Nokia 7.2 and 6.2 unveiled with triple cameras, 6.3" HDR10 screens

2021-09-17

For its first ever IFA show, HMD brought a couple of skilled Android mid-rangers – the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. These are almost the same phone, with the 7.2 serving as a sort of Pro model with better cameras and faster chipset.

Nokia 7.2

The phone has a triple camera placed on a round camera island on the back. The main camera uses a large 1/2” sensor with 48MP resolution. HMD packed it with image processing magic to ensure great image quality – pixel binning is combined with image fusion and stacking. HDR shots combine up to 6 photos, the dedicated Night mode can go up to 20 on a tripod (10 if handheld).

The second camera is an 8MP ultra wide-angle shooter (118°). Finally, a 5MP depth sensor enables some ZEISS-branded effects, namely three bokeh styles – Modern, Swirl and Smooth.

The 20MP selfie camera can also utilize 4-in-1 pixel binning to enhance image quality. It and the rear cameras sport ZEISS lenses, of course.

This front camera is in a teardrop notch on the 6.3” LCD display. The display has 1080p+ resolution. It’s HDR10-enabled for streaming content (e.g. Amazon) and can upconvert SD footage into HDR.

The Nokia 7.2 is powered by the tried and true Snapdragon 660 chipset (HMD is not very adventurous with chipsets). The 660 is fast enough, but won’t set the world on fire. It’s coupled with 4/6GB of RAM and 64/128GB storage (eMMC). The card slot can hold two SIMs and a microSD card up to 512GB.

The phone runs Android 9 Pie out of the box and HMD has committed to update to Android 10 (HMD has been very fast in releasing updates). The phone will receive OS upgrades for 2 years and monthly security updates for 3 years.

The 7.2 packs a 3,500mAh battery with standard 10W charging over USB-C. The other wired connector is a 3.5mm headphone jack. You could use Bluetooth with aptX, if you want to go wireless.

The Nokia 7.2 will be available at the end of September starting at €300 for the 4/65GB model. There are three color options: Cyan Green, Charcoal and Ice.

Nokia 6.2

The Nokia 6.2 has the same 6.3” 1080p+ screen as its sibling, complete with HDR10 support. The same 3,500mAh battery with 10W charging is the same as well. In fact, if not for the lack of ZEISS branding, you’d be hard-pressed to tell these two apart.

So, let’s talk about the camera. The triple camera switches to a 16MP main sensor – it can still do image fusion and stacking for HDR and Night mode, but there’s no pixel binning. The 8MP ultra wide-angle (118°) and 5MP depth sensors are almost identical, save for the ZEISS lenses. The selfie camera was also demoted and has an 8MP sensor.

The other major change is the chipset – the Nokia 6.2 uses a Snapdragon 636. Like the 660, it has a CPU with a 4+4 configuration of A73 and A53-derived Kryo cores, however they run at a lower clock speed. The GPU has been scaled back as well.

Both the Nokia 6.2 and 7.2 move away from polycarbonate and aluminum, the most common choices for a phone’s chassis. Instead they use a polymer composite, which HMD says is twice as strong as polycarbonate while weighing half as much as aluminum. Gorilla Glass 3 is used to protect both the screen and the back from scratches.

The Nokia 6.2 will be available in October. The version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage will cost €200, there will also be a 4/64GB version for €250. The phone will be available in Ceramic Black and Ice.