Introduction
The Once and Future King of mobile photography - the PureView camera - is back! The Nokia's champion has lived through the twilights of Symbian and Windows Phone, to be once again reborn in the peak of Android era. HMD's Nokia 9 is the bearer of the next-gen PureView snapper, and it's not one, but whole six of them!
The next PureView phone was in the rumors for years and yet it didn't come to pass. But it wasn't dead, it was lying dormant somewhere in Nokia, and later - HDM's labs all this time - and now it's available for purchase.
The Nokia 9 launched in the heat of the smartphone photography war and it seems already ahead of the competition - while others are adopting the triple-cam setup and Huawei pushing the quadruple, Nokia is already ahead of the game with the first hexa-camera on the back.
Don't get that excited just yet. Even though there are six snappers, not one of those is wide or telephoto. That's because the Nokia 9 PureView isn't targeting the casual user - but the photography enthusiasts who are already used to shooting RAW on their digital cameras and would welcome the same experience on a phone. But more about that new camera in a minute.
The rest of the Nokia 9 specs aren't as cutting-edge. The phone boasts a 5.99" OLED screen of QHD+ resolution, a last year's Snapdragon 845 chipset with 6GB of RAM, and a 3,320 mAh battery that won't last it a whole lot.
Other aspects of the phone are more up-to-date. It features an in-screen fingerprint scanner and a 20MP selfie snapper capable of pixel-binning for improved low-light performance. It also boots the latest version of Android One - Pie and it has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.
Nokia 9 PureView specs
- Body: Gorilla Glass 5 back, 6000 Series aluminum frame, 8mm thickness
- Screen: 5.99" p-OLED display QHD+ (2880 x 1440px), HDR10; Gorilla Glass 5
- Chipset: Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845
- Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB built-in storage
- OS: Android 9.0; Android One
- Rear camera: 3x 12MP f/1.8 Monochrome + 2x 12MP f/1.8 RGB + 3D ToF camera; 4K@30fps and 4K HDR video recording
- Front camera: 20MP F/1.8 with Tetracell pixel binning, which combines four pixels into one pixel in low light
- Battery: 3,320 mAh; Quick Charge 3.0, Wireless charging (up to 10W)
- Connectivity: Cat. 16 Gigabit LTE (1024/150 Mbps), Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, USB-C port
- Misc: IP67 rating, In-display fingerprint scanner + 2D face unlock
The Nokia 9's PureView camera has five 12MP modules with the same fixed focal length of 28mm along with a ToF camera. The output of all cameras is combined into one for a supposedly stunning image with unmatched dynamic range. Lossless zoom is on the table, too. This all sounds promising, but those looking for the versatility of the different focal ranges that other manufacturers are offering might be disappointed.
The last year's chipset is also a slight setback even though the Nokia 9 is much cheaper than any other newly released flagship. Okay, perhaps it's not as cheap as the Xiaomi Mi 9 but it's still competitively priced. Whether HMD didn't have the time to implement the camera complexity onto a new chip or it was something else - we won't know. But the Nokia 9 is pitched as a limited edition, which means the future of the PureView camera is hanging in the balance and the Nokia 9 will tip the scales one way or the other. Let's hope HMD's risks do pan out.
Unboxing the Nokia 9
The Nokia 9 retail bundle has all the essentials - an 18W charger, a USB-C cable, and a pair of in-ear headphones with the good ol' 3.5mm jack.
Since the Nokia 9 doesn't have an analog audio port, HMD is also proving a 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter. We have to admit this is the first time a maker ships a smartphone, flagship at that, with a headset that will always require an adapter and we find this odd, if not lazy.
Design
Design-wise, the Nokia 9 is your regular dual-glass smartphone but with a twist - there is no camera hump. That's right! Despite having six cameras on the back, the Nokia 9 is completely flush and it's all while keeping a thin profile of merely 8mm.
So, the Nokia 9 PureView relies on two pieces of Gorilla Glass 5 to keep the screen and the back side safe, while a polished frame made from 6000 series aluminum keeps the whole thing together. This is what we'd expect from a glass smartphone and HMD's done it by the book.
The 5.99" OLED screen is naturally your gateway to the Android world. While it doesn't have any trendy cutouts, it is of wide 18:9 aspect ratio and flagship-grade Quad HD resolution. There is also an under-display fingerprint sensor, too, which seems to be the way forward for this type of biometric security.
The bezels are thin but not impressively thin. There are top and bottom thick bars, but we actually don't mind those. The top bezel has the earpiece, a couple of sensors and the 20MP selfie camera. The chin below the screen does help for usability and mistouch prevention when typing on the virtual keyboard.
There is no curve on the front Gorilla Glass 5 and by now the 2.5D finish has become a standard. There is though a beveled edge around the frame that improves the grip and makes for a nice contrast over the semi-glossy finish.
Unfortunately, the glossy frame is very slippery as is the curved glass back and the only thing preventing the Nokia 9 from sliding out of your hand is the bevel we mentioned above. And slide it will, as soon as you place it on any sloped surface. We strongly recommend getting a case to improve the grip if not for anything else.
The back of the Nokia 9 PureView has a trendy curve. It is also made of Gorilla Glass 5 and ends on tapered edges on all sides.
The first ever six-camera setup looks very elegant being flush with the back and very intriguing. There is a total of seven punch holes on the Midnight Blue back - one for the dual-LED flash, five for all those 12MP cameras, and one for the ToF camera. The flash hole is the only one to have a tiny metal ring around.
We just hope nobody gets a trypophobia because of this pattern. Haven't heard of trypophobia before? Yes, it's thing, but if you don't find anything wrong with the arrangement of the multiple holes on the back of the phone, you are fine. There is no need to Google it. You did it anyway, didn't you?
Indeed, this is one very unconventional camera setup and we will go into details in a bit.
The SIM tray is up at the top of the phone across from a microphone. In fact, the phone has three mics in total: one at the top, bottom, and on the back just above the cameras. The Nokia 9 is waterproof, rated IP67 to be specific, and for this or completely different reason - it lacks an audio port.
The phone measures 155 x 75 x 8 mm and weighs 172g. It looks a lot like the LG G6 at the front, but it's actually 6mm taller and 3mm wider than the G6.
The Nokia 9 feels sturdy in-hand and its weight is well-distributed. The curve in the back glass offers a nice shape when holding the phone and the bevels around the frame add to this effect for sure. But it is as slippery as it looks and for a phone that will be used as a camera more often than as, well, a phone, protection is a must.
The Nokia 9 isn't that large as a phone and fits easily in most pockets. Its slim profile helps a lot, too. We appreciate HMD's decision to put a 5.99" screen instead of 6.5+ as it often happens. For a cameraphone, size does matter and the Nokia 9 is rather spot on when it comes to usability in spite of its slipperiness.
Display
The Nokia 9 PureView has a 5.99-inch P-OLED display with QHD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ration. Having such a high-res screen and 538ppi density the Nokia 9 has the means for seeing all those photos taken with the PureView camera in full glory.
The screen is protected by a Gorilla Glass 5 and has no cutouts whatsoever. There are noticeable bezels at the top and bottom, but those should be a great place to rest your thumbs while taking shots with the PureView camera, so we won't hold them against the Nokia 9.
So, the Nokia 9 screen looks quite bright and our display test confirms it. When set on Auto, the screen pumps out 727 nits of brightness, while the maximum manual brightness you can achieve with the scrubber in settings is 530 nits - all great numbers for an OLED screen.
The minimum brightness we measured on the Nokia 9 display was just 2.1 nits.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0 | 531 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 400 | ∞ | |
| 0.002 | 600 | 300000 | |
| 0 | 571 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 605 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 396 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 820 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 428 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 620 | ∞ | |
| 0.225 | 460 | 2044 | |
| 0.499 | 920 | 1844 | |
| 0 | 660 | ∞ | |
| 0.002 | 508 | 254000 | |
| 0.003 | 657 | 219000 | |
The sunlight contrast on the Nokia 9 PureView is stellar and it did set a new record in our all-time chart just like the first 808 PureView did back in the day.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Nokia 9 PureView
5.981 - Apple iPhone XS
5.171 - Huawei P30 Pro
5.119 - Apple iPhone X
5.013 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
4.965 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Asus ROG Phone
4.765 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
4.531 - Apple iPhone XS Max
4.516 - Samsung Galaxy S10+
4.514 - Sony Xperia XZ3
4.502 - Samsung Galaxy S10
4.498 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - Oppo RX17 Pro
4.434 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - Google Pixel 3
4.35 - Huawei Mate 20 X
4.337 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
4.324 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
4.291 - vivo NEX Dual Display (second display)
4.289 - HTC One A9
4.274 - LG V40 ThinQ
4.256 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
4.22 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - OnePlus 6T
4.138 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - vivo V11
4.113 - vivo NEX Dual Display
4.108 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
4.106 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Honor Magic 2
4.01 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Oppo Find X
3.954 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Xiaomi Mi 9
3.921 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
3.901 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Apple iPhone 6
3.838 - Microsoft Lumia 950XL
3.837 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - vivo V15 Pro
3.806 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Huawei Honor View 20
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Sony Xperia 10 Plus
3.358 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor Play
3.349 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Oppo Realme 2 Pro
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - Motorola Moto G7 Play
3.18 - Motorola Moto G7 Power
3.176 - Honor 8X
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - Samsung Galaxy M10
3.093 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
3.087 - HTC U12+
3.085 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
3.077 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Oppo F9
3.069 - Huawei P Smart 2019
3.069 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Xiaomi Mi Max 3
3.061 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Huawei Mate 20
3.052 - Huawei Mate 20 Lite
3.051 - Motorola Moto G7
3.011 - Motorola Moto G7 Plus
3.01 - Oppo Realme 2
3.006 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
2.966 - Samsung Galaxy M20
2.96 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Razer Phone 2
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Realme 3
2.918 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2.867 - Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
2.862 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Realme U1
2.815 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Xiaomi Mi 4
2.424 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Apple iPhone 4S
2.269 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961
The screen of the Nokia 9 has four Color modes - Basic, Cinematic, Vivid and Dynamic. The Basic corresponds to sRGB gamma, the Cinematic is DCI-P3, Vivid boosts the colors over Cinema, and Dynamic is the default setting that changes contrast and color saturation depending on the content and ambient light.
The average deltaE we measured for the screen on Basic mode against sRGB is 4.8 with a maximum deviation of 7.5, which is not the best accuracy, but still a very good one. On Cinema mode we measured an average deltaE of 5.1 against the DCI-P3 gamma and a maximum deviation of 7.8.
Battery life
The Nokia 9 is powered by a rather modest 3,320 mAh battery. The good news is the PureView supports both wired and wireless fast charging. The phone ships with an 18W-rated charger, which replenishes 50% of its dead battery in half an hour. It takes almost two hours for a full charge, though.
The Mi 9 posted an endurance rating of 79 hours, which is about the average for a Snapdragon 845-packed smartphone. It has great scores in the 3G call and video playback tests, and a very good one for web-browsing. The average standby performance however accounts for the less than stellar final endurance score in our test.
Still, the screen-on-times (SOT) are pretty great - you can use it for 10 hours of web browsing or 13 hours of video playback.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Nokia 9 PureView for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Speaker
There is single speaker on the Nokia 9, and it's at the bottom. It posted a Very Good score in our loudness test. Unfortunately, the audio quality is rather poor - it lacks in both highs and lows, and sometimes it can sound like an old radio. We've seen much cheaper phones do way better and we really felt like HMD has saved a buck or two with this speaker.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 68.9 | 71.8 | 81.1 | Very Good | |
| 68.1 | 72.3 | 82.2 | Very Good | |
| 67.2 | 72.5 | 84.5 | Very Good | |
| 70.1 | 74.2 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 71.5 | 75.7 | 78.9 | Very Good | |
| 70.3 | 73.4 | 83.8 | Very Good | |
| 71.2 | 76.8 | 80.6 | Excellent | |
| 74.4 | 74.2 | 83.6 | Excellent | |
| 72.8 | 74.7 | 86.6 | Excellent | |
| 70.9 | 73.8 | 90.9 | Excellent | |
| 83.6 | 76.4 | 80.7 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Nokia 9 PureView did splendidly in the active amplifier part of the audio output test, getting the usual excellent scores and really impressing with its super high volume levels.
Headphones did a fair amount of damage to the stereo quality, but the output wasn’t affected in any other ways. And given that the loudness was among the highest we’ve seen lately, we’d call this an excellent showing by the 9 PureView.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -94.0 | 94.0 | 0.0013 | 0.0064 | -93.2 | |
| +0.06, -0.04 | -93.6 | 93.5 | 0.045 | 0.097 | -54.8 | |
| +0.04, -0.02 | -90.5 | 90.4 | 0.0014 | 0.013 | -93.0 | |
| +0.14, -0.23 | -90.4 | 90.3 | 0.0046 | 0.211 | -47.0 | |
| +0.03, -0.04 | -92.2 | 92.0 | 0.0015 | 0.0079 | -92.7 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -91.9 | 91.7 | 0.0020 | 0.037 | -77.0 | |
| +0.02, -0.01 | -93.9 | 93.1 | 0.0015 | 0.0066 | -91.9 | |
| +0.05, -0.04 | -92.6 | 93.5 | 0.0026 | 0.072 | -58.7 |
Nokia 9 PureView frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Android One, Pie edition
Like many of Nokia's smartphones, the Nokia 9 comes with Android One out of the box, so you'll know you're going to get quick and timely updates. It's worth noting that carrier-specific versions might not receive updates just as quickly as those sold in the unlocked (retail) channel.
Where the Pixels have an Always on display or Ambient Display, the Nokia 9 has Glance screen. A remnant of Lumia times, its usual behavior is to pop up every time the phone detects movement and to go off after a predefined time-out (up to 30 seconds). It can be configured to show a clock, missed calls count, unread messages count, among other small notifications. On the PureView, however, you can leave it on at all times.
The under-display fingerprint is positioned a bit higher than on most other phones, but we quickly got used to it. The setup process takes a bit longer than usual - kind of remind us of the Galaxy S10 in this respect - but it's not something you do every day so we weren't going to be too harsh on it had it worked well.
However, we were quite disappointed by the way it operated. To start off, it's hardly as fast as the other sensors we've seen on phones that came out this year. And we encountered all sorts of software glitches while using the sensor. Often times, the PIN keyboard appeared while trying to scan a finger causing multiple accidental entries of the number 5.
Other times we observed that upon a quick lock and unlock the phone will bypass the biometric sensor and put you straight on the homescreen or whatever was opened last. And after a few seconds the Nokia 9 will "remember" it didn't ask you for your fingerprint, then proceed to lock the phone and pop-up the fingerprint prompt. This needs to be fixed ASAP and we hope HMD is already on it.
The fingerprint woes aside, the software on the Nokia 9 is Android as Google intended it through and through. The standard Android 9 homescreen utilizes the default Android pill-based navigation.
Lockscreen • Lockscreen • Homescreen • App drawer • Notifications and toggles
The Nokia 9 uses the default Pixel navigation. A tap on the pill button takes you Home, a quick flick from it to the right switches back and forth between the last two apps, while sliding it to the right takes you to one of the UIs for task switching. A short-ish swipe up from the bottom evokes the 'other' task switcher which is also the way to go into multi-window, and it's about as clumsy as they could have possibly made it.
A longer (like seriously-almost-all-the-way-to-the-top-longer) swipe up takes you straight to the app drawer, though a second swipe up from Task switcher 2 will also work. It's not all ideal, obviously. And there's a back button on top of all that, there's no gesture for that.
Task switcher 1 • Task switcher 2 • App drawer
As for multimedia, it's all in the hands of Google's default apps. The Photos app is in charge of gallery-related tasks and video playback, while Google Play Music is the audio player. There's a file manager with batch actions and Google Drive sync, and Google's Calendar is Nokia's calendar of choice.
Nokia has worked closely with Google so that the Google Photos app could natively understand how to support photos taken with the Nokia 9's five cameras. Google Photos is able to adjust the focal point after taking the photo, adjust the amount of bokeh, and will be able to display the full-size RAW files - which are DNG.
Nokia has also worked with Adobe to fully support editing RAW data from the images taken on the Nokia 9. This can be done in the free mobile version of Adobe Lightroom. Interestingly, since Android One is all about a clean slate - Nokia isn't preloading the app on the Nokia 9, but it gives you the option to install it during the initial setup.
Google Photos • Photos • Lightroom • Google Play Music • File manager
Performance and benchmarks
The Nokia 9 is powered by last year's Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. As a matter of fact, every image shot with the Nokia 9 uses information from all five cameras. The challenge for Nokia was to take full advantage of the chipset as much as possible in order to process images coming from all five cameras both quickly and efficiently so it doesn't run down the battery.
Our guess for the previous-gen chip is that since Nokia worked hard for a long time to optimize the camera algorithms, which use all the chip essentials - CPU, GPU, ISP, DSP - it would have been impossible to translate this work for the Snapdragon 855 samples when they became available late last year. Plus, the Nokia 9 PureView isn't that expensive, so there is that, too.
So, the Nokia 9 has an octa-core processor - 4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.77 GHz Kryo 385 Silver. Adreno 630 GPU is in charge of graphics.
The Nokia 9 comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. This appears to be the only memory variant that will be available.
We ran our usual sets of benchmarks and the scores are in. The GeekBench app is all about the processor and here the Nokia 9 does in line with the other S845 phones and is very close to what the latest Kirin 980 chip can do. It is also not that far from the latest Exynos either.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
11181 - Samsung Galaxy S10
10174 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
10110 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
10081 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
10014 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
9712 - Huawei P30 Pro
9649 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
9003 - Nokia 9 PureView
8986 - Google Pixel 3
8146 - Nokia 8
6568
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S10
4543 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
4518 - Xiaomi Mi 9
3503 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
3390 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
3323 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
3291 - Huawei P30 Pro
3270 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
2438 - Nokia 9 PureView
2405 - Google Pixel 3
2377 - Nokia 8
1925
The Adreno 630 has been already dethroned by the new Adreno 640 within the Snapdragon 855. It is still a flagship-grade GPU, especially under a 1080p screen. The Nokia 9 has a Quad HD one though, which means it will do lower than expected when it comes to rendering on-screen graphics content. There are quite a few Android flagships to run on 1080p screens and this gives them a big edge over the 1440p ones like the Nokia 9. And the Nokia 9 does pretty
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S10e
57 - Xiaomi Mi 9
56 - Google Pixel 3
55 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
53 - Huawei P30 Pro
50 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
50 - Samsung Galaxy S10
37 - Nokia 9 PureView
33 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
27 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
27 - Nokia 8
18
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S10e
40 - Xiaomi Mi 9
35 - Google Pixel 3
33 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
31 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
29 - Huawei P30 Pro
27 - Samsung Galaxy S10
23 - Nokia 9 PureView
19 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
17 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
16 - Nokia 8
12
3DMark SSE 3.1 Unlimited
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
5816 - Nokia 9 PureView
4959 - Samsung Galaxy S10
4550 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
4545 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
4315 - Google Pixel 3
3647 - Huawei P30 Pro
3522
The compound benchmark AnTuTu confirms the very good skills of the Nokia 9. Here the score is a match to the Huawei P30 Pro's.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
372006 - Samsung Galaxy S10
328366 - Samsung Galaxy S10e
325192 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
316156 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
308050 - Huawei P30 Pro
290189 - Nokia 9 PureView
288473 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro
273913 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
265314 - Google Pixel 3
233699 - Nokia 8
210323
The Snapdragon 845 will be held against the Nokia 9 PureView even if its price isn't suggesting cutting-edge technology across the board. But it really shouldn't. The chip has enough punch to meet today's demands hassle-free even under that Quad HD screen.
There isn't a game or an app you can download today that will slow down the Nokia 9. The only thing that could eat a lot of resources is the post-processing of the images you take. But it works only when the phone is unlocked, and you aren't doing something important such as running an app.
Unfortunately, while the Nokia 9 is well equipped to handle a lot, the OS has quite a few bugs and the camera app crashes often. Indeed, there is some more work to be done, but the potential is there. The PureView may also get hot due to the extensive work being done with image processing - especially after taking numerous photos, but it's with reasonable limits.
A total of six cameras sit on the back of the Nokia 9
The PureView camera is back with a bang! While today the triple setup is about to become the new norm, Nokia is way ahead as far as we are counting snappers - there are a total of six cameras on its back.
So, there are five 12MP cameras on the back, all sitting behind f/1.8 Zeiss lens. Two of those are RGB, and the other three are monochrome. There is also a sixth camera around - a ToF one - for additional depth information. A dual-tone LED flash is the final thing you'll see at the back.
Those five camera lenses have the same fixed focal length of 28mm. You won't find an ultra-wide angle or telephoto snappers, and the Nokia 9 doesn't brag with any fancy shooting modes. The PureView was never intended to be the world's most versatile smartphone camera but to deliver brilliant image quality on par with an expensive full-blown camera. So, how does it happen?
The phone combines the images from all five 12MP cameras, sometimes even multiple frames from each of those, into a single image with a spectacular dynamic range - up to 12.4 stops of difference in light which is as much as a large sensor camera. So overall, the PureView promises unmatched scene depth detection and spectacular dynamic range.
The Nokia 9 was also meant to serve best those who like to tune their photos in post processing - especially photography enthusiasts who already process their digital camera photos from RAW anyway. RAW files give you much more headroom for opening up shadows, bringing back highlights, and applying just the right amount of sharpening and noise reduction.
Nokia says they've worked closely with Adobe to fully support editing RAW data from the images taken on the phone. This can be done in the free mobile version of Adobe Lightroom. It doesn't come pre-installed but is offered as an additional download during the initial setup.
Nokia has also partnered with Google so that Google's Photos app could natively support photos taken with the Nokia 9's five cameras. Google Photos is able to adjust the focal point after taking the photo, adjust the amount of bokeh, and will be able to display the full-size RAW files - which are DNG.
Thanks to the sheer amount of camera sensors and the ToF camera, Nokia says that this setup can produce a much more detailed depth map of the scene - for more convincing defocusing. The phone gathers up to 1200 layers of depth data (as opposed to only 10 on most phones) for up to 40m away from the camera. This means we should see much more realistic bokeh in photos, the blur would gradually be stronger the further that part of the scene is from the camera. The depth info is stored within the photo and Google Photos will allow you to change the amount of defocusing after the shoot.
Adjusting the focus post shooting
The video recording part of the camera is not as exciting, but the basics are covered - it can shoot 4K HDR videos at 30fps. There is no optical image stabilization, while digital one is available only when shooting in Full HD.
Now, let's check the Nokia's camera app as it is the only piece of custom software on this phone. Luckily for us, and you, it's been improved since the previous Nokia phones, though the left side of the viewfinder is still overcrowded with various toggles.
The camera app is tailored for swiping between the shooting modes, a way that the iPhones pioneered a long time ago. The available modes are Square, Panorama, Monochrome, Bokeh, Pro - left (or down) from the default Photo, and Video, Slow-mo, Time-lapse right (or up) from Photo.
While in the Photo mode you'll get many toggles on the opposite side of the shutter key - motion (a.k.a. live photo), depth information, beauty, single/dual/P-I-P (for combined front/rear shots), timer, flash, and Settings (you can opt for RAW+JPG from here).
Camera app
The Pro mode lets you pick one of five white balance presets, focus manually, choose ISO (100-3200) and shutter speed (1/500s-10s), or set exposure compensation (-2/2EV in full stop increments).
Image quality
The Nokia 9 PureView can either save only the JPG images or you can opt for having both the RAW (DNG) file and the default JPG. We chose to have both files saved as HMD recommends using Lightroom to edit the RAWs for the best result.
Well, choosing to save both files will cost you. It takes a while to process a photo and save it and there is a queue for that once you start shooting. It takes up to 20s for saving RAW+JPG and up to 10s for saving a JPG only. And if you've shot say 30 photos in a row, you will have to wait a significant amount of time to see the last one. It's a bummer, but that's the price of having a camera system of such complexity.
Not to mention the amount of storage shooting RAW+JPG takes. One hundred images can easily run you 6GB or more. This is all good and dandy until you realize the phone's storage is only 128GB and there is no way to expand that.
The processing and saving happens in the background but only when the Nokia 9 is unlocked. Meaning if you shoot a couple of shots, then lock the phone and put it in your pocket thinking you will see those photos when you sit for a coffee - you'd be wrong. You have to keep the PureView unlocked if you want those pictures ready before you decide to browse them when you take your next break.
The phone gets noticeably hot during picture taking and processing and using the camera actively takes a noticeable toll on the battery. We don't think the Nokia 9 can last you a whole day when taking occasional photos on vacation. A beefy power bank is a must-have accessory in this case.
The first batch of photos we've prepared to show you include the direct JPGs the phone saves automatically when shooting images. They weren't edited in any way, and this is what you will get if you rely on Nokia's automatic point-and-shoot processing.
And it's nothing exceptional, unfortunately. The pictures we snapped during the day have accurate colors and good contrast but are over-sharpened, sometimes to a detail-ruining extent. The dynamic range is excellent, higher than what the average smartphone can achieve, but nothing jaw-dropping or industry-changing. Phones like P30 Pro or the Galaxy S10 can do similar if not better on Auto.
Don't forget to use our integrated photo compare tool if you are browsing the desktop version of our website - the shortcut is available at the bottom right of each set of samples.
Nokia 9 PureView 12MP photos
The Nokia 9 offers 2x and 5x zoom, but zooming is done digitally. The 2x option just crops and upscales from the regular photo, while 5x crops and, well, forgets to upscale. So, if some of you hoped for a lossless digital zoom with all those snappers - the Nokia 9 can't do that.
Normal • 2x zoom • 5x zoom
And here is Huawei P30 Pro for comparison, which does 2x hybrid and 5x optical zoom.
Normal • 2x zoom • 5x zoom
The Nokia 9 has a native monochrome mode thanks to its B&W cameras, and you can take some nice B&W shots. Unfortunately, by default, they come out over-sharpened just like the color ones.
Nokia 9 12MP monochrome photos
We weren't that impressed with the default photos, but we also had the RAW files, so we've decided to play with those in Lightroom. The app offers automatic adjustments. First, we used only those - just hit Auto and then Save. Simple as that. The images we exported this way had better detail, contrast, and colors than the regular JPEGs, but turned out to be much softer than they should be in reality. This makes the statements that anyone from Adobe has worked on optimizing the Lightroom output for the Nokia 9 sound a bit dubious.
Nokia 9 PureView 12MP Lightroom auto edited photos
Then we went all-in, and we started tuning the photos tonally, as well as in sharpness and detail as much as we saw fit. And the photos we ended up were excellent - with top-notch detail, excellent colors and contrast, sharp enough but not over the top. And we were pleasantly surprised by the natural rendition of grass and foliage.
The dynamic range remained great but stellar or exceptional is what it isn't.
Nokia 9 PureView 12MP Lightroom processed to taste photos
So, to get flagship-grade photos in good light, you should expect to process all your images in Lightroom. And having said that, this is the only way you can get acceptable low-light photos.
The Nokia 9 isn't a match for any flagship when it comes to night shots. It lacks a Night Mode and relies purely on its frame-stacking and processing. And the default output is of rather poor quality - the images are noisy with blown highlights, and even the resolved detail doesn't look good. Then there is the excessive sharpening which further boosts the noise, and the final shots are average at best.
Nokia 9 12MP low-light photos
Your only option to get a good low-light shot is Lightroom, and this is valid only if you've opted for saving in both DNG and JPG. With enough patience and playing with the sliders you can get a much better night photo even if it's a noisy one.
Nokia 9 PureView 12MP Lightroom processed to taste low-light photos
Here you can see how the Nokia 9 compares against other snappers in our extensive pixel-peeking database.
Nokia 9 PureView vs. Huawei P30 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S10 in our Photo compare tool
Nokia 9 vs. Huawei P30 Pro vs. Apple iPhone X
We recently crowned the Huawei P30 Pro as the most versatile cameraphone around, so it was natural to include some comparison shots between the Nokia 9 and the P30 Pro in this review. We had also an iPhone X lying around, so we included that one, too.
For the purpose of this shootout we've used the processed to taste images from the Nokia 9, as the default output wasn't that good. The images shot with the P30 Pro and iPhone X are the default ones though - no RAWs, no Lightroom involved although those two devices are RAW-capable and we are sure they could do much better if it comes to the same treatment.
Our impression is that the processed images from the Nokia 9 are often superior to the other two in regards to the resolved detail, colors and contrast. Foliage rendering is wonderful as well. The Huawei P30 Pro isn't that far behind and does an amazing job in Auto. Its colors aren't that great but this is easily fixable later if you decide you need those punchier. The iPhone X puts a good fight but while it is the one to get the colors absolutely correct, it's behind the other two in every other aspect.
The low-light photos of the Nokia 9 are quite good after some proper editing and they can be a match for the regular ones we got from the Huawei P30 Pro. There is more than enough detail partially because of the less aggressive noise reduction, balanced exposure and the only thing the P30 Pro got better were the colors.
Don't forget to use our integrated photo compare tool - the shortcut is available at the bottom right of each set of samples if you are browsing the desktop version of our website.
Nokia 9 processed 12MP photos
Huawei P30 Pro 10MP untouched photos
Apple iPhone X 12MP untouched photos
Portraits and photos with depth data
Nokia 9 PureView has six cameras but only two are involved when taking portraits - one of the 12MP RGB snappers and the ToF camera. You can't choose the blur strength - but you can later edit it within the Google Photos app.
The subject separation in the portrait shots we took is one of the best we've seen. The resolved detail is excellent, the blurred backgrounds looked nice and it didn't really matter if the subject was close or not. There is also HDR applied across most of the shots without hurting the picture quality. Overall, the Nokia 9 won't disappoint when shooting portraits. They can also be shot in RAW and then further processed by your liking.
Nokia 9 12MP portrait shots
Also, thanks to the ToF camera and the detailed depth map it stores within the photo, you can refocus later and apply blur in the background. We tested that and it works just as promised but you need to enable the respective mode before you start shooting.
Nokia 9 12MP photos with depth data, refocused and with blur
Selfies
The Nokia 9 has a 20MP f/2.0 fixed focus selfie camera. And it does a very good job. The dynamic range is excellent for a selfie shooter often enhanced by the Auto HDR. The colors are good and there is plenty of detail, even if not quite as much as the sensor resolution would make you believe.
Nokia 9 20MP selfie photos
The front camera has the same Portrait mode as the main one, but the subject separation is far inferior. You can see ears and hair have gone missing on some of the shots.
Nokia 9 20MP selfie portrait samples
Video recording
While the Nokia 9 packs an impressive number of sensors on its back, they don't really matter when it comes to shooting videos. The PureView uses its main 12MP RGB camera for snapping clips and it maxes out at 4K at 30fps. There are no 60fps options on any resolution, but you can shoot HDR videos if you have the proper display (like the Nokia 9's) to view them.
There is no optical stabilization during video recording. Electronic stabilization is present but only in 1080p and you can't turn it off.
The phone supports OZO audio via its three dedicated mics. The audio shows as stereo captured at 256KBps bitrate. You can choose between Front, Rear, and Surround audio capturing thanks to Nokia's OZO technology and microphones. No matter what you choose, the audio sounds as promised, high-quality, and you experience great surround sound especially if you have 3D headphones.
The 2160p videos are captured at a bitrate of 42Mbps and have rock solid 30fps. The video quality is average though - the resolved detail is enough but barely competitive. The dynamic range is wide, which is great, but the picture is just too soft. On the positive side, the framerate is smooth and steady.
The 1080p videos are shot with a bitrate of 20Mbps and have the same audio bitrate. The video quality in 1080p isn't promising either though. The level of detail is not impressive, the picture is soft, but the clips retain the good dynamic range and colors we observed in the 4K videos.
As we said there is no EIS available for the 4K videos and they will be shaky if you walk. The electronic stabilization works well on the 1080p footage though and this is the mode you should be shooting in if you are on the go.
Finally, you can use our Video Compare Tool to see how the Nokia 9 stacks against others when it comes to video capture.
2160p: Nokia 9 PureView vs. Huawei P30 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S10 in our Photo compare tool
Final thoughts
The long-awaited Nokia 9 is finally here, and for some, this could feel like a historic moment. The brand has undergone through various changes and turmoil over the years, and yet it's here to stay. And under HMD's leadership, it had risen from the ashes once again even though it's not the bright star that once was. But what better way to join the high ranks with another PureView phone?
If done right and the new PureView phone turned out to be a game changer, then it would have been the rocket fuel Nokia needed to reach the stars once more. But the phone could also fail, and instead of a slingshot, it could end up being a sinkhole. And it's like HMD was afraid of that and pitched the Nokia 9 PureView as a limited edition phone.
And this is probably the best decision HMD has made about this phone. Because it won't pay off, let alone put the company on the way to glory. The Nokia 9 camera system has either been implemented very poorly or bound to become obsolete even before it's become mainstream.
The image quality by the Nokia 9's automatic processing is anything but groundbreaking. In fact, it's quite behind compared to what the current and even last year's flagship phones can do with one camera and multi-image stacking. And don't get us started on the low-light image quality or the video quality in general.
You can get great images from this phone if you shoot in RAW and have the patience to wait for their saving and then manually edit every single one of those RAWs in Lightroom. But the thing is that most of the competing flagships can shoot in RAW as well, which means you can do that on any other popular phone - be it Huawei P30 Pro, Galaxy S10, or an iPhone. But those competitors also offer optical zoom, and/or wide-angle cameras, among many other cool photo and video modes.
So, the Nokia 9 PureView is probably the most niche smartphone you can find on the market right now. It targets one specific group of photography enthusiasts, which may or may not decide to give its RAW potential a chance, pun intended. And its lower price and the wow factor of the multi-camera setup is the only thing giving it a fighting chance.
The competition
The Nokia 9 PureView is not that expensive at €650, but there are similarly priced phones which deserve your attention better. Like the Huawei P30. It has a stunning design, a large OLED screen, and a flagship-grade and versatile camera that can match the Nokia 9 output in daylight and smash it in the night scenes.
The Galaxy S10 is just €50 more than the Nokia 9, and yet it offers a better and larger screen, a more powerful chipset, and a triple-camera with optical zoom and an ultra-wide angle lens. It's also much better when it comes to shooting videos, offers stereo speakers, a microSD slot, and even a 3.5mm audio port. What's not to like?
Finally, you can also get an arguably better deal with the Xiaomi Mi 9. It's almost €200 cheaper than the Nokia 9 but still has a lot to offer. The Mi 9 packs a large AMOLED screen, the most current Snapdragon 855 chip, and yet another triple camera with regular, zoom, and wide-angle snappers. And the camera experience is really good.
Huawei P30 • Samsung Galaxy S10 • Xiaomi Mi 9
The Verdict
The Nokia 9 is full of potential, but the failure to utilize it is evident in every aspect of the phone. We can easily forgive the previous generation of hardware because of that fantastic screen and lower price, but the camera didn't live up to the promise and expectations.
Maybe Nokia had a great idea with that six-camera setup, but until it was ready to show it, everybody else both came up and launched a better one. And instead of that legendary and industry-leading camera, we see smudgy shimmers of what the Pure View branding once stood for.
The Nokia 9 has the power to shoot great photos, but to get them - you need to make peace with some occasional hiccups and know your RAW file processing to get the stunning results that were promised and shown at launch. But here's the thing - this phone is far from being the only one that can shoot RAW.
Pros
- Flagship-grade high-res OLED screen with HDR video support
- Water-resistant design
- Excellent image output from the RAW files (requires time and skill for processing)
- Part of Android One program so timely updates are expected
- Rather cheap for a flagship
Cons
- Uses last year's Snapdragon flagship chipset
- User experience with the fingerprint scanner is poor
- Buggy software, freezes and crashes happen often when using the camera
- No microSD slot, while shooting RAW+JPG eats storage quickly
- The default JPEG and video output is not flagship-worthy
- The camera's prolonged image processing is tedious and takes a toll on battery life
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