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Nokia 3.1 Plus Review: Dual Camera and Good Battery Life

Tough and sturdy, the Nokia 3.1 Plus offers more than meets the eye. Check out our Nokia 3.1 Plus review for all the exclusive details.

Nokia 31 Plus Review

The Nokia 3.1 Plus smartphone was released in January 2019. Nokia is a timeless brand iconic for the previous brick-like phones. Also, who could ever forget their trademark ringtone?

With the new competitors emerging, Nokia has been pushing out of their comfort zone. The brand continues to develop modern smartphones that meet the demands of today’s generation.

One example is Nokia 3.1 Plus. This entry-level smartphone has garnered some attention due to its low price point. However, the device promises to deliver a few advanced features that don’t disappoint.

Do you plan on buying this device? Stay and read our Nokia 3.1 Plus review before making your next purchase. Our insights will help you make up your mind.

Key Specs

Nokia 3.1 Plus specifications:

  • Weight: 190g
  • Dimensions: 162 x 77 x 8.8mm
  • OS: Android 9
  • Screen size: 6-inch
  • Resolution: 1440 x 720
  • CPU: 2GHz Octa-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 439
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Storage: 32GB
  • Battery: 3,500mAh, Non-removable
  • Rear camera: 13MP, 5MP
  • Front camera: 8MP

Design

Nokia 31 Plus
Nokia 3.1 Plus

The Nokia 3.1 Plus is a rather large phone with a sturdy build. The smartphone has a tough polycarbonate body, which explains its solid exterior. It has a stunning metal-like feel to it, but the top and bottom parts are made out of durable plastic. Despite the phone’s slimness, the choice of material gives it a thick finish. It’s a pretty-well build smartphone that’s minimalistic and premium-looking.

On the front side, we have the phone’s large display screen. We have the front-facing camera, sensors, and earpiece neatly tucked in a row on the top bezel. Pleasingly enough, the surrounding bezels do not take up so much space. The phone has thin bezels that provide more room for the screen to occupy. Compared to other budget phones, this one looks clean and chic.

The back cover is kept simplistically. We can find the phone’s dual rear camera setup placed in a vertical notch. There’s also a fingerprint sensor conveniently located on the bottom of the rear cameras. The rest of the sides (right, left, top, bottom) feature the rest of the phone’s essentials. This includes the volume controls, a card slot tray, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and many more.

Read also: Nokia 3.1 Plus User Manual

Display

Nokia 31 Plus Display

The Nokia 3.1 Plus has a 6-inch display screen for users to enjoy. Just like the phone’s size, the display screen is pretty large. It comes as a plus if we’re considering its price point. Another thing to notice is that the surrounding bezels do not take up so much space. This gives the illusion of a more stretched out display screen, providing a cinematic viewing experience.

Supporting the display screen is a 1440 x 720 resolution. The resolution is further accommodated by an 18:9 cinematic ratio. In simpler terms, this ratio means the phone’s screen is more on the taller side. Due to the display’s size, a high resolution is needed to offer HD+ quality. Luckily, this phone has all those features to guarantee vivid colors and sharp visuals. Users are treated to high-definition quality when watching our favorite movies on the phone.

Having a huge display screen could be a bigger risk of external damage. Luckily, the Nokia 3.1 Plus’ display screen is complemented by a NEG Protective Glass. This brand makes sure that the display’s glass surface is toughened to avoid unwanted scratches. However, it’s advisable to apply an extra layer of protection to care for the screen.

Camera

Nokia 31 Plus Camera

The Nokia 3.1 Plus has a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. Accompanying that main rear camera is a 5MP depth camera. It’s impressive that a phone at this price point has high megapixels. The fact that it comes with a dual rear camera set up is a wonderful bonus. It is a luxury that most budget phones are not installed with.

The 13MP rear camera is equipped with Phase Detection Auto Focus. The camera automatically focuses on one subject to another. This way, we don’t have to keep tapping on the screen to focus on an item. The 5MP depth camera is designed to give off a beautiful bokeh effect. This is perfect for portrait pictures, even when taking them in low light.

A smartphone is not a smartphone without a selfie camera. The 8MP front-facing camera ensures sharp selfies with its high megapixel. Unfortunately, there are not many photography options available. We only have an auto mode, portrait mode, and panorama. But the depth camera makes up for the lack of photography modes.

As for video recordings, the Nokia 3.1 Plus has got it covered. Users can take videos up to 1080p. Not only do we get to enjoy high-definition visuals, but we also get to record them. It’s a handy feature to take videos of our memories.

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Storage

The Nokia 3.1 Plus is equipped with internal memory storage of 32GB. It is a fairly huge amount of memory, especially for a budget phone. This is a plus in our books. However, it is important to remember that the phone’s bloatware will occupy the internal memory. Don’t be surprised if the 32GB internal memory cannot be entirely accessed.

No need to worry about that, because the phone offers an alternative solution. We can expand the memory by inserting a MicroSD card. We can install an external memory of up to 256GB. That is more than enough external storage to keep data, photos, videos, apps, and everything else.

Performance

Nokia 31 Plus Side View

The Nokia 3.1 Plus employs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor. The purpose of having a processor in a device is to activate its software. It ensures more efficient performance in terms of speed, battery, and graphics. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 is commonly used by budget phones, but it has proven to be reliable.

The processor has a CPU clock speed that runs up to 2GHz. This helps fine-tune the smartphone in several features. Users can expect a better balance between power efficiency and quick performance. Not only do we get faster speeds, but we also don’t have to sacrifice much battery juice.

Our Nokia 3.1 Plus review will not be complete without an inside look into its RAM. The smartphone’s RAM, short for Random Access Memory, is crucial in a device. It’s the main storage that holds temporary data with running apps. Typically, the bigger the RAM, the faster our phones will operate.

The Nokia 3.1 Plus smartphone comes with 2GB of RAM. This amount is usually the standard for most entry-level phones. While it doesn’t come as a surprise, 2GB RAM is not compatible with today’s apps. It still does its job well, but it might not support many apps running in the background.

Moving on, we have the Android 9 Pie operating system (OS) bringing the phone to life. This particular OS has claimed to support the phone’s battery life with Adaptive Battery. Another prominent feature is that it has App Actions to track your routines. The OS guarantees to provide a user experience that reflects your preferences.

On the other hand, Android 9 Pie may not be suitable for everyone. Its updated gesture feature requires more configuration to better track our motions. The OS is also well-known for its specific notification feature. While this can be helpful, it can be a bit annoying constantly receiving notifications.

The Nokia 3.1 Plus is installed with proximity, accelerometer, ambient light, and gyroscope sensors. These sensors work in synergy to support the phone’s features which require quick adaptability. A proximity sensor, found on top of the phone, prevents unwanted touches on the screen. Meanwhile, the accelerometer detects the movements and speeds of the phone’s gestures.

The ambient light sensor is responsible for the smartphone’s adaptive brightness mode. Whereas the gyroscope is used to take note of the phone’s position orientation. In addition to all these sensors, one recognizable sensor is the fingerprint sensor. Users can instantly unlock their phones with a simple scan of our fingerprint.

Connectivity

The Nokia 3.1 Plus has a network speed of LTE Cat 4. Users should be good at hands when using data connection with this phone. Another way to stay connected is by optimizing the phone’s Wi-Fi feature. The phone has Wi-Fi Direct that lets us connect to hotspots in a matter of seconds.

Forget about getting lost. With the Nokia 3.1 Plus, we can use its GPS feature to keep track of our locations. There’s also a Bluetooth version 4.1 installed on the phone. If we have a headset lying around that’s Bluetooth-compatible, get it connected to the phone. There’s no better feeling than listening to music wirelessly.

Battery

The Nokia 3.1 Plus is powered by a 3,500mAh battery. The battery capacity alone is outstanding. It’s a large battery that provides enough juice for a long time. Fortunately, the phone’s battery is non-removable. This prevents all sorts of external damages that could happen to the phone.

In between charges, the Nokia 3.1 Plus can last for 2 days. However, if we’re being specific, the battery lasts up to 18 hours of talk time. In other words, that’s 595 hours of standby. Just make sure to charge the battery properly to maintain its remarkable long-lasting feature.

Is the Nokia 3.1 Plus a good phone?

In this Nokia 3.1 Plus review, the phone has made quite an impression on us. It’s a phone that does not have distinctive charms, but it is an entry-level phone. Phones under this category focus on reliability and get their basic performance operating. The Nokia 3.1 Plus did not just strengthen their essentials, but they also elevated some features.

Selling at a retail price of $99.99, it’s more expensive compared to other budget phones. However, a high-tech phone is an investment, not a daily expense. Users looking for something promising but cheap can refer to this smartphone for our next purchase.

Nokia 3.1 Plus Pros

  • Sturdy, premium-looking exterior
  • Dual rear camera setup
  • Large storage space
  • Huge battery capacity

Nokia 3.1 Plus Cons

  • Small RAM storage
  • Limited photography options