Nokia 5.1 Plus vs Nokia 6.1 Plus: What are the Differences?

Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus both beautifully sporting glass panels on the back

By now, you may have already heard that HMD Global is coming back to the local smartphone scene again with its new and first notch-equipped smartphones named the Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus. And most probably, your very next question is, what are their similarities and differences? And that's what I will be trying to answer in this post.

See these phones' official pricing, availability, and specs in this article.

Display and Resolution

As far as I can remember, and I think I am pretty sure about this. These smartphones are the first devices from HMD Global to sport the notch on the display. I always say this, but it appears that a lot of users are still kind of mixed on the notch trend, some people like it and some don't. Whatever is the case for you, and whether you are a fan of Nokia phones or not, that's what we have here with these Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus.

Both handsets have the notch, but their sizes are not the same. And that's one of the first things you will immediately notice when you place them side by side facing you.

The one on the right is the Nokia 5.1 Plus on the other side is of course the Nokia 6.1 Plus.

As you can see, the 5.1 Plus has a far wider notch compared to the 6.1 Plus. Apart from the cutout and the 19:9 aspect ratio of the screen, they look identical from the front side. Except that the Nokia 6.1 Plus has a Full HD+ display which is equivalent to 2280x1080 pixel resolution as opposed to the Nokia 5.1 Plus' HD+ display at 1520x720. Also, the former does have Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, the latter don't. Last but not least, both have 2.5D curved glass panels on the back and on the rear making the devices both look and feel premium.

Let me also go back to the notch just real quick. Unlike on other Android smartphones where you can totally black out the notch through the display settings if you want it hidden, in these Nokia handsets we don't have that option. At least for now. 

And oh yes, I almost forgot. Both do sport the same 5.8-inch display panel.

Design and build

One of the best things about these smartphones, at least to me, is the front and back panels are made of glass. They maybe fingerprint and smudge hungry but at least they look really good and glossy and are not slippery in the hand. It's not so big dimensions, rounded edges, and glass panels which are both curved on the front and back, make the Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus easy to use with one hand. Even those users who have small hands will find it very convenient to operate.

The frames on these phones are where they kind of separate. The higher 6.1 Plus has aluminum chassis while the 5.1 Plus has what appears to be polycarbonate material.

Nokia 5.1 Plus vs Nokia 6.1 Plus

See the images above to give you a quick look at how the frames look from that angle. And yes, as you can see they both boast USB Type-C port, something we don't see everyday on midrange smartphones even to these days. Thanks Nokia!

HMD Global will be releasing these devices in all three color variants here in the Philippines - Glossy White, Glossy Black, and Glossy Midnight Blue.

Processor, RAM, and storage

This is where the Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus differ, big time. We are talking about Mediatek Helio P60 vs Snapdragon 636, 3GB RAM vs 4GB RAM, and 32GB vs 64GB internal storage here.

Storage expandability? Yes both support that through microSD card and it can hold up to 400GB in size. The little sad thing though is that it uses the SIM 2 slot. So that's either two SIM cards at the same time or one SIM and a microSD card on the second slot.

Front and rear cameras

The cameras are also one of the most exciting and well-performing features or specs of the two. Both have dual camera on the back with the second shooter used for depth sensing to give our portrait shots with bokeh effect a lot more life and emphasis.

For the 6.1 Plus, it offers 16MP + 5MP combo on the back where the main shooter has f/2.0 aperture and Autofocus and the secondary camera with f/2.4 aperture. Selfie camera is pegged at 16MP with fixed focus lens and f/2.0 aperture. Dual tone LED flash.

And then for the 5.1 Plus, it has 13MP + 5MP on the back with PDAF or phase detection autofocus and LED flash. On the front it is equipped with 8MP rear camera also a fixed focus lens and f/2.2 aperture.

Nokia 5.1 Plus vs Nokia 6.1 Plus

Bothie feature? 

Bothie is a unique camera feature only known to HMD Global's Nokia smartphones. Basically what it does is it allows users to capture photos, record videos, and even do livestream, using "both" the rear and front cameras at the same time. At the time of writing, you can only livestream to either YouTube or Facebook. Livestream to Instagram is not available at the moment. Hopefully they add that in the future software update.

 
OS and Android One

Speaking of sofware and OS. The two handsets will come with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box when officially becomes available here in the Philippines. What about Android Pie? Yes they will soon be updated to that super latest version of the Android mobile OS, already confirmed by HMD Global itself.

In addition to that, these handsets are still under the Android One program by Google. This means the software and hardware are optimized and approved by Google and HMD Global with the goal to make this particular version of Android the most optimized, secured and most updated. This also means each device will receive monthly security and patch updates for the next three years and two years of guaranteed OS updates after launch.

Devices under the Android One program means having no additional manufacturer skin and bloatware on top of the stock version of Android OS. In the process, the devices also save some more storage space for users to enjoy.

FM radio

Both have FM Radio features. Yay! 

Pricing and availability

The Nokia 5.1 Plus is priced at Php12,990 and the Nokia 6.1 Plus at Php15,990.

Pre-orders for the Nokia 6.1 Plus begins today, Oct 12 until Oct 26, with a minimum deposit of just P500. Also, HMD Philippines is partnering with Philippine Airlines for the pre-order promo. This partnership gives the first 1,000 pre-order takers Php1,000 worth of PAL travel vouchers for domestic flights. Make sure you place the order from any authorized Nokia mobile resellers, Nokia mobile branded stores, kiosks, and exhibits nationwide.

All of these devices will be released in all three color options here in the Philippines. Glossy Midnight Blue, Glossy Black, and Glossy White. Nokia 6.1 Plus will be available starting Oct 29 nationwide. And then the Nokia 5.1 Plus will be initially exclusive via ArgoMall and MemoXpress' online platform - and on November 12 in stores nationwide.