Nokia 9 PureView Review - More Cameras, More Problems

The Nokia 9: A Mixed Bag of Features and Performance

One of the standout features of the Nokia 9 is its camera. The phone's camera is a very capable one, taking photos with great clarity, sharpness, and detail. However, my biggest complaint about this camera is the way it post-processes photos. It has a tendency to underexpose images in certain situations, such as bright sunny days or high-contrast scenes like low-light shots with street lamps. This can result in darker-than-expected images that require manual adjustment.

In terms of image quality, the Nokia 9's camera is very good, but it needs some tweaking to make it truly great. The post-processing issue is a software problem, not a hardware one, and HMD has acknowledged the problem. However, I'm still not confident that all Nokia 9 models have been updated to fix this issue.

The rest of the phone's hardware is fairly run-of-the-mill. It's made of glass and metal, which feels nice in the hand, but it's not particularly unique or innovative. The display on the front is an AMOLED screen, which is bright and vibrant, although it doesn't have a notch or hole punch like some other phones.

One feature that's worth mentioning is the in-screen fingerprint sensor, which is unfortunately very hit-or-miss. It had a 5% or less success rate in my first three days of use, making it practically unusable. However, after day four or five, it started working reliably around 80-85% of the time. I'm not sure what HMD did to fix this issue, but it's good to know that they've acknowledged the problem.

Performance-wise, the Nokia 9 is solid. It's powered by last year's Snapdragon A45 processor, which may not be the newest chip available, but it's still plenty capable for most users. The phone also has great battery life, with five to six hours of screen time on a daily basis, even when using social media, watching YouTube, and playing games.

But is the Nokia 9 worth the $700 price tag? In this particular price bracket, I don't think it's the best value. The OnePlus 6T is actually cheaper than the Nokia 9, and I think offers a much better bang for your buck. You get more powerful specifications, as well as Oxygen OS, which is basically like stock Android but with added customization options.

If you're willing to spend an extra $50 over the Nokia 9, you can get yourself a Galaxy S10 II, which gives you the entire Galaxy S10 experience at a lower cost. And let's not forget that the S10 II has a much better camera, a headphone jack, and a more modern design.

Overall, the Nokia 9 is an okay phone, but it has some significant issues that need to be addressed before I can recommend it wholeheartedly. The camera is good, but needs some tweaking; the fingerprint sensor was a major hassle at first, but improved over time; and performance and battery life are solid but not spectacular.

In the end, unless you're a die-hard Nokia fan or have specific requirements that this phone meets, I would recommend looking elsewhere for your smartphone needs. The competition is fierce, and there are many other phones out there that offer more bang for your buck.