I know, I know! This is not the first brand that comes to mind when you think of buying a smartphone today. However, there’s no denying that this brand is what started it all for Indian smartphone consumers.

Focusing on price-sensitivity and sustainability - Nokia by HMD Global - has been launching relatively more affordable tablets and smartphone over the last couple of years. The Nokia G11 Plus is one such in the lineup.

Design

Very Nordic and understated with a grey-coloured rear panel, the Nokia G11 Plus could do with a bit more flair. Those looking for a straightforward design might like the aesthetic. I like the fingerprint-like etchings on the back that make for a good grip - something users would need on this 192 grams device. It’s also one of those few phones that still have a 3.5 mm jack, which might please many consumers.

Display

The 6.5-inch display offers ample real estate to play around. Gaming is fun and immersive, as is watching the real-life inspired gritty mini-series ‘Trial By Fire’ on Netflix. What I find lacking in the display is the perfect combination of smoothness and sharpness of AMOLED displays - offered by a handful of manufacturers in the same price range or just a notch above.

The display offers a refresh rate of upto 90 Hz, which is great considering it’s a budget phone. Spending some time skiing down the Alps in Alto’s Odyssey is immersive as is some good ol’ subway surfing.

Camera

There’s a 50 MP primary camera with auto-focus that does a decent job of capturing photographs outdoors. Indoors, it tends to be very grainy in the parts which would constitute the ‘shadows’ of the photograph. The well-lit parts are rendered well, however results were inconsistent even in well-lit conditions indoors. The Super Night mode works well in brightening up photos taken in the dark.

The 8 MP selfie camera leaves a lot to be desired in terms of clarity and overall image quality. Portrait mode works well though.

Tech Specs

The Nokia G11 Plus is powered by a Unisoc T606, a basic entry-level processor which has been used often by Motorola and Nokia. While it’s not the fastest or the most powerful processor, it gets the job done with basic multi-tasking and gaming. The smartphone comes with Android 12 OS, and is equipped to enable two versions of OS upgrades. With 4 GB RAM, it has only 64 GB of internal storage which most for most users might fill up really quickly. However, there’s a micro SD card slot which supports upto an additional 512 GB of storage.

There’s a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor which works well, but the facial recognition to unlock the phone is snappy enough that I’ve never had to use the fingerprint lock.

Battery

The smartphone is built with a 5,000 mAh battery that didn’t drain too fast. On a full charge and medium usage - about an hour of Netflix, an hour of gaming and general browsing - I found myself plugging it in to recharge only at the end of the second day. So, thumbs up to Nokia for this!

In case, there had been an emergency and there was very little charge left, I could have also switched the super battery saver mode on.

Verdict

The Nokia G11 Plus might not be the snazziest-looking phone on the market but it’s definitely a reliable one. An expansive 6.5-inch HD+ display, 90 Hz refresh rate and a decent battery life make for an interesting package. Adding some extra oomph might have helped win us over more.

Price - ₹12,499

Pros - Display, battery life,

Cons - Plain design, basic processor

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