Nokia 9 PureView Review: A Five-Camera Phone with a Lot of Potential
The Nokia 9 PureView is a smartphone that stands out from the crowd with its unique five-camera system on the back. It aims to deliver stunning photos with high resolution, dynamic range, and depth of field. But is it enough to compete with other flagship phones in terms of design, performance, and features? Let’s find out in this review.
Design and Display
The Nokia 9 PureView has a sleek and symmetrical design that looks elegant and premium. It has a glass front and back sandwiching an aluminum frame, with a curved back that fits comfortably in the hand. The phone is also water-resistant with an IP67 rating.
The front of the phone features a 5.99-inch pOLED display with QHD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The screen is notchless and has thin bezels on the top and bottom. The display is vibrant and sharp, but not very bright in direct sunlight. It also supports HDR10 for enhanced contrast and colors.
Camera
The main attraction of the Nokia 9 PureView is its five-camera system on the back. It consists of two 12MP RGB sensors and three 12MP monochrome sensors, all with f/1.8 aperture and 1.25μm pixel size. The cameras work together to capture multiple images at different exposures and combine them into one high-resolution photo with up to 12.4 stops of dynamic range and up to 1200 layers of depth data.
Camera Performance
The Nokia 9 PureView can produce impressive photos in good lighting conditions, with rich colors, sharp details, and balanced exposure. The photos have a natural look and feel, without excessive processing or noise reduction. The depth effect is also realistic and adjustable, allowing you to change the focus point and blur intensity after taking a photo.
However, the camera performance is not flawless. In low-light situations, the photos tend to lose detail and clarity, especially in the shadows. The camera also struggles with moving subjects, as it takes some time to process multiple images into one shot. The autofocus can be slow and inaccurate at times, especially in macro mode.
Camera Features
The Nokia 9 PureView offers some interesting features for photography enthusiasts. One of them is the ability to save photos in RAW DNG format, which preserves more information and allows for more editing possibilities in post-production. You can use Adobe Lightroom or other apps to edit your RAW photos on your phone or computer.
Another feature is the Pro mode, which lets you manually adjust settings such as ISO, shutter speed, white balance, exposure compensation, and focus distance. You can also use HDR mode to enhance dynamic range, or switch to monochrome mode to take black and white photos with one of the monochrome sensors. You can also use the Live Bokeh mode to preview the depth effect before taking a photo.
Camera Limitations
The Nokia 9 PureView is not a perfect camera phone, and it has some limitations that you should be aware of. One of them is the lack of optical zoom, which means you have to rely on digital zoom or cropping to get closer to your subject. The digital zoom quality is decent, but not as good as optical zoom.
Another limitation is the absence of a dedicated wide-angle lens, which would allow you to capture more of the scene in one shot. The phone also does not have a telephoto lens, which would enable you to take portrait photos with better background separation and bokeh.
The third limitation is the slow processing speed, which can be frustrating when you want to take multiple shots in a row or review your photos quickly. The phone can take up to 10 seconds to process one photo, and it can lag or freeze during that time. The camera app also crashes occasionally, requiring you to restart it.
Performance and Battery
The Nokia 9 PureView is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which is a bit outdated compared to the newer Snapdragon 855 or 865 chips. However, the phone still performs well in most tasks, such as browsing, streaming, and multitasking. The phone has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which are sufficient for most users.
The phone also handles gaming well, but not at the highest settings. Some games may stutter or lag when played at high graphics or frame rate. The phone also tends to heat up when gaming for a long time.
The battery life of the Nokia 9 PureView is average, but not impressive. The phone has a 3320mAh battery, which can last for a day of moderate use, but not much more. The phone supports wireless charging and fast charging, which are convenient features. However, the fast charging is not very fast, as it takes about two hours to fully charge the phone.
Software
The Nokia 9 PureView runs Android 9 Pie out of the box, with a clean and fast interface. The phone is part of the Android One program, which means it receives regular security updates and major OS updates for at least two years. The phone also has minimal bloatware and offers a pure Android experience.
The software is smooth and responsive, with no major bugs or glitches. The phone also has some useful features, such as Google Assistant, Digital Wellbeing, Adaptive Battery, and Ambient Display. The phone also supports face unlock and voice unlock, which are convenient alternatives to the fingerprint sensor.
Other Features
The Nokia 9 PureView has some other features that are worth mentioning. One of them is the in-display fingerprint sensor, which is located under the screen. The sensor works well most of the time, but it can be slow and inaccurate at times. You have to press firmly and wait for a second to unlock the phone.
Another feature is the wireless charging, which allows you to charge the phone without plugging in a cable. The phone supports Qi wireless charging standard, which means you can use any compatible wireless charger or pad. The wireless charging speed is decent, but not very fast.
The third feature is the water resistance, which gives the phone some protection from water damage. The phone has an IP67 rating, which means it can withstand immersion in up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. However, this does not mean you can swim or shower with the phone.
Conclusion
The Nokia 9 PureView is a unique and ambitious phone that tries to offer something different in the crowded smartphone market. It has a stunning five-camera system that can produce amazing photos with high resolution, dynamic range, and depth of field. It also has a sleek design, a sharp display, a clean software, and some other nice features.
Pros
- Five-camera system that delivers stunning photos
- Sleek and symmetrical design with water resistance
- Sharp and vibrant display with HDR10 support
- Clean and fast software with Android One program
- Wireless charging and fast charging support
Cons
- No optical zoom, wide-angle lens, or telephoto lens
- Slow processing speed and camera app performance
- Outdated processor and average battery life
- Inaccurate fingerprint sensor and face unlock
- No headphone jack or microSD card slot
- How many megapixels are the cameras on the Nokia 9 PureView?
- Does the Nokia 9 PureView have a front-facing camera?
- Does the Nokia 9 PureView have a headphone jack?
- Does the Nokia 9 PureView have a microSD card slot?
- How long does the battery of the Nokia 9 PureView last?
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Verdict
The Nokia 9 PureView is a phone that appeals to photography enthusiasts who want to experiment with different effects and editing options. It is not a phone for everyone, as it has some drawbacks and limitations that may affect the overall user experience. The phone is also not very cheap, as it costs around $700 at the time of writing.
If you are looking for a phone that can take amazing photos with a unique camera system, and you don’t mind the slow processing speed, the outdated processor, and the average battery life, then the Nokia 9 PureView may be a good choice for you. However, if you are looking for a phone that can offer better performance, battery life, and features, then you may want to consider other options in the same price range.
FAQs
The cameras on the Nokia 9 PureView are all 12 megapixels, but they can combine their images into one photo with up to 60 megapixels of resolution.
Yes, the Nokia 9 PureView has a 20-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and 1.0μm pixel size. It can take selfies with HDR and bokeh effects.
No, the Nokia 9 PureView does not have a headphone jack. You have to use wireless headphones or a USB-C adapter to listen to audio.
No, the Nokia 9 PureView does not have a microSD card slot. You have to rely on the internal storage of 128GB or use cloud storage services.
The battery of the Nokia 9 PureView can last for about a day of moderate use, but it may vary depending on your usage patterns and settings. The phone supports wireless charging and fast charging, which can help extend the battery life.
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