Nokia, the pioneers of mobile phones, have placed mobile photography prowess in the hands of everyone with their Nokia G20.

Giving a full unskinned and un-bloated Android 11 and Android One experience the smartphone comes with an impressive 48MP rear camera.

STG received one of the newly released smartdevices to give it a run through.

Bearing in mind that while this does have decent camera specs, it is still a low to mid-range device.

A mere 64GB of internal storage may not get some users too far, but you can add a microSD.

Being that it is pure Google, your snaps and other media are likely to save in the cloud anyway.

The Nokia G20 could’ve done with a RAM boost though.

The installed 4GB seems to be enough to run the device, but not much more. There was repeated lag when using the phone which was also experienced when using the camera.

Nokia G20 – Portrait mode

Now, for the full camera specs.

As mentioned, the rear features a large 48MP lens in a quad lens housing with an additional 5 MP ultrawide, 2 MP macro (which didn’t exactly work too well) and a 2 MP depth.

Modes to play with are Night, Portrait, Photo and Video with two additional ones; Panaroma and Timelapse.

Portrait offers up a subtle bokeh effect and Night mode, well… there’s some work to be done there to improve.

The front selfie camera weighs in at a low 8MP.

Nokia G20 – Night mode

Both front and back video is shot is 1080p at 30FPS. Decent enough and produces a real good result – but this is where the handsets storage comes in to play. Shoot a few of these and you’re Nokia G20 will become choca in no time.

The Nokia G20 is not a small form factor at 6.5 inches and has an impressively vibrant dewdrop LCD display. There is no high refresh rate, 20Hz and screen ratio is a low-range 720 x 1600 ratio. The G20 is beautifully cased.

Powering the Nokia G20 is a Octa-Core MediaTek Helio G35.

Nokia G20 – Macro mode

Again, this is enough to power the smartphone and the low resource Android One OS, aswell as optimise the battery life, but coupled with the RAM the G20 is not going to win any speed races.

Speaking of battery, the super hefty 5050mAh is going to keep you going and going and going for… well, for me on average everyday a total of five and a half days from a full charge to empty.

Sure I wasn’t able to play games on it or really do any multi-tasking whatsoever, but streaming media via Bluetooth and usual daily messaging apps and calls the G20 outperformed the life-span of any smartphone I have tested and managed to last the distance and then some.

There is no wireless charging, the G20 must be cabled in via the supplied USB-C cable.

Summing up the Nokia G20 it would be fair to say that it is an eclectic mix of specs.

Bearing in mind that this is not so much of a mid-range as it is low-range. On one hand we have the low internal hardware resource, but then it comes with a killer main camera at the rear and a battery built to last you – at a very low pricing tier.

A winner of a handset for low-level users, or as a first smartphone, gives an excellent pure Android experience and perfect for using just for photos (in Photo or Portrait mode) but not ideal if you’re wanting to do any vlogging, content creation or multi-tasking.

The post Nokia G20 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The Surface range from Microsoft.

PC computing on a tablet and laptops, a franchise that actually started it’s life as a interactive touch coffee table.

The range is also generally pricey, usually, from the mid-range to the highest spec Surface you won’t get much change out of a few thousand.

That’s not really to say that they are overpriced, they’re not. You get all the benefit of Windows and in the higher spec models, some decent game time on the go.

However, this year (2020) has been a difficult one for all of us around the Globe with the pandemic reducing incomes and costing jobs.

Microsoft have noticed this and released the Surface Laptop Go a mid-range 12 inch laptop that has a more realistic pricing tier.

I received their Gold coloured metallic cased, 256GB SSD storage, 8GB RAM model which crunches data the latest gen Intel i5.

Being on the lower pricing scale I figured that there would be some serious compromises when pitted against their tablet equivalent which is considerably more expensive.

There’s none.

The Surface Laptop Go is sufficient enough for pretty much all users, from students through to medium level users.

I am probably classed as a more heavier user, needing such resource gobbling apps like Creative Suite and other editing apps.

The real test for me was to see if the Surface Laptop Go was able to keep up with me and my daily content creation for this very website you’re reading the review on (and yup I am writing this review on the Surface Laptop Go).

To my surprise, using the latest versions of Photoshop, Sony Vegas and Adobe Premier was flawless.

Although with rendering times for 4K video the laptop did get warm. Not hot, but warm enough.

The Surface Laptop Go can play games too.

Sure it’s not likely to play the heavy hitters too well, let down by the fact that the graphics card is an onboard Intel UHD one.

Still the likes of Borderlands 2, PUBG played exceedingly well. I tried Forza 7 and Borderlands 3 too.

Both of these struggled, not from a processor or memory issue but graphics where it was stuttery and laggy.

But let’s be fair – Microsoft did not produce the Surface Laptop Go as a gaming laptop at all.

One large feature for me is the battery.

I was told by Microsoft that the Surface Laptop Go will last for up to 12 hours in one marathon use.

Using creative software drained the life from full to 5% in around 6 hours. That far out weighs any other laptop I have reviewed to date.

Lighter gaming (2 hour session) with Borderlands 2 knocked off only 30% from a full charge.

Battery life is always dependent on what you use your laptop for – but being that this one has an all day battery and then some and is actually able to play mid-range games, it’s an ideal candidate for some eSports titles.

Super light, slim and given it’s small form factor also makes the Surface Laptop Go the prime for portability.

The outer casing has minimal ports – but unlike alot of laptop manufacturers now they have included one full USB 3.0 port.

Along with that is a single USB-C and the Surface universal magnetic charger. a finger scanner is on the keyboard for security.

The Surface Laptop Go is a premium device not at a premium price and if I am to fault it in anyway – I would’ve liked to see the FHD screen be a touch one.

Other than that the small and beastly Surface Laptop Go gets a full recommendation from me for PC users of every level.

The post Microsoft Surface Laptop Go Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

OPPO head back to Reno.

2020 has been a dark year with unprecedented events, despite that the evolution of smartphones and mobile photography has powered ahead at great speed.

OPPO overly impressed with the earlier released Find X2 Pro and recently has just released their Reno4 series.

There are two versions, the Pro and their mid-range quad-lens. Both are 5G.

STG received their mid-range device – the OPPO Reno4 after a big launch event.

The model that we received was the very beautiful Galactic Blue (there’s also a Black model).

One thing I must say about OPPO is that they really do encase their smartphones elegantly.

Powered by Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G coupled with 8GB RAM and a 128GB internal storage is all ample enough for whatever you’d use the Reno4 for.

The internal storage is expandable via a microSD.

I was able to multi-task effectively without any lag and their own proprietary ColorOS 7.2 is super intuitive without bloatware, lightweight and overlaid on top of Android 10.

OPPO include a built-in app, Game Space. I covered Game Space in previous OPPO smartphone reviews, but essentially what this app does is enable to you add your mobile games collection in to a library, turn off all notifications for some serious game-time and over-clock the phone for maximum output.

Testing out the OPPO Reno4 with some of the present heavy hitters; Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG and Fortnite the device performed flawlessly, to the likes of any higher priced flagship.

Whatsmore the  4015 mAh battery was hardly dented from a full charge after a serious Call of Duty Mobile two hour session on Competition Mode in the Game Space app.

If anything it shaved off around 10%.

OPPO Reno4 – Macro

This puts the OPPO Reno4 up there with the more expensive competitors and makes it the ideal smartphone for mobile eSports.

The included 30 watt charger will boost you from zero to flat in as little as 10 minutes or under.

As we have seen with previous OPPO phones, the Chinese tech company are heavy hitters when it comes to mobile photography.

First up is the whopping 32MP selfie camera – a dual lens laser cut in to the super vivid OLED 6.4 inch screen (not a waterfall screen though).

Capable of videoing at a resolution of 1080p @ 30fps. Ideal for vloggers.

OPPO Reno4 – 10x Zoom

The rear quad lens camera offers up a total of 48MP wide, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and a 2MP depth. A grand total of 62MP.

Bear in mind that this is not the Pro – the camera hardware is currently unrivaled in any mid-range at the time of writing.

OPPO are pretty much the only smartphone manufacturer that have added the macro functionality in to their devices so you can get crispy clear snaps ultra close.

A 10x zoom and a 30x digital zoom are on offer – and while the 10x is superb, the 30x adds alot of granular noise to photos.

OPPO have been one of the champions for low-light. Their night mode in their mobile cameras uses wizardry pulling in non-existent light to ensure even the darkest of moon-less nights produces a pic detailed enough to see clearly.

In the Reno4 this functions well, but does not exceed expectations as the Find X2 Pro did.

Without using Night Mode you’re not going to capture a thing.

This said, normal light and daylight photography is short of incredible.

Given the Reno4‘s price point of just under $1K NZD you’re getting more than what you pay for, if not for the quad camera then for the functionality of a gaming and multi-tasking capabilities.

OPPO also teamed up with local creators for some exclusive artistic and one-of-a-kind Reno4 phone cases that I fully recommend you get your hands on.

OPPO Reno4 – the smarts, the cameras and a battery that’s going to see you right for almost a week (depending on use).

The post OPPO Reno4 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has announced to us here at STG that their Nokia 3.4 will be coming soon to New Zealand and Australia, continuing a successful journey in combining reliability, premium design and the best of Android in a durable package that brings Kiwis and Aussies even more bang for buck.

The Nokia 3.4 comes packed with a powerful processor – the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 Mobile Platform – bringing a strong performance upgrade at a more accessible price point. It is the first device in its series with a punch-hole display and a mighty triple rear camera with an ultra-wide lens and AI imaging. It also comes complete with signature two-day battery life, so you can use your phone for longer without worrying about frequent charging.

Better still, the Nokia 3.4 offers a clean, easy-to-use and customisable pure Android experience that’s free from bloatware and third-party apps. It comes with Android 10 OS out-of-the-box and is supported by the Nokia smartphone Android promise – receiving three years of monthly security updates and two years of OS upgrades. Plus, the Nokia 3.4 can help you and your family set healthy habits with Family Link integrated, to help you guide your kids as they learn, play and explore. You can set limits for content and screen time as well as view app activity to keep them safe and balanced.

All of this is wrapped up in a premium, timeless design with stunning Nordic-inspired iridescent colours, delivering style with durability, that’s true to its Finnish roots.

Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer and Vice President of North America, HMD Global states “With the new Nokia 3.4 we wanted to stay true to what made its predecessor successful, but also push the boundaries on what features we can include on a phone that’s designed to bring big experiences without the big cost. The Nokia 3.4 gives users more power, more screen and more freedom to push the boundaries of your creativity thanks to the ultra-wide lens and AI imaging. Plus, its signature two-day battery life lets you make the most out of your day. We are also bringing a refreshed look to the portfolio by introducing new, vibrant and living colours to the portfolio – inspired by the beauty of the Nordic nature that we all know and love. All of that supported by our Android promise – as always, pure, secure and up-to-date.”

Step up your game with the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 Mobile Platform for up to a 70 percent performance upgrade compared to the previous generation. The impressive 6.39” HD+ screen with a punch-hole display gives you even more space on the screen, so you get a better experience whether multi-tasking in split-screen or watching your favourite show.

Get the perfect shot thanks to the AI-powered triple camera. Get creative with Portrait mode by adding artistic background blur effects to your photos – the Nokia 3.4 even allows you to adjust the focus after you’ve taken the picture. It’s also easy to capture stunning photos in low-light with Night mode, which uses powerful image fusion and exposure stacking to capture more details. In addition, group selfies are made easy with the 5MP ultra-wide camera with beautify effects.

Enjoy better performance and do more of what you like for longer with signature two-day battery life on Nokia 3.4 – supported by Adaptive Battery technology that’s smart enough to prioritise power for the apps you use the most.

Staying true to its Finnish roots, the Nokia 3.4 not only feels solid but also looks good. The 3D nano-textured rear cover sits securely in your hand and has a stunning finish. Introducing a fresh new colour palette, inspired by the natural beauty of the Nordics, the Nokia 3.4 comes in three vibrant, living colours with an iridescent finish that shifts in hue as it moves. Fjord – a cyan blue that shifts to purple, Dusk – a deep purple that shifts into a beautiful golden-red tone that was introduced as the 2021 colour for serenity, and Charcoal – a classic grey with a subtle golden tint. Plus, the fully recyclable die-cast metal chassis and seamless durable structure will give your phone the premium feel that everyone expects from a Nokia smartphone.

Being a part of Android One, Nokia 3.4 delivers a pure software experience with a streamlined interface and no bloatware. You can enjoy what Android 10 has to offer and rely on three years of monthly security updates and two years of software upgrades, which means you’ll get more out of your phone, for longer.

In addition, all Nokia phone activation and performance data are stored in Hamina, Finland and protected by European security measures and legislation, including EU data privacy regulations, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The Nokia 3.4 will be coming soon to New Zealand and Australia with colour variants, memory and storage
configurations, retailers and price soon to be announced.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Nokia 3.4 – Step up your Game appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has recently launched the Galaxy A31, the latest addition to the Galaxy A series family. Inspired by the exciting innovations that Samsung has developed for everyone, the new Galaxy A31 offers enhanced features including a large 6.4-inch Infinity-U display for an immersive viewing experience, a range of cameras that allow you to capture all the moments that matter, and a long-lasting battery that will keep up with you throughout the day.

Today, consumers are increasingly asking for more out of their smartphones to support their lifestyles regardless of price-point. Stefan Lecchi, Director of Mobile New Zealand said: “The Samsung Galaxy A31 packs a lot into an attractive form factor including a stunning display, and multi-camera functionality for enhanced storytelling, providing new ways to capture and share experiences on a device that lasts all day.”

The Galaxy A31 offers a large uninterrupted 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display. Combined with a 20:9 aspect ratio, the display brings out a vibrant colour expression alongside a captivating full-screen viewing experience that lets you fully immerse yourself in your favourite digital entertainment apps and multimedia content. The Galaxy A31 also features Dolby Atmos for an immersive 3D surround-sound experience.

Featuring a multi-purpose quad rear camera, the Galaxy A31 provides all the tools you need to be the ultimate visual storyteller, no matter how big or small the subject matter is. With a main camera, Ultra Wide camera[4], Depth camera and Macro camera, combined with intelligent features, the Galaxy A31 provides you with the ability to capture and share what you want, when you want it.

No matter the setting, from a morning walk to your favourite cafe or soaking in the twinkling lights of a cityscape at night, the 48-megapixel main camera helps you capture stunning photos, and optimises scenes based on the AI intelligent solution. The 8-megapixel Ultra Wide camera lets you fit more in one shot with its 123^o angle view. The 5-megapixel Depth Camera provides a professional touch to portrait photography, enabling your subject to stand out by focusing on only what you want with adjustable Live Focus effects. And take in every detail with the 5-megapixel Macro camera, which can even pick up fine textures in closeup shots.

Spruce up your selfie game with the 20-megapixel front camera that lets you capture your look the way you want to from any angle – you can even ensure that you are the centre of attention by adding a Live Focus effect.

The Galaxy A31 elevates entertainment and productivity with a large 5,000 mAh battery that allows you to stay connected longer and keeps you going from day to night. The 15W fast charging capabilities ensure that battery life is replenished quickly, minimising the amount of downtime spent waiting for your phone to get a power boost.

Level up on the Galaxy A31 with the in-built Artificial Intelligence-based Game Booster that automatically optimises your settings to give you the best possible mobile gaming experience. In addition, the phone features authentication and unlocking via the on-screen fingerprint scanner, and is secured with the multi-layered security platform Samsung Knox that detects tampering and helps keeps your data protected.

The Galaxy A31 is available now, in two dynamic colour patterns topped with a glossy casing.

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Samsung Release new Galaxy A31 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Having the smarts doesn’t mean it’s expensive.

HMD Global, home of Nokia phones has recently released the mid range Android 10 smartphone, the sizeable and lightning fast Nokia 2.3.

The dual SIM no bloatware, pure Android (Android One) smartphone comes in at just a bit over $200 but has some of the goodness the $2K+ flagships do.

First up the 6.2 inch screen comes in at 720 x 1520 or as Nokia say it, HD+. The real estate of the screen though is chomped by a heavy bezel, especially at the bottom and has a notch for the 5MP selfie camera.

For media streaming and video calling and playing some light-weight apps it’s ample for anyone.

Storage is good too for the price at 32GB. However the achilles heel of the Nokia 2.3 is the low RAM. 2GB.

This minimizes and fences off alot of popular gaming apps that, say a student who might purchase one of these due to its low cost, will not be able to install or play.

Still if it’s the camera you’re after the Nokia 2.3 has the goods.

The dual lens rear array is 13MP featuring a pleasing set of snapping options, Panorama, Time Lapse, Portrait and of course the A.I. built Google lens. Video records at FHD – 1080p.

Being a fully Android based phone you also have the feature of Google Assistant and as we have seen with the other Nokia devices this has a dedicated button to the left.

But that’s not all – the Nokia 2.3 has one more trick up it’s sleeve. A 2 day battery.

The beefy 4000 mAh battery is optimised by the fact that Nokia do not overlay any nonsense over the Android operating system or any apps that you really don’t need or ever wanted.

Aswell as the processor being a modest Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 designed specifically for lighter resource consumption over moderate processing power.

Myself using the Nokia 2.3 for a couple of weeks found that I was able to squeeze upto 4 days from the smartphone before it fully died on a single full charge.

This included me taking calls, using social media apps and alot of Spotify’ing.

A small but mighty beast – the Nokia 2.3 may not be the flashest kid on the block, it also might not be able to game like the pro’s but it still has the goods if you’re looking for a cost effective Android smartphone that’s going to see you right for days on end.

The post Nokia 2.3 Smartphone Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Huawei proving they are still the smartphone manufacturers that give bang for your bucks have recently released the mid range, low priced Y6P – debuting their Petal search at the same time.

The 6.3 inch smartphone is built for those that don’t need the full on processing power of flagships but don’t want to compromise on camera specs.

The slim bezel LCD screen features a notch at the top for the 8MP selfie camera.

being an under $300 NZD smartphone I was surprised to see the range of camera modes included, such as an astounding bokeh effect with Aperture, Pro mode, Panorama, a detail rich HDR, an adjustable Beauty mode and HD video recording.

The back-flush rear triple camera array weighs in at 13 MP with a 1.8 wide, additionally there is a ultra-wide 5 MP and a 2MP depth lens. Huawei have always been at the top for their camera’s and their mid-range devices aren’t excluded.

There’s enough RAM at 4GB to stream media, record and snap photos to your hearts content. Internal storage is on the lower side of present smartphones at 64GB.

For most users of a phone at this tier it is likely to be enough – the Huawei Y6P does allow microSD expansion.

Still a favourite of mine is the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone.

First experienced in the Mate7 years ago, I still like this placement as it feels more natural – and the recognition is instant. The front camera lens also has 3D face scanning for facial recognition if you prefer this to keep your smartphone secure.

Powering all of this is a modest mid-range quad Octa-core crunching data at 2.0 GHz.

The Y6P is fast enough and it can play a few games too. Call of Duty Mobile fared well.

Huawei’s Y6P is the first smartphone to come with their Petal Search app builtin.

Produced by Huawei – the Petal Search is a widget on the Home screen (removable) which enables instant search results for Android based apps.

It works exceedingly well producing relevant results with various vendors for an app. type it in, search, click and download.

I do recommend that you read the reviews or take note of any star ratings on the said app results as these are from third parties.

Nonetheless it is a perfect search engine to get the Android apps that you know and love, old and new back on to your Huawei device.

But that’s not all – the Y6P has one more feature that was the biggest surprise – a massive 5,000 mAh battery.

One of the largest capacity batteries to be in a smartphone you can expect that the Y6P is going to see you right for a few days without a single charge (usage dependent of course).

With moderate to light use you could likely squeeze up to 5 days life from the device.

The Y6P is a device tailored at mid-level users, students or those that just want a real good camera smartphone without having to sell a vital organ.

The post Huawei Y6P Smartphone Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Smartphone maker OPPO has announced its latest smartphone, the A91, will be hitting online stores from tomorrow. OPPO’s famed A series devices are known for packing premium features into a smartphone at affordable prices and the A91 is no exception.

The A91 features a 48MP Ultra Wide Angle Macro quad camera set up, Anti-shake video and an impressive 4025mAh battery, all wrapped into a sleek 7.9mm, 172g lightweight device. The OPPO A91 hones in on the high-end features Kiwis want from their next smartphone, with advanced video and photo capabilities, paired with a high-end FHD + AMOLED screen display. Priced at $649 NZD, users can enjoy all the features of a premium smartphone without having to dig deep into their pockets.

“The A91 is OPPO’s latest premium but affordable device, giving Kiwis a quality smartphone packed full of the features they want and need,” said Morgan Halim, Managing Director OPPO New Zealand.

“Users can enjoy not only watching but also creating high-quality content, along with a long lasting battery and HD display. As always, the user is at the centre of everything we do and we’re proud to continue bringing Kiwis a range of premium devices packed with the latest innovation and features without the hefty price tag,” added Halim.

The A91 features a quad-camera setup, including a 48MP main camera, 8MP wide angle macro lens, mono lens and portrait mode. Using the 4 in 1 pixel combination technology, this delivers ultra-high resolution and light sensitivity, allowing users to capture the perfect shot no matter if it’s day or night. The Ultra Wide Angle Macro Lens can fit more into the frame than ever before, meaning users can capture incredible detail with the press of a button.

AI beautification technology makes its A Series debut on the A91 and is supported on both the 16MP front camera and rear quad-cam set-up. The camera also applies customised beautification effects based on 137 facial data points, providing a personalised beautification effect for up to four people in group photos.

In addition to the lenses, the A91 is equipped with Anti-shake Video performance, thanks to Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) and internal gyroscope hardware. Videos shot on the A91 under shaky conditions appear clearer, sharper and more stable, making the device perfect for those who like to shoot on the go.

The OPPO A91 is the first in OPPO’s A Series to feature an AMOLED screen, providing users with a truly immersive experience. With a screen to body ratio of 90.7 per cent, users can enjoy a resolution of 2400 x 1080. All of this is packed into a thin and lightweight device that is just 7.9mm thick and weighs 172g, fitting perfectly in the palm of your hand.

Such a high-quality display setup needs the best protection and the A91 features Gorilla Glass 5 to protect itself from those inevitable drops.

All systems on the A91 are a go, with HyperBoost 2.0 Plus and GameBoost 2.0. HyperBoost 2.0 gives improved app opening speeds and minimises battery drain, while GameBoost 2.0 improves frame stability by 35.8 per cent and touch control performance by 35.2 per cent.

Touch Boost is an added feature to accelerate touch response rate for a smoother user experience and Frame Boost is added to prevent screen freeze and offer a smoother, more responsive gaming experience.
The OPPO A91 features a massive 4025mAh battery, giving users charge all day long. The device comes with OPPO’s VOOC 3.0 flash charging, going from 0 to 10 per cent charge in five minutes and to 35 per cent in 20 minutes.

In addition to its face ID, the OPPO A91 features light-sensing In-Display Fingerprint 3.0, unlocking the phone in just 0.32 seconds. Using optical fingerprint G3 solution, a new unlocking design with fill-in light and the latest anti-fake hardware technology, the OPPO A91 makes sure your phone is more secure than ever.

If you purchase any OPPO A Series model between 1st May – 28th June, 2020 will receive a free OPPO Bluetooth speaker valued at $69.00 NZD. Due to the current lockdown the release of the OPPO A91 is delayed.

The post OPPO A91: A High-Spec-tacular Mid-range Smartphone appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Nokia put the power of mobile photography in every one’s hands.

The triple camera Nokia 7.2  Android One has just released down under and boasts some very impressive lens specs for both front and back snaps.

Continuing their partnership with Google, Nokia’s 6.3 inch Android One smartphone has a vibrant enough LCD screen – but does not offer up edge to edge. The side bezels are nearly non-existent however they still keep their logo at the lower end of the screen which prohibits the 7.2 from being an all screen phone with a single camera notch.

Under the hood in the model that STG was sent there’s 128GB ROM (storage) and an almost specific 6GB RAM. Again I believe what Nokia are doing are adding in just enough specs to power the phone as optimally as possible while not ‘over doing it’ thus keeping the retail cost of the device to a minimum. This will work out for most smartphone users.

Powered by a low to mid-range Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon processor it explains the eventual screen lag that occurs when using the Always-On HDR camera functions.

The Android 9.0 OS is bare bones stuff. There’s no chunky overlay or bloatware, the Nokia 7.2 is pure Android. The Android One function sees you being fully cloud, if you choose it, with Googles online services (some paid and some free) and there’s a dedicated Google Assistant tactile button to the left of the handset.

Back to those cameras…

The rear triple Zeiss lens array is intricately and aesthetically pleasing in its centred circular housing. Totalling a whopping 59MP the three cameras are split up with one 48MP wide lens, 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP depth sensor.

For your breath-taking superstar-like selfies you have single 20MP wide Zeiss lens.

Both cameras record video in 1080p and are HDR.

Modes of shooting are mostly stock standard as we see in most smartphones – with depth of field effects added after a snap has been taken. There is a dedicated Night Mode – but this does not work as  expected.

In low light the pics come out grainy, in near to zero light they are pitch black. Disappointing when compared to other handsets that offer up Night Modes in their devices that will take a snap in a near to zero lit environment outputting an image as if there was moderate lighting.

The few milliseconds lag in both using the cameras and after 10 to 15 minutes of general use also dampened the Nokia 7.2 experience. Still for the average user who is after a smartphone that takes astounding and crucially detailed photo’s in the right lighting conditions this is not likely to be too much of a problem.

The 7.2 sits within Nokia’s mid-range with it’s current Android phone offerings. Not as powerful as the unique Nokia 9 Pureview but higher spec’d than the Nokia 4.2. I did have perhaps higher expectations for the device than what I actually received.

This said, the Nokia 7.2 is hands down a prize winner when it comes to smartphone photography prowess in the right lighting and environments.

The Nokia 7.2 Android One smartphone utilises the finger sensor on the back of the phone (I still have a personal love for that placement) and features a 10 watt charging battery. While the device does feature USB-C as a charging method – it is it’s only charging method. The Nokia 7.2 is not wireless chargeable.

With the holiday season literally around the corner closing out 2019, the Nokia 7.2 is perhaps the right priced Android smartphone to record those memorable moments with family and friends as 2020 rolls in.

UPDATE: The Nokia 7.2 is receiving the Android 10.0 update.

Android 10 is the latest OS update for the devices, consolidating HMD Global’s commitment to Nokia phones getting better over time with consistent software upgrades and new features, including:

• Gesture Navigation: control of your Nokia smartphone just got slicker, with faster and more intuitive controls at the tip of your fingers
• Smart Reply: receive even smarter responses in messages, not just wording but actions you can take
• Privacy Controls: have even more control of your personal data all in one place, and control when your location is shared with your apps – be that always, just while in use, or never
• Focus mode: block out distracting apps when you need to concentrate on what’s important (try it now in Beta)
• Family Link: now part of the Digital Wellbeing settings, helping parents set digital ground rules for the whole family

Everyone that works on STG is a volunteer. If you like the site and it’s contents please think about donating. Even a small amount helps keep the servers running.

The post Nokia 7.2 Android One Smartphone Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The legends, the pioneers of mobile phones Nokia prove that they are most definitely back in the cellular game.

Placing smartphone technology and high calibre – yet low cost digital photography in to the hands of low budget users.

Teaming up with Google for their Android 9 (Pie) based phones, Nokia have recently released the Nokia 1 Plus.

A 5.4 inch LCD smartphone with all of the trimmings and features of Android, pure Android, without the bloatware.

Under the hood sees a moderate Mediatek MT6739WW quad-core processor, who’s main job really is to handle the single lens 8MP rear camera and 5MP front and crunch the data from your snaps.

Being a low range handset aimed for simple and light users 1GB RAM (memory) is on board along with a very, very low 8GB storage.

You can place a microSD card in to expand – and you will need to even if you’re a super light weight with your smart device prowess.

The Nokia 1 Plus purports to be able to handle external storage expansion to 128GB, but the device that we received recognised a 512GB microSD without issue.

The quality of the camera is where it’s at. Your photo’s will be comprised of HD quality and there’s a few modes on offer. There can be a bit of lag if you move the phone around in both photography mode and video.

This is purely based on the lower end of the spec range.

Perfectly pocket sized, sure it’s not going to win any speed races – but as Nokia have done with their Nokia 4.2 and Nokia 9 Pureview they seem to include just enough specs to see you right.

Being a low range handset and for most an entry-level device the Nokia 1 Plus also comes at an entry-level price – $199.00 NZD, exclusive to Spark.

Perfect for the younger users (or elderly) in your family, or as a travel phone.

The Nokia 1 Plus is most definitely not up there with the bigger players, but in the low end spectrum it’s a major player.

The post Nokia 1 Plus Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.