, more capable smartphones are available for the 6's asking price.
Telephony
The Nokia 6 uses a combined interface for the dialer, call log and contacts. You do get two app icons on the homescreen for direct access to the dialer and contacts tab.
Dialer • Call log • Contacts • Smart dial
The Nokia 6 is a dual SIM device with a couple of nano SIM slots. There's a SIM management section in settings, which lets you enable, disable, and assign names to SIM cards, and select a default card for data and voice calls.
Loudspeaker
The Nokia 6 has stereo loudspeakers - a dedicated one on the bottom and a second one that moonlights as an earpiece. The bottom one does most of the heavy lifting and pumps louder, but the two working together do make a nice spatial effect.
This setup is scored reasonably well against the meter as well, earning a Good rating.
Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
61.6 | 65.5 | 67.6 | Below Average | |
66.2 | 64.8 | 66.8 | Below Average | |
63.2 | 69.5 | 71.0 | Average | |
64.5 | 71.0 | 68.9 | Average | |
64.0 | 70.4 | 73.0 | Average | |
64.2 | 67.2 | 76.9 | Good | |
61.0 | 69.3 | 78.3 | Good | |
69.0 | 72.0 | 67.9 | Good | |
63.7 | 69.0 | 79.4 | Good | |
68.4 | 67.0 | 79.1 | Good | |
63.0 | 70.2 | 85.2 | Good | |
67.3 | 70.3 | 81.5 | Very Good | |
65.1 | 70.7 | 86.8 | Very Good | |
67.6 | 72.1 | 86.7 | Very Good | |
75.7 | 73.5 | 79.5 | Excellent | |
75.7 | 73.5 | 80.7 | Excellent |
Text input
Text input on the Nokia 6 is handled by the Google Keyboard - the old one, before it went all Gboard. It's the keyboard we all know and love with theming support, emoji, and secondary symbols on long press.
Apps
The selection of pre-installed apps is pretty minimal. You do, however, get a fully-functional file manager that groups your files by type and arranges them into tabs. It supports batch actions, and can also tap into cloud services (not our Google Drive, though).
There's a weather app that pulls data from AccuWeather and presents it in a simple and easy to read way. A surprisingly capable Note app is on board. It offers different categories (Diary, To do, Drawings), each with several templates to get you started.
There's a built-in backup and restore solution too. You get to select which bits you need to keep safe, and you can back them up to the internal storage, to an SD card, or to the cloud (except for our Google Drive). You can't schedule regular backups - you need to do it manually, on demand.
Gallery
The Gallery app can display your photos organized into albums, or sorted chronologically. It can also sync with cloud services (erm...). The pinch gesture works for picking thumbnail size.
When viewing a single image, you can tap on the screen and a filmstrip appears on the bottom, which you can scroll to find another shot without going back to the full gallery interface. You get options for sharing and basic edit operations, plus a truly detailed 'Details' pane, complete with EXIF data.
There's a more capable editor too. You get the usual filters, cropping, and image parameter editing, including hue saturation and curves adjustment.
Video player
The video player is a no-nonsense affair, yet it does offer niceties like volume and brightness control with a swipe action on the two sides of the screen - left is for volume, right is for brightness. It supports subtitles too, and there's also a pop out mode where the video can play above the rest of the stuff on your homescreen.
Music player
The Music player follows a similar function-over-form philosophy. It does what most other such apps do, under a Nokia blue veil. The My Music tab gives you quick access to favorite tracks and playlists, while Local Music is the familiar interface showing you your library grouped by artists, albums, and genres.
The Now playing interface isn't groundbreaking either - it displays album art and controls. Swipe to the right for the playlist, and to the left for lyrics. There isn't an equalizer, just two modes of Dolby surround sound - Music and Theatre.
Now playing • Current playlist • Sound modes • Settings
FM radio
There's an FM radio receiver too - fans of free music over the airwaves, rejoice! It supports RDS and it can display the current station's name and info. Oddly, if you tap on the star next to the frequency, it interprets it as a sign that you want to delete it. No, I want to add it to favorites! Output through the speakers is also supported, but you need the headset to serve as the antenna.
Audio is impressively clean
The Nokia 6 delivered excellently clean output in both parts of our audio quality test. It started off with perfect scores when hooked up to an active external amplifier and then the only affected reading when headphones came into play was the stereo crosstalk. That one took a very minor hit too so we really couldn’t want more in terms of clarity.
Volume levels weren’t as impressive, but they weren’t bad either with the Nokia 6 reaching above average in both tests. Given the mid-range nature of the phone it’s a really good showing on that account too.
Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
+0.12, -0.11 | -91.8 | 89.8 | 0.0018 | 0.019 | -91.9 | |
+0.06, -0.02 | -91.2 | 92.1 | 0.0022 | 0.017 | -78.2 | |
+0.02, -0.12 | -91.8 | 92.9 | 0.0055 | 0.0097 | -89.8 | |
+0.38, -0.10 | -91.3 | 92.3 | 0.0073 | 0.256 | -55.1 | |
+0.04, -0.02 | -93.0 | 93.1 | 0.0018 | 0.0085 | -93.8 | |
+0.05, -0.02 | -92.7 | 92.8 | 0.0023 | 0.054 | -52.4 | |
+0.10, -0.03 | -94.2 | 94.0 | 0.0019 | 0.0064 | -89.3 | |
+0.30, -0.07 | -92.5 | 93.0 | 0.810 | 0.271 | -31.3 | |
+0.03, -0.30 | -86.6 | 83.6 | 0.0017 | 0.049 | -91.1 | |
+0.06, -0.03 | -92.4 | 92.4 | 0.0018 | 0.021 | -88.2 | |
+0.06, -0.10 | -92.4 | 92.3 | 0.0015 | 0.0093 | -80.9 | |
+0.03, -0.11 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0011 | 0.012 | -77.0 |
Nokia 6 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
16MP shooter not for fans of colors
The Nokia 6 is equipped with a 16MP primary camera with tiny 1.0-micron pixels and phase detect autofocus. The lens has an aperture of f/2.0. A dual-tone dual-LED flash can help when there are no other lighting options.
The camera app is an entirely custom solution too. The interface is dead simple - shutter release on the bottom, a switch to video mode next to it (so the viewfinder changes to 16:9), and a shortcut to the gallery on the other side. A tiny mode selector next to the shutter release gives you the option to choose regular photo, panorama, or 'touch up' mode (others call it 'beautification').
On the opposite end of the viewfinder there are switches for flash mode (on/off/auto), HDR (on/off/auto), self timer (off/3s/10s), and front/rear camera toggle. There's a hamburger button too, for access to settings.
In there, you'll find handy features like a level and a compass, a guidelines overlay (rule of thirds) plus a watermarking tool. Who'd have thought that under Capture settings, a Manual mode would be hiding? 'Manual' might be a bit of an overstatement, though - there's exposure compensation (-2/+2EV in full stop increments), white balance presets, a one-of-a-kind focus selector (auto/infinity/macro), and a metering mode selector.
Image quality isn't all that great. Detail is decent, but there's a noticeable softness in the corners. Colors are much too dull - that's one of the blandest reds we've seen recently. The photos are very flat and lacking in contrast too. You could, of course, achieve more 'pop' in post processing, but we feel like you shouldn't have to for the photos from your phone's camera.
The HDR mode produces very subtle differences in tonal management. So much so, that we feel its use isn't justified, given the decrease in sharpness that we experienced.
The panorama mode is pretty good, though. It uses the entire height of the sensor, minus what you shave off of it by not sweeping in a perfectly horizontal plane - so you're getting some 4,500px tall panos. They're not super sharp, but they're alright, and stitching (of stationary objects) is flawless. Exposure is also handled expertly.
As usual, the pixel peeping can continue into our Photo compare tool. We've pre-selected the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016), but you can choose your phones to compare against from the numerous ones we've tested.
Nokia 6 against the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) in our Photo compare tool
On the front there's an 8MP selfie camera that's actually got larger pixels - 1.12µm. The lens has an f/2.0 aperture too, but there's no autofocus here.
The selfies may not be spectacular, but they're good enough. The plane of focus is slightly closer to the phone than this reviewer's arm's length, but but people with longer reach can hold the phone closer, while the opposite isn't true. The amount of resolved detail is about average, but the colors are, again, very subdued.
Video camera
The Nokia 6 shoots video in plain 1080p/30fps. There are higher frame rates too, but at the expense of resolution - 720p/60fps and 480p/90fps (that last one is also 4:3).
FullHD video bit rate is around 20Mbps - most others make do with just 17Mbps. Audio is recorded in stereo at 96kbps.
Video quality is very good. There is more than the average detail and textures are rendered in a nice natural way. Not much fun in the colors here either, though, and livening up the videos isn't half as easy as photos. The audio is usable.
There's of course a shorter 10-second clip for you to download. This one is straight from the camera, so it hasn't passed through YouTube's compression algorithms.
And in the end, we'll refer you again to our Video compare tool, where we've pitted the Nokia against the Redmi 4 and Galaxy J7 (2016). Naturally, you can change those to any other two phones we've tested.
Nokia 6 against the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) in our Video compare tool
Final words
A phone of many contradictions, this Nokia 6 is. You're paying low-midrange money for it, and yet you're getting wonderful build quality well worthy of a $700 flagship (we may have to re-evaluate our notion of flagship price in light of recent Korean releases, but that's a different story). The Nokia 6 is also very sturdy, as Zack from JerryRigEverything can confirm.
But then there's the chipset. The Snapdragon 430 is no sprinter, and while it handles UI navigation and basic tasks just fine, it does tend to hiccup when presented with more intense loads. Being built on a 28nm process, it's also no marathon runner like its 625 stablemate. Battery life isn't too bad, though - 28nm, 3,000mAh, 5.5-inch FullHD looked like trouble initially, but the tests proved our worries were unfounded.
The 5.5-inch display is, in fact, anything but troubling - more like the second best bit about the Nokia 6. Maximum/minimum brightness, contrast, outdoor visibility, color reproduction - there's really no area where we can fault it.
Not so with the camera. Whether it's stills or video, the output is overly flat - low on contrast and color saturation. Detail in good lighting is pretty good, but sharpness falls off in the corners, and low light photos and video are very noisy.
Make some noise then - shout out to Nokia for fitting the 6 with a pair of stereo speakers. Or rather, reusing the earpiece as left channel speaker - it's great to have spatial audio output on a phone in this price range, or any other.
Nokia 6 key test findings
- Outstanding build quality; premium-feeling, but also durable aluminum body. We're not huge fans of the fingerprint reader placement, but it's not a deal breaker.
- The display is consistently good in all respects with above average maximum brightness, contrast, and sunlight legibility. Color accuracy ranges between poor and very good, depending on the mode.
- Battery endurance is good in all disciplines with around 10 hours in the screen-on tests, more than 22 hours on a voice call and an overall rating of 75h. It should be noted here that the tests were carried out on the Chinese version.
- The user interface is a little lackluster - the blue circular icons are difficult to differentiate, the quick toggles haven't seen much in the way of design, multi-window is just 50/50, there's little you can do towards customizing the experience. It's Android Nougat, though, so that's good.
- The Snapdragon 430 is showing signs of age and outdated fab process - it does okay in day to day use, but doesn't handle demanding tasks too well. Even in long benchmark sessions, however, the phone kept its cool - no overheating.
- The stereo speakers are a nice touch for a phone in this price bracket - they do make a difference in sound stage. Loudness is also above average - or as our ratings go, Good.
- The primary camera is good on detail but bad on colors and contrast - one of the most muted approaches to processing we've seen recently, and you'll need to work on those images to liven them up. Particularly nice panoramas deserve a mention.
- Video quality in 1080p is quite detailed, even some flagships could take note. The low saturation and contrast are manifested here as well.
- In selfies, there's little punch in the colors, and focus is a little closer than your average reviewer's arm's length. However, there's decent detail to be found.
The global Nokia 6 will carry a retail price of €230 for the 3GB/32GB version - so not as tricked out as this Chinese one we have here. Equipped to match its 4GB/64GB, the Nokia 6 Arte Black will come with a fancier body finish and a price tag of €300. So while the Arte might be more attractive, it's not the great deal that the more modest one is shaping up to be.
Deals are typically Xiaomi's territory and indeed, there's a legion of Redmi Notes willing to battle the Nokia 6 for your cash. The latest one of those we've tested, the Snapdragon 625 variety of the Redmi Note 4, is slightly cheaper, even when you account for getting it out of China. Plus, it has way more battery life than the Nokia 6. The plastic-backed Snapdragon Note 4 is no match for the Nokia 6's superb build quality though.
The China-bound Mediatek version of the Note 4 (if only Xiaomi could figure out a better way to differentiate its devices), does sport a more premium metal back than its global sibling, but it's still no Nokia 6. It does outlast the Nokia in web browsing longevity, but it's nowhere as impressive as the S625 flavor.
Neither Redmi Note 4 has a flawless camera, but it's not hard to beat the Nokia 6 in that respect. A little color and contrast will do, and both have them. It's a matter of preference which custom OS build you'll like more. And for all the vastness of the MIUI user community, the Nokia is running Android Nougat, and the Redmis have yet to make the jump. The global Nokia 6 will also boot a more Pixel-like launcher, so purists will find more to like there.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (MediaTek)
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime often gets mentioned alongside the Nokia 6. This phone remains pretty elusive in our neck of the woods, but it shares a lot with another hugely popular Galaxy - the J7 (2016), and it was very convincing when we checked it out. The J7 (2016) has superb battery life, a somewhat better camera than the Nokia's, and an AMOLED display, if you tend to lean that way. That same display is, however, only 720p - the Nokia has a lot more pixels in its 1080p panel.
Back to the Prime - it is a FullHD 5.5-incher and aside from resolution, it uses different technology - it's LCD. So while the chipset is the same, we're not exactly sure how the display affects battery life.
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) • Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime
A few Motos could also pose a threat to the Nokia 6 - though again, not in terms of build quality. The Moto G4 Plus from last year is almost a perfect match for the Nokia 6 in most measurable disciplines, but inches ahead in the camera department, and is running almost pure Android with just the right amount of Moto customization.
The Moto G5 and G5 Plus are a little fancier built than last generation, but let's reiterate that the Nokia can't be contested in this respect. They also have smaller, 5.2-inch displays. The more expensive G5 Plus has a better camera going for it, plus it can record 4K video in some of its incarnations.
Motorola Moto G4 Plus • Motorola Moto G5 Plus • Motorola Moto G5
The Honor 6X is another option in the Nokia 6's segment, and one that's a bit cheaper. It can boast longer battery life, somewhat better display, and a dual camera on its back. What it can't boast is better build quality.
Nokia is back, and if you were thinking that HMD Global would just go ahead and exploit the brand nostalgia, while shipping a dud of a phone, think again. It's a superbly built handset that is a camera and a chipset away from true greatness. How about that Nokia 8, then?
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