HMD Global today launched the Nokia 1 Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone in India, roughly a month after its official unveiling at MWC 2018 last month. The Nokia 1 is actually the second Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone to have been launched in the country. Lava was the first to introduce its Android Oreo (Go…
HMD Global today launched the Nokia 1 Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone in India, roughly a month after its official unveiling at MWC 2018 last month. The Nokia 1 is actually the second Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone to have been launched in the country. Lava was the first to introduce its Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone, dubbed the Z50. In the coming weeks, more smartphones running Android Oreo (Go Edition) are expected to be launched in the country, including one from Micromax.
“There are more than 1.3 billion feature phone users around the world, many from markets in Asia and Africa. As the value market leader in feature phones, we understand the barriers and challenges people face when it comes to stepping up to a smartphone which is where the Nokia 1 fits in perfectly. Not only is this our most affordable smartphone ever, it also combines the reassuring quality and design of a Nokia smartphone with the latest Android Oreo (Go edition) to deliver exceptional value and realize our dream of creating a complete smartphone experience that is accessible to everyone, “said Ajey Mehta, Vice President India, HMD Global.
The Nokia 1 Android Oreo (Go Edition) entry-level smartphone has been priced in India at Rs.5,499. It is slated to go on sale in the country starting March 28 th. As for color options, you will be able to choose between Warm Red and Dark Blue colors. In case you aren’t happy with the limited color selection, you will be glad to know that HMD will also be selling Xpress On covers in packs of Azure and Grey or Yellow and Pink starting next month for an MRP of Rs.450.
The Nokia 1 is eligible for the Reliance Jio Football Offer, which means buyers can get an instant cashback of Rs.2,200 on the smartphone, bringing its effective price down to Rs.3,299. Reliance Jio subscribers who purchase the Nokia 1 will also be eligible to receive up to 60GB of additional 4G data. Apart from the Jio offers, customers purchasing a Nokia 1 can get 20% discount on their first booking on redBus as well as a 12-month Accidental Damage Insurance by Servify on opening a Kotak 811 savings account. However, you will need to make sure that you activate your Kotak 811 account with a deposit of Rs.1,000 to receive the benefit.
Announced by HMD Global at the Mobile World Congress last month, Nokia 1 features a 4.5-inch IPS display with 480 x 854 FWVGA resolution. The handset is powered by a MediaTek MT6737M quad-core processor clocked at 1.1 GHz with a Mali-T720 GPU. Like other Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphones, the Nokia 1 comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. You can expand the storage further by up to 128GB, thanks to a dedicated microSD card slot.
On the imaging front, Nokia 1 comes with a 5-megapixel snapper on the back with an LED flash. The rear camera can capture videos at up to 480p resolution. For selfies, the smartphone has a 2MP snapper on the front. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy, GPS with A-GPS, and 4G VoLTE. Sensors onboard include a Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, and a G-sensor. Fueling the internals of the smartphone is a 2150mAh removable battery, not surprising for an entry-level smartphone. HMD claims the smartphone can provide up to 9 hours of talk time and up to 15 days of standby time. Music playback time is claimed to be up to 53 hours, while video playback time is up to 4.8 hours. The Nokia 1 measures 133.6 x 67.78 x 9.5mm and weighs in at 131 grams.
In terms of software, the Nokia 1 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition), which is optimized specifically for entry-level smartphones and comes with no unnecessary apps or hidden processes that can eat up both battery life as well as the phone’s memory. The Nokia 1 comes pre-loaded with all the Go Edition apps that have been designed to use lower storage space and data. With the Chrome Data Saver feature, you can save up to 60% of your mobile data. The YouTube Go app lets you enjoy faster loading times while consuming lower data. You can, of course, choose higher playback quality if you wish to and even download videos to view them offline later. Some of the other key highlights of the Nokia 1 include an IP52 rating for drip protection and FM radio support.
