Nokia 7.1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: Should You Pay More? [Strategic Comparison]
Nokia 7.1 has just launched, and we attempt to decode its pricing vs-a-vis features of Redmi Note 6 Pro.
HMD Global has launched Nokia 7.1 in India, its newest addition to the growing Nokia lineup. Very similar to Nokia 6.1 Plus, the new Nokia 7.1 will be sold primarily via its offline channels.
Available at Rs 19,999, Nokia 7.1 will be available in India in a single storage option.
Nokia 7.1 runs on Snapdragon 636, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, Zeiss branded dual cameras and Android One. Let’s see how Nokia 7.1 performs if pitched against another newly launched handset featuring almost-similar features, Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro.
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Nokia 7.1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: In-Depth Comparison
The new Nokia 7.1 was initially unveiled at a global launch event last month in London. The smartphone will be available in India for sale starting on December 7.
Design & Build
Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with an aluminum built on the out while Nokia 7.1 has a glass sandwich body. The metal built is more durable, but Nokia 7.1 feels more premium.
Nokia 7.1 looks better in comparison with a glass body built on the front and back.
Display
Both Redmi Note 6 Pro and Nokia 7.1 smartphones come with a Full HD+ LCD displays. Nokia 7.1 has a slightly smaller 5.84-inch PureDisplay Full HD+ 19: 9-panel featuring notch and thick bottom. Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro, on the other hand, has a bigger 6.26-inch Full HD+ 19:9 display with the notch.
Both the smartphones feature Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top with curved 2.5D coating..
Nokia 7.1 has a slightly smaller notch compared to the one on Redmi Note 6 Pro. But both have thick bezels with a broad bottom.
Hardware
Nokia 7.1 Redmi Note 6 Pro both are powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 636 built on a 14nm process. The SoC clocks at 1.8GHz coupled with up to 4GB and 6GB of RAM respectively. Nokia 7.1 comes with 4GB of RAM while Redmi Note 6 Pro has two variants featuring 4GB and 6GB of RAM.
The year-old Snapdragon 636 can handle moderately heavy tasks quite well, given memory heavy apps, multitasking and extended gaming.
Storage
Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with 64GB of internal storage and it can be expanded up to 256GB. The smartphone has versions available in the country, one comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage while the higher model packs in 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Both are expandable.
Nokia 7.1, on the other hand, has a single storage version available with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The memory can be further expanded up to 400GB.
Software
Both Nokia 7.1 and Redmi Note 6 Pro run Android Oreo out of the box, but with different UIs. The Redmi Note 6 Pro runs MIUI 10 based on Oreo 8.1 and Nokia 7.1 has stock Android.
Nokia 7.1 has an added advantage here with a cleaner interface with Android One for faster version upgrades and updates.
Nokia 7.1 is based on the Android One programme, with an upcoming OTA update to Android 9.0 Pie arriving soon for users in India.
Rear Camera
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has a rear dual camera setup featuring a 12-megapixel primary sensor coupled with a 5-megapixel secondary f/1.9 aperture sensor. The camera comes with Dual Pixel Autofocus preloaded with professional features like EIS, AI scene detection, AI Portrait 2.0, Dynamic Bokeh and more.
The Nokia 7.1 also comes with a rear dual camera setup featuring a 12-megapixel primary autofocus f/1.8 sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary fixed focus f/2.4 aperture sensor. It offers a two-phase image detection backed by Zeiss optics with support for EIS.
Both the rear cameras on Redmi Note 6 Pro and Nokia 7.1 offer quality camera performance with improved low light performance.
Front Camera
Nokia 7.1 sports an 8-megapixel fixed focus sensor up front featuring a f/2.0 aperture with 84-degree field-of-view for wide angle selfies. Redmi Note 6 Pro, on the other hand, has a front dual camera setup featuring a 20-megapixel primary sensor coupled with a 2-megapixel secondary bokeh sensor.
Redmi Note 6 Pro and Nokia 7.1 both offer clearer selfies with additional AI-based bokeh features.
Connectivity
Both Nokia 7.1 and Redmi Note 6 Pro come with Dual SIM feature. They have similar connectivity features offering standard  4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth v5.0 GPS and a dedicated 3.5mm jack.
Redmi Note 6 Pro has a Micro-USB port while Nokia 7.1 has the latest USB Type C port.
Battery
Nokia 7.1 has a 3,060mAh battery backed by 18W fast charging. The smartphone promises to deliver 50 percent charge in 30 minutes. On the other hand, Redmi Note 6 Pro has a quite bigger 4,000mAh battery, which also supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.
Pricing & Availability
The Redmi Note 6 Pro has two storage variants available in India:
- Rs 13,999 (4GB/64GB)
- Rs 15,999 (6GB/64GB)
Redmi Note 6 Pro is currently available exclusively via Flipkart and Mi online store.
Nokia 7.1 also has a single variant available in India at Rs 19,999 with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Nokia 7.1 will be available via top retailers across the country and exclusively via its own online store.
Nokia 7.1 vs Redmi Note 6 Pro: CONCLUSION
Both Nokia 7.1 and Redmi Note 6 Pro are more or less are similar in nature with a few differences. At 19,999, Nokia 7.1 seems overpriced given its set of specs and the competition available in the market. The company is planning to sell Nokia 7.1 primarily via its offline channels, so it probably may have priced it accordingly.
While Redmi Note 6 Pro seems like a better option to go with if you are to pick between these two.
Redmi Note 6 Pro starts at just Rs 13,999 offering a similar processor, bigger display and bigger battery, dual front cameras and more. It does make far more sense to save 6,000 bucks with Redmi Note 6 Pro.
