Nokia 8.1 vs Vivo V15 Pro: The Phone Worth Spending Rs 30K On?

Nokia’a stock Android-totting 8.1 for under Rs 30K goes up against the Vivo V15 Pro which gets a pop-up camera.

Nokia 8.1 with stock Android (left), Vivo V15 Pro (right)

(Photo: The Quint)

Nokia launched the 8.1 for Rs 29,999 a couple of months back and most of its competition till now were year-old devices. Which is why the entry of Vivo V15 Pro refreshes options for buyers.

It is priced at Rs 28,990 which might seem costly for a Vivo phone to many, but it has features that kind of justify its price tag.

As for Nokia, this is a name which was quite common a decade ago, but now runs on Android. Which one of these should you consider – the perceived reliability of the Nokia brand or the multi-faceted Vivo? Here’s a closer look at both these devices and what they offer.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Design & Display

The Nokia 8.1 has all the trademarks of a signature Nokia phone. Classy design, complimented by sturdy body construction and packing in the latest hardware features for the price point. It’s worth pointing out that the glass body construction makes the phone slippery, even if you place it on a table.

In terms of the design, the V15 Pro offers a mix of premium features with a focus on keeping the costs down. The blue shade of the V15 Pro gets a tall screen over a 6.3-inch form size with thin bezels around the display.

Nokia 8.1 gets a notch which is wide across the display. (Photo: The Quint)

Even the chin size at the bottom is surprisingly small, adding to its overall screen to body ratio.

The Nokia 8.1 gets a 6.1-inch Full HD+ screen with 2280x1080 pixels resolution. The screen is bright, and one can easily go through the content on the device. The notch on top of the display gets effectively managed with the software, which becomes less invasive while using apps that have been tweaked to support the feature.

Vivo has gone for elegance without splurging on a glass body.(Photo: The Quint)

The 6.3-inch display on the V15 Pro is heavy on colours and contrast, all thanks to the Super AMOLED panel in use. The colours do come alive and offer a punchy touch that we’ve become used to with Samsung’s patent display panel.

Hardware and Software

The Nokia 8.1 is one of the first phones to come with a Snapdragon 710 processor in the market. This is yet another dependable processor from Qualcomm, which manages to handle multi-tasking with ease and playing PUBG on medium settings doesn’t make it go bonkers. You get the option of 4GB RAM with 64GB storage, which is further expandable via a microSD card.

Then you’ve got a 3500mAh battery loaded inside the phone, which the company claims will last up to 2 days on a single charge.

Nokia 8.1 has a refreshing design with sturdy finishing, but a delicate body.(Photo: The Quint)

Vivo’s V15 Pro is also the first to come with a Snapdragon 675 processor, with 6GB RAM and offering 128GB on-board storage, which is further expandable.

However, the one thing that really doesn’t make sense to us on the V15 Pro, is the use of a microUSB 2.0 port. With this phone you get a 3700mAh battery that supports dual-engine charging, which has turned out to be faster than other chargers.

There’s very little to complain in terms of performance with these two devices, but users need to keep a check on what they expect from phones with these processors. They offer reliable performance if you don’t push the limits.

Vivo V15 Pro carries a simple design language and a mid-range processor.(Photo: The Quint)

The Nokia 8.1 is also probably the first of the devices from Nokia to come with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. Other Nokia phones have got the latest flavour via an update already. Vivo V15 Pro also comes with Android 9.0 Pie based FunTouch OS out of the box and hopefully the updates will be regularly given.

Camera

The Nokia 8.1 comes with dual rear cameras (12 and 13 megapixel) with f/1.8 and the other sensor is meant for depth-sensing, just like what the second sensor on the Poco F1 does. Nokia’s case is the use of Zeiss Optics lens, which includes optical image stabilisation (OIS) as well as electronic image stabilization (EIS).

Dual rear cameras on the Nokia 8.1(Photo: The Quint)

The resulting pictures, clicked in most conditions, including low light deliver quality results and we’re seeing a gradual imaging improvement on Nokia’s cameras, but it still doesn’t match up to other devices in this segment.

This is where Vivo V15 Pro with its triple rear cameras of 48, 8 and 5-megapixel have surprised us with its overall quality.

Front camera on the V15 Pro is a pop-up affair.(Photo: The Quint)

On the front you have a 32-megapixel snapper in the pop-up avatar that has been borrowed from the Nex series, and is the catalyst for a notch-less screen, but delivers on the imaging front as well.

Which One Worth Buying?

Nokia 8.1 is a solid mid-range phone, but it all comes down to what the buyer is looking for. At this price point, there are plenty of options available, but if you need a reliable device with the latest Android version and decent service support, then the Nokia 8.1 has to be on your list.

While for those considering the Vivo V15 Pro, this phone has surprised us with its overall quality, some interesting features like the pop-up camera and triple rear cameras.

Vivo V15 Pro is a capable phone with features that might appeal to a lot of people.(Photo: The Quint)

Having said that, the use of microUSB 2.0 in this price range is perplexing to say the least, even though it charges pretty fast. Some might say that Vivo is offering a phone with a processor that is now available on a Rs 15,000 phone, but the added features do kind of justify its price tag. Vivo mostly sells in the non-urban cities and people there might like what’s on offer. The price could be an issue for them though.