NAIROBI, KENYA: Reminiscing on my Campus life 10 years ago, my significant other had a cellphone that – at the time, to me, and like everyone else, considered as the gold standard for beauty, this side of the Sahara. The Ideos had just come out and it sold like hotcake. Huawei gave us the U8150 running on Google’s flagship OS, android. I must admit, this phone became dear to me as soon as I understood how to use it. I could hardly gather the courage to whip out my then phone –the Nokia 3310 – a handset that was tougher than my life.
The few times I happened to be around it made me appreciate it more. I mean, internet on the go, decent camera as well as a wide array of applications easily accessible on Play Store.
Soon enough, almost everyone on campus had one. The only crime was having the one with a yellow back cover. I mean, with black, crimson and sky blue colors on offer, why would yellow be top of mind? Granted, there was nothing exactly cheap about it – then, but come to think of it, it redefined ‘balling on a budget’.
Flash forward, ten years later, Nokia is on Android. I honestly do not know what took them so long but boy hasn’t it been a glorious debut. Nokia has several handsets on android i.e. Nokia 5 and Nokia 8, but there is this one that is of particular interest to me.
Enter Nokia 1
I have now used the Nokia 1 one for a little over a week and it’s reminded me of my fascination with Ideos during my campus days. Ideally, it would be unfair to compare the two as they are miles apart. A decade is a long time technologically. The Nokia 1 is far more superior to its worthy predecessor. The comparison however stems from myself as user in campus. This is the handset I would most likely be using if I was an undergraduate student or fresh off high school waiting to join.
Less Power, Smarter Software
I own a Redmi 6plus and its performance is on steroids, just like other high end flagship devices. With 6 gigs of RAM, you can wager what the Rom size is. The thing is this, making the switch to Nokia 1’s 1 gig of RAM and 8 gigs of internal memory – half of which are pre-installed apps, was surprisingly near-seamless. I still have about 3.8 gigs or Rom to install more apps, media or just take a gazillion photos. I already have the usual suspects installed – WhatsApp, Instagram, Standard E-paper, LinkedIn and Podcasts.
In the event I run out of memory, I could opt for a micro SD card which is expandable to a whopping 128 gigs.
Now that my Redmi is actually 128GB in capacity, I definitely will not be missing that in the Nokia 1. So, yes it is extremely usable, way past the basics. The only caveat is that it will ‘grind your gears’ when you push it too hard.
Since I live around Mombasa Road, the phone has registered 4G LTE but varies between that and 2G depending on my location. It is Dual SIM with no actual SIM tray, making it possible to use two SIM cards and a micro SD card all at the same time, unlike my former where I had to pick a struggle. With much less power than the latest flagship phones, but smart software that knows how to counteract that, the Nokia 1 is well in among low-end smartphones I have used that have not made me aim them at a wall.
The Sh8,000 plastic handset comes in navy or red and has a characteristically Nokia look and feel. Like the recent and similarly-priced 3310, the Nokia 1's look reminds me of my earliest mobile phone experiences, but unlike the 3310 it doesn't literally emulate what it was like to use the premier android in the late 2000s. It is light in weight and perfect for one-hand navigation.
Enter Android Go
Android Go is from Google and it brings the latest smartphone capabilities to the less powerful devices, making it a jigsaw fit the Nokia 1. The Nokia 1 sports ‘Oreo Go’ which is the ‘light’ version of Android 8 Oreo that normally would not author well with devices that have 4 gigs of RAM, at the very least.
However, even with all the optimisation, switching between applications on the Nokia 1 is a bit sluggish. The Nokia 1 was in fact built for ‘one thing at a time’. Trying to kill enough birds with one stone might leave you a bit on the frustrated side. The pre-installed Google apps like Maps, Gmail and Assistant are all special "Go" versions that, much like Google's Chrome OS, leave the heavy lifting to an internet browser rather than the device itself. Whether I was connected to 4G or Wi-Fi, these apps worked exactly as expected and quite quickly. All my stuff in the cloud — pictures, music, podcasts, contacts, documents, notes — were just as accessible here as anywhere else. On the hardware side the device has everything you need to make use of Google's smart software. There's only 8GB of on-board storage, which isn't much if you're wanting to keep your videos, pics and music locally, but you can add a micro SD card for more room. The brilliant Files Go app, helps you keep your storage tidy or make transfers to nearby friends. There's Bluetooth for your headphones but the rear-firing loudspeaker is super screechy and awkwardly placed. There's a removable battery, which means no waterproofing but easy repairs and replacements. Security is also of paramount importance for the Nokia 1. It has the option of securing the phone at boot. This adds a layer where one is required to enter security credentials every time the phone powers on. That and knowing Google’s scrutiny, makes intruders throw a fit.
Being a religious follower of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, I will admit that the Nokia 1 came in as a pleasant surprise. The 2 hour experience was, again, near seamless – the handset did not ‘lapse’ at any point that I can remember. Additionally, I don’t recall it putting ANY dent on the battery meter. Browsing the web is a breeze with on the Nokia 1, since it is optimized for this ‘cloud-type’ functionality.
Lights, Camera….Uh...Oh
So, I had someone snap me a quick one in broad daylight and the photos were a bit underwhelming. The 5MP camera is slow, meaning fast-moving subjects or low light conditions present a challenge. It shoots video in SD, which looks ok on the little screen but not good elsewhere. There is a flash and a 2MP selfie shooter included. Out of the box I found it impossible to get shots of any human that didn't end up looking completely haunted. As it turns out the HDR function (which takes multiple exposures for better color reproduction) was on by default, and the Nokia 1 just couldn't handle it. Once I turned HDR off sharp images became possible. In perfect light conditions you can take acceptable-looking shots, but this is probably the area where I missed my Redmi phone the most. I mean, if you love to slay and do it for the ‘Gram’, this might not be the ideal phone for you where pictures are involved but it might come in handy as a decoy phone. A positive to this is that I could easily capture screens or ‘screen grabs’ and easily embed them on mail or communication apps, all from the notification panel.
Break the bank or buy the Nokia 1?
At the risk of sounding ‘too attached’, the Nokia 1 was able to comfortably mirror most core functionalities of my much more expensive Redmi handset. This was especially true for video streaming. Using apps like ‘Netflix’ was a charm save for the fact that the only display resolution was 480p. I could not complain though, I did not have strong enough internet to stream high resolution anywayJ. Of displeasure though is the screen size. Enjoying movies and games became a challenge after a while because of the 4.5 inches of screen that the Nokia 1 gives you. I mean, most of the games I installed worked pretty well but I didn’t find myself engaging with them for long durations because of the small screen. Admittedly, it is probably a bias that resulted from my previous 6.2 inch screen experience. But it’s not a complete loss though. However you look at it ‘issa win’ with data costs. I was able to restrict data at the tap of a button. In a country where data costs are bound to shoot through the roof, I feel like that control comes in handy.
Most of this however, consistently rekindled memories of how, earlier on, I interacted with the Huawei Ideos - I remember how hard I used to push that particular device, and how it responded even harder. It’s like déjà vu. Like I’ve had this smartphone before, ten years before its time. The design is simple, sleek and it’s not exactly out of monetary reach. Granted, this might be a very basic phone, but it provides the lion's share of the functionality and connectivity you're going to need. Every KEs 10,000 between the Nokia 1 and something like the Nokia 6 just adds little bits of speed, convenience and polish, plus non-essentials like a competent camera and a screen you'll actually like watching Netflix on.
Of course almost all of the best things about this phone are provided by Google's Android software, with Nokia merely putting together a pleasant-looking and functional device that meets the software's minimum specs. The biggest gem with this phone is definitely its ability to harness the heaviest and most powerful capabilities of the latest Android version – the Oreo 8.1. Just so you know, the Samsung Galaxy S9 is running on the same – and we all know how much of a behemoth it is. The only downside, for me, as someone who is always on the go, is the screen size. I would not want to imagine opening office applications on that screen.
So would I buy the Nokia 1? Most probably Yes, but not as my main phone or for myself. I would have thoroughly enjoyed the Nokia 1 in my campus days – in its unadulterated entirety. It would have been a perfect 360 degree experience powered by a smartphone i.e. schoolwork – check, communication – check, recreation and entertainment – Triple check!
I know times have changed and there is the Instagram craze that is with teens, students, frequent travelers and young adults. The less than half that will most likely not require a high quality camera, this handset is for them.
Signing off, it’s Christmas around the corner, and since it’s still a ‘thing’ where I come from, my kid brother – who is in his last year of high school, has a decision to make: Is it Air Maxxes or the Nokia 1?
