[USER EXPERIENCE] Tablets has been boring for a long time now. Right now the tablet world is pretty much iPads, iPad Mini, Air, Pro... Excellent tablets all round. On the other hand, I am hard-pressed to pick an Android one. Samsung S2 is pretty solid but pricey given its plastic build.
Which makes my latest hoot in Shanghai more interesting. Introducing Nokia N1!
And here are three things to note from my user experience, 1 year after Nokia N1 is released.
Nokia!
Yes, you heard it right. It's a Nokia product, not to be confused with Microsoft's Nokia branded products. Nokia N1 is designed by Noka and manufactured by Foxconn. Launched in China, Taiwan, Russia and some parts of Europe in 2015,
Essentially, it is a Nokia one-off venture of consumer product thus it appears to be available only in limited markets. I think it is also unlikely that Nokia will by releasing a second iteration given that this Nokia N1 hasn't gotten Marshmallow yet.
A rare Nokia device with limited availability is a receipt for a collectors' item.
What's not working
Then comes my personal complains during the 2 months I have with the Nokia N1. First of which is probably not a legit one as it stems from getting a China version. Essentially, the Chinese N1 does not come with Google Framework such as Google Playstore and Google Play Services thus making it impossible to have the likes of YouTube or Gmail working as normal.
The 2nd complain is a device hardware problem. After prolong usage, say 30 mins or running a high end game for say 10 mins, the bottom left hand of the tablet will be much warmer than a personal gadget should be. It's not a deal breaker especially with a cover on it though it is puzzling to say the least.
Value for money tablet
In a sentence, you can be assured Nokia N1, while is not your best-in-class device, is very competitive when placed in today's tablet market despite being a 1 year old device.
Its awesomeness begins when you see and hold, the build quality is extremely pleasing. 6.9mm in thickness the N1 is actually a little slimmer than an iPad mini 3 and an one-body aluminium stain finished housing really gives Nokia N1 a premium outlook.
Nokia N1 also has a brilliant display; 7.9 inch 4:3 aspect ratio IPS panel coupled with 2048x1536 resolution, its sharpness will rival most of the competition in 2016.
On the inside it where Nokia N1 probably is not as impressive. A 64-bit 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage are decent for tablet. The 8-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras are performs less than average.
N1 even possess some cool features; the reversible USB Type-C port as well its Z-Launcher, Nokia developed, is a launcher that cuts away the regular way of using Android.
All of these above for just RMB 1099 or SGD 220. Comparatively a better deal against iPad Mini 2 at SGD 398. It's a matter of preference as it always is. If you need high end specs and functions, look else where!
