Nokia 6.2 hands-on review: Don’t Nokia it until you’ve tried it

Now that IFA 2019 is in full swing, I’m convinced Nokia has an announcement problem. HMD Global, the Finnish team behind Nokia’s modern rejuvenation, has yet again taken to the stage, filled up an hour of our time, and launched an overwhelming number of phones.

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Focusing more on the mid-range and budget markets this time around, as well as announcing a handful of feature phones in the process, Nokia certainly isn’t done for the year. With the Nokia 7.2 headlining – you can read my first impressions here – the slightly cheaper Nokia 6.2 is poised to be a solid choice for the budget-conscious buyer as we approach the end of the year.

Nokia 6.2 review: Key specifications, price and release date

• 6.3in, Full HD+ (2,280 x 1,080), IPS screen (96% screen-to-body ratio)
• Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor
• 3/4GB of RAM
• 32GB or 64GB of storage (no microSD expansion)
• Triple rear camera: 16MP (f/1.8), 8MP wide (f/2.2), 5MP depth
• Selfie camera: 8MP (f/2.0)
• 3,500mAh battery
• 160 x 75 x 8.25mm
• 180g
• UK release date: October
• UK price: Starting at €199

Nokia 6.2 review: Design, key features and first impressions

As you might expect, the Nokia 6.2 replaces last year’s Nokia 6.1 and introduces a handful of aesthetic changes, along with a new camera setup and updated internals. Nokia is ditching the aluminium design of previous phones, and instead constructing the Nokia 6.2 – and the Nokia 7.2 – using a special polymer composite, which is supposedly lighter and tougher than last year’s phones.

Mercifully, this new manufacturing process hasn’t softened the Nokia 6.2’s aesthetic appeal – it’s a joy to hold, with rounded edges and softly-curved corners that fit nice and snug in your palm. Not only is it practical, but it looks lovely too, with a reflective Gorilla Glass coated rear that dazzles whenever the light catches it.

The Nokia 6.2 is a stunner, then, but that’s hardly a revelation at this point. Since its revival, Nokia’s output has repeatedly nailed those top-shelf looks and the functionality that any modern phone upgrade quite rightly deserves.

Nokia’s new wallet-friendly alternative is fitted with an identical 6.3in IPS display as its bigger brother, with an FHD+ (2,220 x 1,080) resolution and a screen-to-body ratio of 96%. The only thing getting in the way of a completely screen-dominating front is the small teardrop notch at the top of the display, which houses the 8-megapixel selfie camera.

As for the rest of the Nokia 6.2’s photographic capabilities, you’ll find a triple-camera setup on the back of the phone. Arranged in a circle, rather than a vertical strip like previous iterations, this cluster of cameras includes a regular 16-megapixel (f/1.8) camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 5-megapixel depth-sensing unit for more effective blurred background portraits.

Speaking of which, Nokia says that its latest budget phone is perfect for those Instagram vanity shots, with the native camera app allowing you to adjust the level of background blur before and after you press the shutter. It’s also supposed to be more adept at taking pictures at night and in low-light environments, thanks to a new system that takes multiple images at once and fuses them together for greater detail.

Finally, the Nokia 6.2 has seen a slight upgrade when it comes to the internal hardware. This time around, rather than using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset to power things, the Nokia 6.2 benefits from a slightly faster Snapdragon 636 CPU, which supposedly offers a 40% performance boost. Some of the recent Moto G7s were powered by this processor, and performance turned out to be very good indeed.

The phone can be picked up in two configurations. The entry-level model, which includes 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage, costs €199, while the beefier version with 4GB of RAM and double the storage, costs a little more. Both variants use a 3,500mAh capacity battery to keep things ticking along, with a quoted battery life of two days on a single charge.

Nokia 6.2 review: Early verdict

That’s an awful lot to talk about for a phone that costs peanuts compared to the competition. This end of the price scale is usually reserved for phones that fail to find their footing, but I firmly believe that the Nokia 6.2 will blast past its rivals when it launches next month.

I’m yet to fully test the phone, but keep your eyes peeled for my full verdict as soon as a review unit arrives on my desk.