This Android phone’s crazy 2019 camera setup is still magical today

I admire Great smartphones It pushes the boundaries of what is possible and sensible. Sometimes these games become triumphs, and these devices become the cornerstones of future innovations. We saw much of this in the late 2010s when companies were not afraid to experiment. While it has its righteous proportion of critics, one of my favorite samples was my camera-crazy Nokia 9 Pureview.

The lying forgotten in my obsolete technology bag until I dusted it off, charged it up and bounced it in my pocket for a recent road trip. I wanted to see if this old Nokia Android phone was still worth using in 2025, and I’m so glad I had it with me.

I remember when this is ambitious Camera Launched at MWC 2019; It left me a pretty big impression on me. The largest sales argument was the insane rear imaging system, which uses five back cameras – two colors and three monochrome – to make a single shot. Although this method has its advantages, such as theoretically large dynamic selection, super funny bokeh adjustments and plenty of light information, it also provides little room for flexibility. As a result, Purereview misses a dedicated zoom lens and Ultrawide camera.

The lack of these specific lenses may sound like a problem, but that’s a primary reason I liked to use Purereview. I could not bring the subjects closer or expand my canvas by pressing a button on the screen. I couldn’t point and shoot myself through the city that I would do with my Galaxy S24 Fe. Suddenly, composition, framing and light were important factors that required assessment.

As a result, I felt more grounded as I absorbed the streets of my destination, Franschhoek. The phone produced beautiful pictures of the small mountain town, especially when there was plenty of light to play with.

During my trip, I first and foremost kept to Purereview’s primary photo mode, snapped color shoots with a 28 mm corresponding focal length, but my culprit was the phone’s monochrome mode. Removing color brings the composition on, and I liked to use this mode so much. The results were quite incredible too. I especially like the photograph of the 178 -year -old Dutch Reformed Church, with Purereview highlighting subtle details in the sky and the building’s intricate window work.

Even the atmospheric shooting under a restaurant roof The lamp has so much character. This shot also surprised me. I thought it would be terrible, as it was shot indoors with minimal natural light brilliant through a small window in the frame. However, it radiates a certain magic.

Nokia 9 Purereview’s camera system is not perfect, and yes, I had to see more potential shots go by due to the Sloooooow catch. I also have more shots on my Kasshaugen than keepers. I already mentioned the hardware restrictions, but the software treatment usually makes too much heavy lifting, and does not let weights on the toes when they compensate for lower light or visual root.

The two shots over, one cracked in a weakly lit, but beautiful saturated bookstore and the other of Main Street illuminated by street beams, are good examples. They are not terrible but I wish I had Pixel 8 in my hand instead.

Beyond the camera system, Nokia 9 Pureview has some commendable, sensible features that still shine six years later. It is unique style and solidly built, and I love how compact it feels in my hand, especially compared to today’s larger phones. This made it easy to carry as a secondary phone in the small mountain town. The screen is expressive enough to be a reliable applicant even in bright light.

But that’s about the only praise I can afford to give. Pureview was set up to fail from the beginning. It was launched with a year old chipset, a abominable finger newspaper sensor and a barely large battery in a few hours of camera use. I also find the lack of a microSD card track a complete miss, given that this phone is intended to produce high quality media.

While stock Android is a welcome detox from the wealth of a user interface, Android 10 is obviously a no-go in 2025. As a result, it is a terrible daily driver, especially on vacation. If all of you need a phone, you will be better served with a Reasonable Android phone than Nokia 9 Pureview in 2025.

And yet, despite its apparent shortcomings and shortcomings, I can’t help but be charmed by Purereview, even though it’s only used as a digital camera. Browse Google Photos Roll, I can easily pick out the shots I took with Nokia because each has a story that I remember well. They are more than just great pictures.

As a movie camera, it is an experience to see the world through the lens (ES). I don’t say for a moment that it is the best camera phone that ever