Nokia C01 Plus recently arrived in India as HMD’s latest affordable phone. It is a phone that brings the bare essentials of a smartphone, which means it can give you a modest Android experience and the ability to use WhatsApp, Instagram, and some games. HMD’s stock Android software makes the Nokia C01 Plus a good option on the market, and I think people who are going to buy their first smartphone or those who are light users should consider this.
I used the Nokia C01 Plus for quite some time andwrote about my experience in the review. But since the review is a bit long, I am winding my review up into five points that capture the essence of what I experience with the phone. Before I tell you that, let me tell you the price of the Nokia C01 Plus. You can buy the Nokia C01 Plus for Rs 6,199, but you can get it for lower if you opt for the JioExclusive offer.
So, here is what my review said:
Point 1 -Nokia C01 Plus is an entry-level phone but its design and body make it a compelling choice on the market. The shiny polycarbonate body looks impressive and justifies the price tag. I reviewed the blue colourway and liked it. The phone, however, conforms to old phone designs when the top and bottom bezels used to be thicker and things like notches and punch-holes did not exist. But that is a non-issue for a phone at this price. The phone also has a removable back panel.
Point 2 - HMD has given a 5.45-inch HD+ LCD on the Nokia C01 Plus, and I can say that it may be one of the best displays on a phone at this price. I am glad to tell you that you will like watching movies and shows on the display of the Nokia C01 Plus even though it is smaller than what you see on most phones for around this price. The display can be adequately bright, so reading text outdoors is also not a big issue.
Point 3 - Nokia C01 Plus uses a Unisoc SC9863A processor that can give a modest performance. I did not have problems opening apps and juggling between a few of them. You have to keep in mind, though, that this is a phone meant for light use, so do not expect it to handle heavy apps like Adobe Lightroom. That is also to say that the phone cannot properly run games such as Battlegrounds Mobile India, but you can pop those candies in Candy Crush Saga very conveniently.
Point 4 - With a small price tag, you have to make some unavoidable compromises. Those compromises come in the form of the camera on the Nokia C01 Plus. The phone has 5-megapixel cameras on both front and back, and they click average photos. Photos clicked outdoors in bright light look decent, but those taken indoors are fuzzy. There is also the portrait mode that blurs the background in the shot. The videos are also not very sharp and lack stability.
Point 5 - This might be the biggest strength of the Nokia C01 Plus: its battery. The Nokia C01 Plus has a 3000mAh battery that is removable. The phone lasted for around three days with normal usage on a single charge. You can charge the phone using a MicroUSB port but it takes some time. I think if you spend most of your time out of your home, you will like the battery life of the phone.
Nokia C01 Plus review verdict
Nokia C01 Plus is a good deal for Rs 6,199 not because there are not many options in the market around that price, but because HMD’s mix of specifications and the stock Android Go software experience. I feel if you are going to buy the Nokia C01 Plus for your parents or grandparents, it is a good buy.