Nokia 9 PureView: Balancing Hardware and Software Features

The Nokia 9 PureView is a powerhouse of a phone, boasting a unique camera system that's a game-changer in the world of smartphone photography.

The phone's camera features five lenses, which work together to capture an incredible amount of detail and color.

The Nokia 9 PureView's camera system is also capable of capturing images in RAW format, giving you more flexibility when editing your photos.

This feature is made possible by the phone's powerful processor, which can handle the complex calculations required to process RAW images in real-time.

The Nokia 9 PureView is a powerhouse in mobile photography, having lived through the decline of Symbian and Windows Phone to be reborn in the Android era.

The PureView camera, a champion of mobile photography, is back in action.

This legendary camera has seen it all, from the twilight of Symbian to its current Android revival.

The Nokia 9 PureView is a testament to the brand's dedication to innovation and excellence in mobile photography.

Its PureView camera has been a benchmark for mobile photography, and it's great to see it back in the game.

Suggestion: Nokia Browser for Symbian

The Nokia 9 PureView's hardware and design are notable upgrades from its predecessor, the Nokia 8 Sirocco. The phone features a faster Snapdragon 845 chip and Adreno 630 GPU.

One of the standout features of the Nokia 9 PureView is its display, which boasts a taller 6" 18:9 screen with HDR10 support. This means you'll get a more immersive viewing experience with better color accuracy.

The phone's camera system is also a major highlight, with a higher resolution HDR selfie camera that can now record in 4K. This is a significant upgrade from the Nokia 8 Sirocco, which had a lower resolution camera.

The Nokia 9 PureView also features a slightly larger battery capacity, which should provide all-day battery life. However, the storage and RAM configurations remain unchanged, with a single 128 GB/6 GB configuration.

The phone's design is sleek and polished, with a glass front and back sandwiching aluminum sides. However, some users may find the phone's design to be a bit cheap, particularly when compared to other high-end flagships.

Expand your knowledge: Nokia 8 Sirocco

The Nokia 9 PureView's design is a mixed bag. It looks sleek and polished at first glance, with a glass front and back sandwiching aluminum sides.

The phone's construction is a step down from the stainless steel chassis of the Nokia 8 Sirocco, which has been replaced with 6000 series aluminum.

The sides of the phone lack rounded edges, making it harder to grip and less comfortable to handle. This is particularly noticeable when compared to other phones.

The rear cover is sleek glass, but it's also prone to smudges and fingerprints. This could potentially impede your photos, as the camera lenses are tucked underneath the full rear cover.

The phone's design is spartan, with a volume rocker and lock/power button near the top of the right side.

The display on the phone is a 5.99-inch OLED screen with a QHD resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels. This is a respectable resolution that puts it on par with many flagship phones of its age.

It's certainly bright and sharp, producing vivid colors and boasting a brightness that few other phones can rival. However, when compared to pricier phones, the display shows its true colors - and they're oversaturated.

The phone's display settings can be toggled to "basic" or "dynamic", but even in basic mode, it's still more vivid than some other phones. In a lineup comparing the same photo, the Nokia 9 PureView was either noticeably more vivid or noticeably more muted.

The phone doesn't have a notch, opting instead for a flat section at the top of the screen that houses the front-facing camera, speaker, and even a little Nokia logo. This design choice may not win top prize in smartphone beauty contests, but it's not a major issue.

The side bezels are a bit more noticeable than competing phones, but that's not a great sin. The phone's display is certainly good enough for everyday use, but it may not be the sharpest or most color-accurate screen out there.

The Nokia 9 PureView has an ambitious camera setup with five cameras, including two RGB and three monochrome sensors, all with 12MP 1/2.9-inch sensors and 1.24µ pixels.

Its unique camera design was jointly developed with Light, a Silicon Valley imaging startup, and Qualcomm, the SoC vendor. This setup allows for features like Bokeh, which is assisted through a sixth sensor that measures distance using Time of Flight.

The Nokia 9 PureView can capture images with varied exposures for improved dynamic range, or use multiple camera modules with the same exposure to enhance detail. By default, it chooses its specific mode automatically based on the scene and light levels.

Here are the key camera specifications:

The Nokia 9 PureView also features a Time of Flight sensor that makes it possible to estimate depth accurately from as close as seven centimeters to a far distance of 40 meters. This allows for the capture of precise depth data for the simulated bokeh mode.

The Nokia 9 PureView ships with Android One's version of Android 9 Pie pre-installed. This was a great starting point for the device, providing a solid foundation for a smooth user experience.

In December 2019, HMD began to release Android 10 for the 9 PureView. This update brought with it new features and improvements to the operating system.

The 9 PureView won a Good Design Award 2019 in February 2020. This recognition is a testament to the device's impressive design and functionality.

Nokia announced in late 2021 that they would be cancelling plans to upgrade the 9 PureView to Android 11 and beyond. This decision was met with some disappointment from users who were looking forward to the latest software features.

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The Nokia 9 PureView is an ambitious phone with a unique feature: five rear cameras that combine shots into a single image.

This phone's photography capabilities are its strongest suit, and it's commendable that it packs so much camera power at a relatively affordable price.

The resulting photos are good, but they don't quite outclass those in pricier flagships.

The phone's other features are middling, which is a drawback for those looking for a more well-rounded device.

For consumers who want a camera-focused solution without breaking the bank, the Nokia 9 PureView might be a good option.

The Nokia 9 PureView has its strengths and weaknesses. The phone's camera system is its standout feature, with five lenses that combine to take impressive standard photos.

Here are the key pros and cons of the Nokia 9 PureView:

However, the rest of the phone's features are somewhat lacking, and some parts are even inferior to other handsets in its price tier. The phone's design and display, performance, and battery life are all middling at best.

The camera on this device is definitely a highlight. One of its standout features is the eye-catching five-camera cluster.

This setup allows for decent photos, especially considering the sub-flagship price point. It's a great value for the cost.

If you're a photography enthusiast, you'll appreciate the option to export photos to RAW DNG format. This gives you more flexibility when editing your photos.

The Nokia 9 has its fair share of drawbacks. The phone's other features are middling.

The fingerprint scanner is particularly poor, making it a hassle to unlock the device. It's not exactly the most convenient feature.

The phone's design and ergonomics are also lacking, making it uncomfortable to hold for extended periods. It's not the most pleasant experience.

Here are the specific areas where the Nokia 9 falls short: