Nokia 9 PureView
The penta-camera setup on the rear panel
BrandNokia
DeveloperHMD Global
ManufacturerFIH Mobile (Foxconn)
SloganExplore every detail[1]
First released8 February 2019; 5 years ago (2019-02-08)
PredecessorNokia 8 Sirocco
Nokia Lumia 1020 & Lumia McLaren (spiritual)
TypeSmartphone
DimensionsH: 155 mm (6.1 in)
W: 75 mm (3.0 in)
D: 8 mm (0.31 in)
Mass172 g (6.1 oz)
Operating systemOriginal: Android 9.0 "Pie"
Current: Android 10
(Android One)
System-on-chipQualcomm Snapdragon 845
CPUOcta-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver)
GPUAdreno 630
Memory6 GB LPDDR4X RAM
Storage128 GB UFS 2.1
Removable storageNone
BatteryNon-removable Li-Po 3320 mAh
Display5.99 in (15.2 cm) 1440 x 2880 QHD P-OLED
Gorilla Glass 5
Rear camera5x Wide (2x RGB + 3x monochrome) 12 MP, f/1.8, 1.4 μm, 28mm, 1/2.9" + ToF sensor
Dual-tone flash
Front camera20 MP, 1.0 μm
ConnectivityLTE Cat16 1024 Mbps DL / Cat13 150 Mbps UL
Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac MIMO), GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo, ANT+, NFC
USB 3.1 Type-C
Data inputs
OtherIP67 water resistance
Qi wireless charging
WebsiteNokia 9 Pureview

The Nokia 9 PureView is a Nokia-branded flagship penta-camera smartphone developed by HMD Global. It was introduced at the 2019 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain as a successor to the Nokia 8 Sirocco. It alludes to Nokia's previous camera-centric PureView devices, which ended with the Lumia 950 and 950 XL.[2][3] Like most of HMD's Nokia smartphones of the time, the 9 PureView is part of the Android One program.

Specifications

Hardware and Design

Key upgrades over the Nokia 8 Sirocco include a faster Snapdragon 845 chip and Adreno 630 GPU, a taller 6" 18:9 screen with HDR10 support, a higher resolution HDR selfie camera that can now record in 4K, more LTE bands, faster wireless charging, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and a slightly larger battery capacity. Storage and RAM are unchanged, with a single 128 GB/6 GB configuration. At the rear, a multi-camera setup is featured in a honeycomb-like arrangement with a dual-LED flash and time-of-flight sensor offset to the left and right respectively, and a hole for the microphone above. Externally, the 9 keeps the glass/metal construction of the Sirocco, but it shelves the Sirocco's stainless steel chassis in favor of 6000 series aluminum.

Cameras

The 9 PureView uses a penta-camera system with Zeiss optics, 2 of which are RGB sensors and 3 of which are monochromatic sensors. All 5 lenses are identical 12 MP f/1.8 units (Sony Exmor RS IMX 386). HDR is supported, but the device lacks phase-detection autofocus and optical image stabilization. When a picture is taken, each camera takes a separate image, then the images are combined and processed by a digital signal processor. Pictures can be taken in both JPEG and RAW formats and can be edited afterwards through Adobe Lightroom, which can be installed during setup.[4] Additionally, the 9 has a Pro mode which simulates DSLR settings. A feature called Depth Map captures more than 1200 layers of depth data. Depth Map is enabled by the time-of-flight sensor and only works with JPEG and RGB photos. At the front, a 20 MP sensor is present with HDR.

Software

The Nokia 9 ships with Android One's version of Android 9 Pie pre-installed. In December 2019, HMD began to release Android 10 for the 9 PureView.[5][6] In late 2021, Nokia announced cancelling all plans of ever upgrading it to Android 11 and beyond, and offered a discount for another Nokia smartphone instead to customers.[7][8][9]

Reception

PC Magazine concluded that the 9 "could be the right smartphone for shutterbugs, but there are better options for everyone else". Praise was directed towards the design, display and software; Tom's Guide and Digital Trends felt that the RAW-Lightroom integration provided users with significantly more control over photographs. The in-display fingerprint scanner and battery life were both criticized in addition to the loudspeaker's sound quality. Reviewers also noted that the image processing was slow and were disappointed that a camera-oriented phone lacked an SD card slot, especially considering the size of RAW image files. The usage of an older Snapdragon 845 chip also drew some criticism initially as its competitors were using the newer Snapdragon 855 chip.[10][11][12]

The 9 PureView received an overall score of 85 from DxOMark (matching that of Apple's iPhone 7 and LG's V30), with a photo score of 88 and a video score of 80. DxOMark remarked that "[W]ith the possible exception of its Bokeh capability, the Nokia 9 PureView doesn’t deliver either a photo or video performance on a par with other current model phones in its premium price range."[13]

In February 2020, the 9 PureView won a Good Design Award 2019.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Nokia 9 Pureview official website – Explore every detail".
  2. ^ Stein, Scott (February 25, 2019). "Nokia 9 PureView has 5 rear cameras: *yawn*". CNET. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "Nokia 9 Pureview goes official, see the first five-camera setup". gsmArena. February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  4. ^ Chokkattu, Julian (March 4, 2019). "How to Use the Nokia 9 PureView's camera to step up your photography game". Digital Trends. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  5. ^ "Nokia 9 PureView gets the Android 10 update". GSMArena. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  6. ^ "Nokia 9 PureView begins receiving stable Android 10 update". Android Central. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  7. ^ "Exclusive offer for Nokia 9 PureView owners". Nokia. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023. We had to make the tough choice not to offer the Android 11 software upgrade for Nokia 9 PureView. Incompatibilities between the camera and the software would have led to a compromised experience that does not meet our high standards.
  8. ^ "HMD Global backs out of Nokia 9 PureView Android 11 upgrade, blames camera system". The Verge. December 1, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  9. ^ "Nokia 9 PureView won't get Android 11; owners offered discount on X-series smartphones instead". 9to5Google. December 1, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Winkelman, Steven (March 4, 2019). "Nokia 9 PureView Review & Rating". PC Magazine. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Chokkattu, Julian (March 3, 2019). "The Nokia 9 PureView's astonishingly fun 5 cameras make up for its shortcomings". Digital Trends. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  12. ^ Tracy, Phillip (March 12, 2019). "A 5-Camera Flagship Contender". Tom's Guide. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  13. ^ Cardinal, David. "Nokia 9 PureView camera review". DxOMark. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  14. ^ "The Good Design Awards". www.good-designawards.com. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
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