When you're choosing a new smartphone, what do you look for? Design? An advanced camera? The latest Nokia delivers the goods, and at a strong price. Here are five reasons to buy the Nokia 7.1

Reasons to buy the Nokia 7.1 with Carphone Warehouse

When we checked out the Nokia 7.1 at the launch we said that it's got a "super screen and premium design," with "little to dislike about the Nokia 7.1." Here are five reasons to get the phone today: 

 
 
 
 

1. It has the latest Android software

Nokia uses Android One, which means that it has a pure version of the Android operating software with no bloatware or weirdly different apps. The camera app is about the only app that isn't standard Android. The other thing about Android One is that any phone that features it is guaranteed to receive two years' of updates and three years' of security patches. What's more, it's likely to receive them very quickly: the Nokia 7.1 is one of the first to upgrade to the latest Android Pie software. Android One also makes it especially easy to move to this phone from another brand.

2. It's tremendous value

You get an awful lot for your money. Along with reasonable storage capacity and active memory, there is an attractive, bright screen and twin cameras, as we'll see below. The Nokia 7.1 includes features such as fast charging which means that half an hour connected to the charger will give you around 50 per cent battery strength. The processor is a decent speed, so the phone is fast and responsive. Oh, and it has a regular 3.5mm headphone jack, unlike some phones!

3. It has a large, attractive screen

The 5.84-inch LCD screen is bright and appealing, not least because it's pretty high-resolution, way more than many flagship phones, in fact. The display doesn't quite cover the entire front of the phone but thanks to a notch where the camera sits, it stretches right to the top of the handset. It only stops at the bottom to allow for a space large enough to fit the Nokia logo. It's an HDR screen, too, which means that watching some video looks especially good, like Netflix HDR content, for instance. It also makes the phone look good when you're playing games.

4. It has dual rear cameras made in conjunction with Zeiss

It's hard to beat a company like Zeiss when it comes to smartphone cameras and Nokia has teamed with Zeiss for years. So, it's good to see a 12MP sensor backed up by a 5MP one, able to deliver strong photographic results in a range of lighting situations. It includes photographic effects like bokeh, where your subject is in sharp focus and the background charmingly blurred. It also has strong HDR capabilities, where you can see great detail in a bright sky and dark shadows at the same time. And Nokia has a special extra called Dual-Sight where you can combine images from front and back cameras at the same time - great for recording a gig and your reaction at the same time.

5. It has a high-end design (for that less than high-end price)

Nokia is routinely good at stylish, upmarket design. That's certainly the case here with its glossy back and chamfered edges that feel as smooth and attractive as they look and mean there are no sharp surfaces to be found on the handset. The edge of the phone is perfectly colour-matched to the back, but has a matte finish. And front and back meet in a quietly gleaming strip of aluminium. On the rear, the cameras, flash, fingerprint sensor and Nokia logo are all perfectly lined up. Incidentally, unlike some phones, you won't accidentally press the camera lens instead of the fingerprint sensor because of the placement of each, and the fact that the camera is raised.