Following the unveil at MWC 2018, we heard rumors the new Nokia 7 Plus will make a debut in the US at some point, alongside the Nokia 6 2018.
Now, that the Nokia 6 2018 just went on sale in the country, we’ll have to assume it’s only a matter of time before the Nokia 7 Plus will make a debut on the market too.
In terms of physical size and target market, the Nokia 7 Plus is going up against handsets such as the OnePlus 5T. Although, by the time May comes around, the real comparison will probably be against the OnePlus 6.
Indeed, the OnePlus 5T is on its way out, but interested parties can still purchase it from third-party retailers such as Oppomart (it’s sold out in the official shop).
For the purpose of this article, we’re looking to find out how the new Nokia 7 Plus stacks against its direct competition, the OnePlus 5T.
On the outside
The OnePlus 5T has often been criticized for its iPhone-esque appearance. In contrast, the Nokia 7 Plus is a bit more exciting to look at. The handset features a powder-coated aluminum case wrapped around a copper frame. Which is not there just for looks, it also hides the antenna live to improve the reception.
The phone is available in Black and White color options with exposed copper flourishes highlighting the camera lenses, side buttons and fingerprint sensor. Overall, the Nokia 7 Plus looks more striking than the OnePlus 5T. Although you can’t say the latter doesn’t have an appealing design. It’s just that you’ll be having a deja-vu looking at it. Especially at its back.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Nokia 7 Plus is the only Nokia phone to feature a modern 18:9 aspect ratio. So in this respect, it’s on par with the OnePlus 5T.
Yet, the OnePlus 5T offers a superior 6-inch AMOLED displays, which tops the Nokia 7 Plus’ 6-inch IPS LCD screen. Both phones offer FHD+ resolution (2160 x 1080). And both have the fingerprint sensor living on the back. As well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. Water resistance is not part of the equation in either case.
On the inside
Where the OnePlus 5T shines is in the hardware department. The phone comes packing a blazing fast Snapdragon 835 processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This makes the OnePlus 5T a performance monster that can easily handle any task you throw at it.
As for the Nokia 7 Plus, it relies on a less impressive 2.2GHz Snapdragon 660 processor, working in concert with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Indeed, this chipset is not as speedy as the Snapdragon 835, but the Snapdragon 660 gets the job done, and that’s all it matters for a certain category of consumers.
The OnePlus 5T has a pretty great battery life. The phone relies on a 3,300 mAh unit and also supports fast charging. But the Nokia 7 Plus includes a larger 3,800 mAh one which can easily sustain up to two days of use on a single charge. It also includes an FM radio, just like Nokia phones from the good old days.
Photography
Both smartphones take advantage of a dual-camera setup, although the Nokia 7 Plus’ will produce superior results.
The phone boasts a Carl Zeiss-optimized dual 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel affair with dual pixel phase detection autofocus and 2x optical zoom.
The OnePlus 5T, on the other hand, includes two Sony 16-megapixel + 20-megapixel sensors, both with f/1.7 aperture for better low-light shots.
Yet, the OnePlus 5T struggles to yield decent results in situations where there isn’t enough lighting. In contrast, the Nokia 7 Plus performs a lot better. The Nokia phone have the same sensor arrangement as the Pixel 2 XL for the primary camera. In fact, looking at the specs and design, you could think of the Nokia 7 Plus as the Pixel 2 Lite version, Google never produced.
As for selfies, the Nokia 7 Plus includes a secondary 16-megapixel snapper also with Carl Zeiss optics. The OnePlus 5T also boasts a 16-megapixel camera which delivers pretty decent results.
Software
OxgenOS is known for offering a very clean experience, flavored with OnePlus’ own software tricks. HMD also offers a clean interface, although it’s missing the fun customizations.
The Nokia 7 Plus is part of the Android One program. This means it is using Google’s standard version of Android, with updates and patches provided by Google on a timely schedule.
But the OnePlus 5T gets frequent updates too. Actually, the phone was recently upgraded to the latest Android 8.1 Oreo and will continue to get updates even after the OnePlus 6 gets released.
Verdict
The Nokia 7 Plus has all the ingredients to become an extremely popular device. Expected to arrive with a price tag of around $400, the phone won’t have a hard time burning through the competition.
Offering a superior camera experience, great battery life and unique design, the Nokia 7 Plus is a great alternative to consider over the OnePlus 5T.
Speaking of which, the OnePlus 5T is no longer available in most parts of the world, via the official website. Which is why a lot of people who were considering buying a OnePlus 5T are probably going to wait for the OnePlus 6 instead.
Nevertheless, if you’re not a fan of the notch design which the OnePlus 6 is expected to boast, you can still buy the OnePlus 5T from a third party store. Like Oppomart.
