Nokia’s hitting the mid-range market hard. The 5.1 Plus along with its brothers are affordable yet dynamite. Also known as the X5, we think it’s an amazing mid-ranger. Let’s talk about it below.
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When you think of a “plus” device, you think of something big. The X5 is a 5.86-inch handset.It’s much smaller than its competitors. Design-wise, it looks a lot like the 6.1. We’re not mad at this, its brother is much more expensive.
Considering how much the X5 costs, you’d think that it doesn’t come with the best build. Nokia gave the 5.1 Plus a glass back. It feels sturdy in the hand. The glass is pretty glossy, which amps things up. However, if you’ve been reading our reviews, you’d know that glossy devices are major fingerprint magnets.
The phone isn’t a feather. It’s 160 grams, which is a decent heft. The heavier the device, the more premium it’ll feel.
So far so good, but don’t expect a slim phone. The 5.1 Plus is on the thicker side. Its dimensions are 149.5 x 72 x 8.1 mm.
We have a complaint:
Its edges aren’t as smooth as we’d like. Its sides are a bit rectangular, which results in it poking you.
Other than this, its rear has an easy-to-reach fingerprint sensor. It’s responsive. We love the silver accents on it. It elevates it significantly.
The accents are on its camera too. It’s a dual-set up right above the sensor. The thing is, it protrudes. We’re not fans of this.
We are fans of its headphone jack, though. Manufacturers these days have been removing the port from devices. There is also a MicroSD slot. That’s not all – there’s a USB-C port in place. Mid-rangers on the lower end of the price spectrum are known for their micro USBs, so we’re glad.
Not having the largest display, it’s no surprise that you don’t get the most immersive viewing experience. The fact that its screen is an IPS LCD doesn’t help either. LCD panels pale in comparison to Super AMOLEDs. They’re as far from vibrant as possible.
Speaking of sharpness, how do you think the X5’s screen resolution is like? You’re getting a 720 X 1520 pixel display. At the end of the day, this is standard for its price. It’s not pin-sharp, but we’re not complaining.
The phone has some serious bezel in place. There’s a giant notch too. If you’re a notch hater, know that you can disable it through its settings. With all of this considered, it’s not shocking that the 5.1 Plus has a 79.6% screen-to-body ratio. Even cheaper devices like the A10 have almost 82% screens.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the Plus can’t handle the outdoors. It comes with an adaptive display that should let it handle glare, but it’s not effective.
When you hear that its battery is only 3060 mAhs, you might not be impressed. It doesn’t do too bad. You can expect the device to last around a day.
Now, we have some bad news for you. The X5 doesn’t come with fast charging. You’ll have to use a regular 10 W charger. It’ll take it from 0-100% in 2 hours.
You will probably agree that 2 hours of charging isn’t too bad. Some fast chargers take as long.
You wouldn’t expect a device its price to perform the way it does. It comes with the Mediatek Helio P60 chip. It’s very smooth. We aren’t saying lag is non-existent. The 5.1 Plus might occasionally stutter, but it’s buttery for the most part. Gaming wise, extensive games can be handled as well.
One of the reasons it’s so smooth is the type of Android it runs. Nokia’s a fan of Stock Android. So, there’s no skins or bloatware in your way.
Speaking of Android, what version does it run? Oreo.
While it's been a long time coming, it looks like the Nokia 5.1 will be receiving the Android 10 update after all. Considering that Android 11 updates have already started rolling out, we can't say we are amazed. Regardless, we are happy with Nokia's decision to finally update the device.
How good are its memory variants? You can choose from 32 and 64 gigs of space. In terms of RAM, 3, 4 and 6 gig options are available. What impressed us the most was the availability of 6 gigs of RAM. It’s incredibly snappy.
In case you forgot, you can expand its storage.
As you know, there’s a dual set-up on its rear. Its primary sensor is 13 MPs while its secondary sensor is a 5 MP depth sensor. Its shots are definitely colour accurate. There’s ample detail to them too. In low light, things don’t look that great. The X5 struggles with noise and graininess.
There’s a 5 MP sensor on its front. Its selfie camera is decent in good-light. Forget about it when the lights go out.
When we said the 5.1 Plus was amazing, we weren’t kidding. Let’s see how well it fairs when compared to alternatives below.
The A20 is a giant when compared to its Nokia counterpart. It is a 6.4-inch device. Although larger, it’s not built as well. The phone comes with a plastic body.
In other news, its screen is really good. You’re getting a hold of a Super AMOLED display. If you didn’t know, Super AMOLEDs are very vibrant.
The A20 barely has any bezels. It comes with a small notch too. This is why it isn’t a surprise that its screen-to-body ratio is 85%. Sharpness-wise, both phones have the same resolutions.
By this point, it’s clear that the 5.1 pales in comparison when it comes to screens.
Let’s compare their processors. The Samsung mid-ranger has the Exynos 7884 in it. It’s not as snappy as its MediaTek counterpart. The A20 doesn’t run stock Android. The UI Samsung phones use is heavily skinned.
What version of Android does it run? Android 9 out of the box. The Android 10 update is rolling out soon.
The memory variants on the 5.1 Plus blew us away. To be honest, the A20’s variants are disappointing. You can only get 32 GBs of space along with 3 gigs of RAM. 32 GBs might not be enough for you, which is why the presence of a MicroSD slot is appreciated.
Battery-wise, things look good for the Samsung phone. It comes with a battery that’s almost 1000 mAhslarger than the X5’s. You can expect more than a day out of it. There’s fast charging available. However, the 15 W fast charger takes the phone about as much time as the 5.1 Plus to charge.
How could we not talk about its camera? There’s a dual set-up on its rear. It’s pretty similar to the Plus’. You’re getting hold of a 13 MP wide primary sensor and a 5 MP secondary ultrawide sensor. In terms of its selfie camera, its tech is similar too. You’ll find an 8 MP camera on its front.
Like the A20, the Y7 Prime is big. The phone is 6.26 inches, towering over its Nokia counterpart. Just like the Samsung alternative, it doesn’t come with a build that’s as great. It rocks a plastic body.
Its display is an IPS LCD screen. As you know, LCDs aren’t the most vivid. The Y7 Prime has a slightly better screen-to-body ratio. Its notch is small too. If you want, you can hide it through the phone’s settings.
The device has the same pixel resolution as the A20, which means it also has the same one as the 5.1 Plus.
In terms of the Android version it runs, the Prime comes with Android 8.1 out of the box. Just like the A20, its Android 10 update is in the works.
This time around, you’re not met with a MediaTek chip. The Huawei device hosts the Snapdragon 450 processor. Honestly, it’s not very good. It gets obliterated when compared to the Helio P60.
This isn’t the only thing that isn’t great. The phone doesn’t come with storage variants that impress us. You only get 1 option. It’s 32 GBs of space along with 3 gigs of RAM. You’re probably thinking that 32 GBs is not enough. Don’t fret, a MicroSD slot is present.
Battery wise, the Y7 Prime is similar to the A20. It has a unit that’s about 1000 mAhs larger than the X5’s. It lasts well over a day.
We’re sad to say that the phone doesn’t come with fast charging. It uses a regular 10 W charger. It’s extremely slow. You’ll be waiting well over 2 hours for it to charge.
Now, onto its camera:
There’s a dual-set up is present. Its primary sensor is 13 MPs. Its secondary sensor is not-so-similar, being a 2 MP depth sensor. Front camera wise, a 16 MP front shooter is present.
The trend continues – we’re met with another giant phone. The AX5s is a 6.2-inch device. It’s also another plastic phone on our list.
Yes, you’re getting an LCD display again. However, the LCD the A5s rocks is a bit different. It’s a Super LCD, which means it’s sharper than a regular one. It’s still not as vivid as a Super AMOLED panel.
The A5s has a decent screen-to-body ratio. It’s a bit larger than the 5.1 Plus’. If you’re wondering about its screen resolution, the same resolution in the other devices is seen.
Let’s talk about its insides. There’s a MediaTek chip in it. It’s the Helio P35. It doesn’t hold a torch to the P60.
What about the Android it runs? Well, it’s Android 8.1 out of the box. If you’re expecting Android 10, don’t hold your breath.
Its memory variants are decent. The phone can be picked up with 32 and 64 gigs of space, along with 2, 3, and 4 GBs of RAM. Like the other alternatives, the A5s has expandable storage.
The AX5s has the best battery on our list. It hosts a 4230 mAh unit. The device can last well over a day. Unfortunately for you, you’re not getting fast charging. A regular 10 W charger is present.
We have to talk about its camera before concluding our review. There’s a dual camera on its rear. Once again, you’ll find something similar to the X5’s set-up. Its primary sensor is a 13 MP lens while its secondary sensor is a 2 MP depth sensor. Its front camera is an 8 MP shooter.
What’s the verdict? We think the Nokia 5.1 Plus is a killer device. Seriously, it’s built well and comes with a processor that’s superb for its price. In terms of its other aspects, it’s not too bad either.
When compared to alternatives, the phone outdoes them, except when it comes to displays.
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