Nokia 1 Plus Review

In a world where connectivity is essential, the existence of cheaper smartphones is super important. Smartphones aren't just a luxury, they're a necessity. While flagship prices might keep creeping higher, there are still plenty of more affordable handsets around. Starting at $109, the Nokia 1 Plus is one of the cheapest.

Unsurprisingly, the Nokia 1 Plus is a barebones affair. It's entry-level in every sense of the word, but it's definitely not without merit. To start, the Nokia 1 Plus feels solidly built. It's predominantly plastic, but it doesn't feel cheap and nasty. It doesn't have that sense of weightlessness you get with many cheap phone. The back cover has a slight texture to it, which adds grip (and is fun to stroke). All in all, the Nokia 1 Plus seems well made.

The Nokia 1 Plus screen isn't amazing, but it does the trick. It runs at such a low resolution that individual pixels are easy to spot, and it's a bit washed out. At the same time, it has good viewing angles and is bright enough that you can still see if you're trying to use it in direct sunlight.

Performance is the biggest issue with the Nokia 1 Plus. Despite running a stripped down version of Android optimised for lower end hardware, day-to-day interactions were often frustrating. Opening the camera took over five seconds, opening Google Maps took as many as ten. Load times improve after you've opened up app, but the limited amount of RAM means you might be reloading them from scratch more often than you'd like. You can’t expect miracles at $109, but just a little more grunt would have been appreciated.

There are a few other compromises worth mentioning. You'll only get 8GB storage out of the box (although some retailers are ranging a 16GB model that goes for around $169), 4GB of which is free, so you might also need to factor in the price of a microSD card. There's also no fingerprint reader, which could be a bit frustrating if you've become used to phones with biometric authentication. Banging in a PIN to unlock your phone can feel a bit anachronistic. And lastly, the Nokia 1 Plus has a camera, but it's probably best to forget it's even there. Even in good light, the phone struggles to find focus and is slow to shoot, often leaving you with blurry shots. This is compounded by the fact the camera app itself can be painfully unresponsive.

But for all the compromises the Nokia 1 Plus makes in attempt to keep down the price, there's one compelling feature you don't often find on cheaper smartphones: guaranteed updates. You'll get two years of monthly security updates, and two years of major operating system upgrades. In the third year, the Nokia 1 Plus will still receive security updates, but bundled and released on a quarterly basis. That's virtually unheard on a device as dirt cheap as the Nokia 1 Plus.

Who is the Nokia 1 Plus for?

Starting at $109, the Nokia 1 Plus is a perfectly acceptable device. If all you need is talk, text and basic browsing, it does the job, but it will start to struggle as soon as you push it harder. You won't love it, but the Nokia 1 Plus is fine if all you need is some basic connectivity. It doesn't do much more, but for the price, that's completely fair.

But if you're in the position where you can spend more, the difference between the Nokia 1 Plus and a handset in the $200 to $300 price bracket is huge. While that’s more than double, you'll end up with a device you'll actually want to use, rather than just tolerate.

Nokia 1 Plus camera samples

I don't want a Nokia 1 Plus, what else can I buy?

Nokia 3.2

If you want to stick with Nokia and are okay with spending a little more, you might want to consider the Nokia 3.2. It goes for $249, but improves on the Nokia 1 Plus in almost every single way. You get a fingerprint reader, a higher resolution display, a bigger battery, and a faster processor. 

Motorola Moto E5

The Moto E5 is about a year old now, but it's still a solid budget smartphone that makes surprisingly few compromises. The camera isn't great, but day-to-day performance is smooth, and the battery will comfortable last two days. You should be able to pick it up for around $160.

OPPO AX7

The OPPO AX7 is an excellent value budget smartphone with a killer battery life and swish design. It's a bit pricier than the Nokia 1 Plus ($299 on Optus prepaid, or $349 outright), but for the most part, the AX7 is free from any red flags.  

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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