Nokia 7.2 Review: Very Formidable Mid-Ranger With Impressive Cameras

Nokia 7.2

Nokia’s resurgence under the HMD Global brand has been impressive and they have managed to take back the nostalgia and loyalty associated with the brand name. The company has been launching a flurry of devices in all segments this year. The Nokia 7.2 is the most impressive of the bunch with an eye-catching design, Zeiss-branded cameras and most importantly, an affordable price tag. Here is my review of this device.

Here are the key specifications of the Nokia 7.2

Operating System Android 9 Pie
Android One
Display 6.3-inches
2280 x 1080
IPS LCD
Gorilla Glass 3
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
Memory 4GB RAM
Storage 128GB
Expandable up to 512GB
Rear Cameras 48MP primary camera
8MP ultra-wide camera
5MP depth sensor
Security Rear fingerprint sensor
Face unlock
Battery 3,500 mAh
10W charging
Dimensions 159.9 x 75.2 x 8.3mm
Weight 180g

Crafted from polymer composite that is twice as strong as polycarbonate and half the weight of aluminium, Nokia 7.2 is light, super strong and rigid. Nokia 7.2 features a gently curved design, with tough Corning® Gorilla® Glass protecting both the front and the back. Combined with its precision manufactured frame, Nokia 7.2 features a solid and seamless finish true to its Nordic design heritage.

Nokia 7.2

Nokia 7.2’s light diffusing satin glass back honors the Finnish glass making heritage and results in a premium finish. Using a multilayer coating system with vacuum metallisation, the stunning result delivers bright colours, a smooth finish and offers durability. With its signature colour, Cyan Green, Nokia 7.2 is inspired by premium Nordic design heritage that turns to nature as its muse, delivering simplicity and beauty.

Nokia 7.2 features a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a dedicated Google Assistant key and a white notification LED built into the power button for a rather unique look. The SIM tray has slots for two SIM cards and a separate storage extension slot. This is a great convenience.

Nokia 7.2

The design of the phone is not something that will make eyes pop out or make waves. But this is one of the most sturdily and practically designed mid range phones I have seen this year. The attention to detail is very evident. Holding it in my hand gave a very premium feel and the weight and dimensions are good enough to make single handed use very easy and comfortable. All in all, the design is sensible and effective. The phone sits in the hand and does not slip out. The rear end also does not catch stains easily.

Powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 660 Mobile Platform, Nokia 7.2 offers balanced performance on the go, making sure your phone is ready when you need it the most. The Nokia 7.2 also comes with the signature two-day battery life promise.  Performance-wise the phone is able to handle multi-tasking, gaming and above average load without any hiccups. In my review process, I found absolutely no issues or lag or stutter at any point. The performance is very good for a mid-ranger device.

Nokia 7.2

This is the first Nokia smartphone to combine a triple camera and PureDisplay. Nokia 7.2 features a powerful 48MP triple camera with Quad Pixel technology and ZEISS Optics. Nokia 7.2 also premiers a range of ZEISS bokeh styles, exclusive to Nokia smartphones, that recreate the way legendary ZEISS lenses produce high visual impact and signature blur. Alongside even more AI-powered features such as night mode, fans can get even more creative with their stories. Building on the strengths of its predecessor, Nokia 7.2 combines stunning PureDisplay technology and always-on HDR.

Nokia 7.2 is the first in the Nokia smartphone portfolio to feature a triple camera set up, which combines a highly sensitive 48MP sensor with Quad Pixel technology main camera with ZEISS Optics, ultra-wide camera, and depth camera to achieve stunning image capture results. The Quad Pixel technology combines four pixels into one to create stunning images in all conditions.

Nokia 7.2

Nokia 7.2 introduces three new and exclusive ZEISS bokeh styles. Portrait mode combines powerful imaging experiences that recreate the way legendary ZEISS lenses produce high visual impact and signature blur with the ZEISS Modern, ZEISS Swirl and ZEISS Smooth modes. Add beautification to perfect your skin tones for instantly shareable portraits. AI-powered night mode allows you to snap the perfect moment in low light, combining image fusion and explosion stacking to deliver stellar low light performance.

Whether you want to get all your friends in one shot or capture immersive scenery Nokia 7.2 comes with an ultrawide camera which has a 118-degree field of view and ZEISS Optics that means you can fit a lot more in one shot. Up your selfie game with the sophisticated AI-powered front camera setup, consisting of a 20MP camera with ZEISS optics.

Here are some pictures I took with the Nokia 7.2

The Nokia 7.2 features a 6.3in FHD+ (1080 x 2280) LCD display with 10-bit HDR certification, and while that’s not to be sniffed at, the display is further enriched by what Nokia calls PureDisplay technology. The company claims that it beats the LCD to “outperform OLED in many areas”, offering a 96 percent color gamut, an impressive 1:4500 contrast ratio and improved color accuracy compared to other LCD-powered smartphones on the market.

Nokia 7.2

Featuring the innovative PureDisplay technology, Nokia 7.2 delivers an immersive entertainment experience for unmatched mobile viewing on the go. With a dedicated Pixelworks visual processor, Nokia 7.2 upscales video content to HDR quality in real time, with up to a billion shades of color, higher contrast and expanded dynamic range. This means you can enjoy more contrast and deeper colors watching popular shows on your favourite streaming platforms. Nokia 7.2’s display technology brings your content to life with wide color reproduction, high dynamic contrast ratio for video and high brightness at 500 nits. Combined with local contrast enhancement the screen is easy to view even in brighter conditions.

Nokia 7.2

The display produces very crisp and fleshed out colors. The blacks and dark colors are clearly deep and defined. The sunlight legibility is good. There is no distortion or blurring at different angles. Long video streaming and gaming sessions were a breeze with the display. The display ticks all the right boxes.

Nokia 7.2

As part of the Android One partnership, Nokia 7.2 is Android 10 ready and will receive guaranteed monthly security updates for three years and OS updates for two years, so your smartphone will get better over time.Out of the box, you get the latest features such as AI assisted adaptive battery, App actions and many more with Android 9 Pie.

To be more helpful throughout your day, the Nokia 7.2 comes with a dedicated Google Assistant[i] Button that you can press to quickly access your favourite assistant. You can also enjoy the Google Assistant’s new Ambient Mode[ii], which provides an always-on-display when your device is charging. This allows you to view upcoming calendar entries, commute times and other contextual information without needing to pick up your device. Google Assistant Ambient Mode can even transform your phone into a digital photo frame while charging.

Nokia 7.2

In addition, Nokia 7.2 users will receive a 3-month membership trial to Google One at no extra cost. With Google One[iii] membership, you get the peace of mind that your photos, videos, messages and more are safely and automatically backed up in the cloud. With Nokia 7.2, Google One members will get 100GB of cloud storage across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos and access to premium support from Google experience – all in one shareable family plan.

Nokia 7.2

The battery is able to run a day on a single charge with above average usage with a mix of WiFi, 4G, streaming, social media and music. The call quality was good and VoLTE support was good. The phone comes with all the usual connectivity options.

Verdict

At a starting price of Rs 18,599, the Nokia 7.2 is the best mid-range phone of the year with Android One support that packs some serious camera muscle that make it a great buy at the brilliant price.

 

Note

[i] The Google Assistant is available in selected markets and languages. Where not available The Google Assistant is replaced by Google Search. Check availability at https://support.google.com/assistant.

[ii]Google Assistant Ambient Mode will be available via the Google Play Store. Google and Android are trademarks of Google LLC.

[iii] Terms Apply: http://one.google.com/offer/nokia

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

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