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

I admire great smartphones that push the boundaries of what’s possible and sensible. Sometimes these gambles become triumphs, and those devices become the cornerstones of future innovations. We saw plenty of this in the late 2010s when companies weren’t afraid to experiment. While it has its fair share of critics, one of my favorite examples was the camera-crazy Nokia 9 PureView.

It was lying forgotten in my obsolete tech drawer until I dusted it off, charged it up, and popped 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 ambitious camera phone launched at MWC 2019; it left a pretty big impression on me. Its biggest selling point was its crazy rear imaging system, which uses five rear cameras — two color and three monochrome — to create a single shot. While this method has its advantages, like theoretically great dynamic range, super fun bokeh adjustments, and plenty of light information, it also leaves little space for flexibility. As a result, the PureView misses out on a dedicated zoom lens and ultrawide camera.

The lack of these specific lenses may sound like a problem, but it’s a primary reason I enjoyed using the PureView. I couldn’t bring subjects closer or expand my canvas at the tap of an on-screen button. I couldn’t point-and-shoot my way through the town like I would with my Galaxy S24 FE. Suddenly, composition, framing, and light were essential factors that demanded consideration.

As a result, I felt more grounded while absorbing the streets of my destination, Franschhoek. The phone produced gorgeous photos of the small mountain town, especially when there was plenty of light to play with.

During my trip, I primarily stuck to the PureView’s primary photo mode, snapping color shots at a 28mm equivalent focal length, but my guilty pleasure was the phone’s monochrome mode. Removing color further brings the composition to the fore, and I enjoyed using this mode so much. The results were pretty incredible, too. I particularly like the photograph of the 178-year-old Dutch Reformed Church, with the PureView highlighting subtle details in the sky and the building’s intricate window work.

Even the atmospheric shot below of a restaurant ceiling laced with lanterns has so much character. This shot surprised me, too. I thought it would be terrible, as it was shot indoors with minimal natural light beaming through a small window in frame. However, it exudes a certain magic.

The Nokia 9 PureView’s camera system isn’t perfect, and yes, I did have to watch several potential shots pass by because of the sloooooow capture. I also have more shots on my discard pile than keepers. I mentioned its hardware limitations already, but the software processing usually does too much heavy lifting, dropping weights on its toes when compensating for lower light or visual clutter.

The two shots above, one snapped within a dimly lit but gorgeously saturated bookstore and the other of the main street illuminated by street beams, are good examples. They aren’t terrible, but I wish I had the Pixel 8 in my hand instead.

Beyond the camera system, the Nokia 9 PureView has some commendable, sensible features that still shine six years later. It’s uniquely styled 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 heat. The screen is expressive enough to be a reliable viewfinder even in bright light.

But that’s about the only praise I can afford to give. The PureView was set up to fail from the beginning. It launched with a year-old chipset, an abominable fingerprint sensor, and a barely large battery for a few hours of camera use. I also find the lack of a microSD card slot a complete miss, given that this phone is meant to produce high-quality media.

While stock Android is a welcome detox from the richness of One UI, Android 10 is obviously a no-go in 2025. As a result, it’s an awful daily driver, especially on holiday. If you all need a phone, you’d be better served with an affordable Android phone than the Nokia 9 PureView in 2025.

And yet, despite its apparent flaws and shortcomings, I can’t help but be charmed by the PureView, even if only used as a digital camera. Scrolling through my Google Photos roll, I can easily pick out the shots I took with the Nokia because each has a story that I remember fondly. They’re more than just great pictures.

Like a film camera, viewing the world through its lens(es) is an experience. I’m not for a minute saying that it’s the best camera phone ever made, toppling modern marvels from Google, Samsung, and OPPO, but I can say it’s the most fun I’ve had with a camera phone in years.