Nokia recently launched the new Nokia 3.1 Plus smartphone in India, which has a large display that seems ideal for games like PUBG Mobile or Asphalt 9. For a starting price of Rs. 11,499, the Nokia 3.1 Plus packs in a MediaTek Helio P22 processor with up to 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage.
We have already gone over its pros and cons in our review, but let’s focus on gaming performance now, and see whether the Nokia 3.1 Plus can be a decent budget phone for gaming.
Nokia 3.1 Plus Specifications
Before we take a look at the benchmarks and gaming performance of Nokia 3.1 Plus, let’s take a quick look at the hardware that’s powering the phone –
| Dimensions | 156.68 x 76.44 x 8.19 mm |
| Weight | 180 grams |
| Display | 6-inch HD+ IPS LCD |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio P22 |
| RAM | 2/3GB |
| Storage | 16/32GB, expandable up to 400GB |
| Rear Camera | 13MP (f/2.0)+5MP (f/2.4), PDAF, single LED flash |
| Front Camera | 8MP (f/2.2) |
| Battery | 3,500 mAh |
| OS | Android 8.1 Oreo, under Android One program |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB port |
| Sensors | rear-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope, e-compass, proximity, ambient light |
| Colors | Blue, White, Baltic |
Nokia 3.1 Plus Benchmarks
As a standard practice, I ran a few synthetic benchmarks on the Nokia 3.1 Plus to give you an idea about the phone’s performance. I don’t recommend investing money on a phone based on its benchmark results, but here it goes –
In Antutu, the Nokia 3.1 Plus managed to score 78017, which, I’d say is on par with some other budget offerings like the Realme 2.
When it comes to 3D Mark, I was only able to run the Sling Shot Extreme – OpenGL ES 3.1 test since it isn’t compatible with Sling Shot Extreme – Vulkan. The Nokia 3.1 Plus managed to score 381, which is again, on par with other budget smartphones in this price range.
Note: I wasn’t able to run the Geekbench 4 benchmark on my Nokia 3.1 Plus unit due to a weird bug. We are currently checking why this is happening, so you will have to wait to see Geekbench scores.
Based on the benchmarks, I was convinced that the Nokia 3.1 Plus wasn’t going to surprise by scoring an “A+” in the real world performance, but I decided to finish my test and draw a complete picture anyway.
Nokia 3.1 Plus Gaming Performance
For my gaming review, I played two of the most popular Android titles currently: PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9 Legends. Of course, I wasn’t expecting a flawless gameplay experience, but I was curious to see how it performed with these graphics-intensive titles.
As soon as I fired up PUBG Mobile, I noticed some lag right away. The Nokia 3.1 Plus was able to run the game only on lowest settings, which was the first disappointment. I was able to join a game with my friends, and my experience was just decent. I noticed occasional frame drops throughout my gameplay, but I was able to make it to the top 10.
Next up, I jumped into Asphalt 9: Legends, which is considered to be yet another graphics intensive title. To my surprise, the Nokia 3.1 Plus was able to run the game with graphics set to medium (default). Yes, I did experience frame drops, but I was able to play the game without any major hiccups.
Besides these two games, the 3.1 Plus should not have any issues with casual titles. In fact, the large screen makes matching games or casual puzzles look great.
SEE ALSO: Nokia 3.1 Plus vs Redmi 6 Pro: New Kid Meets the Budget King
Nokia 3.1 Plus Gaming Review: Not Ideal For Graphics Intensive Titles!
When it comes to budget smartphones, gaming should be the least of your priorities in my opinion. Similarly, with the Nokia 3.1 Plus, you’ll be able to play normal games like the new Candy Crush: Friends, Hitman Sniper, etc. with ease, but don’t expect to have a great time getting a chicken dinner in PUBG Mobile.
Check out the Nokia 3.1 Plus on Nokia Store (Rs. 11,499)
