Nokia 1 hands-on

Not everyone has the money to buy a flagship caliber smartphone, and for some, they might not even have the means to pick up even a mid-ranger. HMD has been known to focus its efforts on mostly cost-conscious devices, but they're diving into new depths with its Nokia 1 – its first affordably priced Android Go phone.

Right from the get-go, we instantly notice how its design is impacted by such an incredibly low price. It's no surprise to find a lot of plastic used here with the design of the phone, which is certainly a justifiable reason why it's priced what it is. Despite the lower build quality, it's a design that's charming because of its rounded edges and the option to remove its rear casing for any of the other colorful Xpress-On covers that the manufacturer will be making available for the Nokia 1.

So, what do you get for a phone that costs $85 at launch? Well, it features a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels, a quad-core 1.1 GHz MediaTek 6737M chip, 1GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front-facing camera, and a 2,150 mAh battery. Checking out the interface, which is running Android 8 Oreo Go Edition, you'll find direct access to most of Google's popular services that have been optimized for the low-tiered hardware. It's not buttery smooth, exhibiting some sluggish cues with normal actions – so this is something you'll have to be mindful about, but it's the drawback for having such a low-priced smartphone.

As we mentioned earlier, the Nokia 1 is meant for users who are on a tight budget, but still want to have access to core smartphone features. When it comes down to the fundamental aspects of a smartphone, the Nokia 1 does nicely to deliver in that area – albeit, you'll need to be patient when it comes to its performance. With a launch price of $85 at launch, it's a smartphone on an extreme diet.