Nokia has entered phase two of its Android comeback, announcing a second-generation phone, the new Nokia 6.

Originally launched in China, the new Nokia 6 is now being released globally.

So what's changed? We're diving through the details to see what's what. 

Nokia 6 (2018) vs Nokia 6 (2017): Design 

  • Both have aluminium unibody design
  • New model is shorter but slightly thicker
  • New 6 has a rear fingerprint scanner

The Nokia 6 boldly introduced the world in 2017 to a new breed of Nokia phones. The design story was everything, with talk of durability and precision. Once again, the new Nokia 6 is crafted from a block of 6000 series aluminium and topped with Corning Gorilla Glass.

The design of the new reflects the old, with diamond cut finishing and antenna bands tracing the top and bottom curves of the phone. There's now a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the phone, while the dual anodisation process leads to a two-tone colour, make the new a little more exciting than the old.

The original measures 154 x 75.8 x 7.85mm (with a slight bump for the camera), while the new Nokia 6 is 148.8 x 75.8 x 8.15mm. It's shorter, but a little fatter, but not by much.

Importantly, it still looks like the Nokia 6, so it seems a sensible evolution.

Nokia 6 (2018) vs Nokia 6 (2017): Display

  • Both are 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 403ppi, IPS LCD

There's not a lot to add here. Both these devices have the same display specs. Both are 16:9 aspect, both are 5.5-inches on the diagonal and both have a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution for 403ppi.

While the display remains the same size and resolution, there's been a slight reduction in the bezels top and bottom as this phone gets a little shorter.

With that, we'll move swiftly along.

Nokia 6 (2018) vs Nokia 6 (2017): Hardware

  • New 6 steps up to Snapdragon 630, 3/4GB RAM
  • Both offer 32/64GB storage + microSD
  • Both have 3000mAh battery
  • New 6 offers fast charging

It's at the heart of this phone that the Nokia 6 makes its biggest move. The original 6 was an elegant looking thing with some decent specs, but it felt like it never matched its potential because it had the entry-level Snapdragon 430 platform running things. 

The big change here is that the new Nokia 6 effectively moves into the mid-range, taking with it the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 and an increase to 4GB of RAM - although there's also going to be a 3GB RAM version available. The new model should be faster and more efficient, an overall better performer.

The battery capacity remains the same at 3000mAh, although the new Nokia 6 has USB Type-C rather than the older Micro-USB, and also offers quick charging, again, a change for the better, meaning it will be faster in topping up that battery.

There are connectivity updates for Bluetooth too, with the new model offering Bluetooth 5, the old BT4.1.

Nokia 6 (2018) vs Nokia 6 (2017): Cameras

  • Both have the same camera hardware
  • New Nokia 6 gets Zeiss optics
  • New Nokia 6 offers bothies

To all intents and purposes the cameras on the Nokia 6s are the same. Both have a 16-megapixel f/2.0 rear camera with 1.0µm pixels, with phase detection autofocus. The only change on the spec sheet is that the new camera now has Zeiss-branded optics.

Both also have an 8-megapixel f/2.0 front camera with 1.12µm pixels and an 84-degree wide angle.

One thing that the new Nokia 6 is highlighting is the Dual View feature, however, allowing you to use the front and rear camera at the same time to capture "bothies". This was a feature of the Nokia 8 and now available across a full range of Nokia devices.

We suspect that this is partly enabled by the more powerful Qualcomm platform that it's running on. The new Nokia 6 will also offer pro control in the camera app.

Nokia 6 (2018) vs Nokia 6 (2017): Software 

  • Both run Android Oreo
  • New Nokia 6 carries Android One branding

Nokia's new groove is pure Android hardware, with only a minor alteration to the camera app. The old Nokia 6 launched on Nougat and quickly upgraded to Oreo. Nokia has been very good at updating its phone, something promised by the pure Android build. 

With the launch of the new Nokia 6, HMD Global confirmed that it was joining the Android One programme, guaranteeing pure Android with no bundled apps, services or bloatware - just Google's Android apps. 

That's a strong position for these phones, but essentially, both will be running the same pure version of Android Oreo.

Nokia 6 (2018) vs Nokia 6 (2017): Conclusions

  • New model more powerful
  • Same great build quality and design
  • Price increase to €279

The strong parts of the Nokia 6 remain: there's excellent, perhaps class-leading design, and a good size of phone, but moving the fingerprint scanner to the rear has allowed it to be a little more compact.

But the good news is that it steps-up to be a more powerful mid-range phone with that upgraded Snapdragon 630 heart. This does see the price rise to €279, so it's €70 more expensive than the old device.

You are getting a better-positioned mid-range phone however, so the new Nokia 6 now looks like a phone that matches the quality of its internals to the quality of its build.