Nokia Officially Announces The New Nokia 8 Flagship Android Smartphone

Earlier today, Nokia officially took the covers off its new flagship Android smartphone, the Nokia 8. The handset saw its official unveiling at a low-key event held in London.

The launch of the Nokia 8 comes a few months after the company started selling the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3 in several markets across the globe. However, there is no denying the fact that Nokia 8 was the most keenly awaited phone from the once-iconic brand. While we had a fair inkling as to the kind of spec sheet that the Nokia 8 would sport, now that we have the complete details, let’s not waste any more time.

Nokia 8: Specifications

• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, Octa core
• RAM: 6GB (Gloss Blue Variant), 4GB (All other color variants)
• Display: 5.3-inch QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 2.5D Glass
• Storage: 128GB (UFS 2.1) on the Gloss Blue Version; 64GB (UFS 2.1) on all other versions
• MicroSD card slot supported
• Primary camera: Dual Camera System 13 MP (Colour + OIS) + 13 MP (Mono), PDAF, IR range finder, dual tone flash
• Front-facing camera: 13 MP PDAF, display flash
• Operating System: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
• Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, 3-mics
• Connectivity: USB Type C
• SIM Slot: Hybrid Type (1 nano-SIM slot + 1 nano-SIM or 1 MicroSD card slot)
• Networks: LTE Cat. 9, 3CA, 450Mbps DL/50Mbps UL
• 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (MIMO), BT 5.0, GPS/AGPS+GLONASS+BDS, NFC (sharing) ANT+
• Water Resistance: Splashproof (IP54)
• Battery: 3090mAh
• Colors: Polished Blue, Tempered Blue, Steel, Polished Copper

Nokia 8: Everything you wanted to know

As you might have already read in the specifications section, the Nokia 8 is a serious player in the extremely crowded premium smartphones space. It is evident that the Nokia 8 packs enough punch to battle it out with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus, the LG G6, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and, perhaps, the iPhone. It packs in the newest SoC from Qualcomm — the all-powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset and ships with 6GB of RAM for the premium Gloss Blue variants. All the other versions get 4GB of RAM. The premium variant also packs in 128GB of onboard storage while the rest come with 64GB of storage space. Both options also get a microSD card slot for further augmentation of the storage capacity.

The Nokia 8 gets a 5.3-inch Quad HD panel that translates to an effective resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. This is an extremely sharp display and compares well with almost all the flagship Android smartphones out there. As far as the optics are concerned, the famed Carl Zeiss optics that used to make regular appearances on Nokia smartphones of the yore has made a comeback. This time, though, the primary camera at the rear happens to be a dual camera set up with both the cameras capable of shooting 13-megapixel images. One sensor, however, is dedicated to monochrome imaging. We have seen a similar kind of implementation on the Huawei P9 and the P10.

The primary camera also supports fast phase detection auto focus and a dual tone flash for those low-light shots. There is optical image stabilization for stabilized, less shaky videos. The secondary camera on the front is also capable of capturing 13-megapixel still images and also features a display flash for those low-light selfies. The Nokia 8 also boasts the Dual-Sight mode that lets you use both front and back cameras simultaneously for split-screen photos and video. The camera app also natively supports Facebook Live.

Introducing the new #Nokia8 with Dual-Sight mode, our most powerful Android smartphone. #Bothie #Nokiamobile https://t.co/8M7cS3ah9I pic.twitter.com/UoBKezXuYA

— Nokia Mobile (@NokiaMobile) August 16, 2017

The Nokia 8 has not decided to go the way of Apple and features a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting your existing earphones and audio devices. It also features a three-mic setup for crystal clear audio. Moving on to cable connectivity, the Nokia 8 stays with the current times and uses the now-standard USB Type-C port and cable for physical connectivity. Other connectivity options also include support for a wide range of 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G networks, along with support for Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac networks.

Nokia also released a video talking about the technologies that went into the handset.

The handset also gets a fairly large 3090 mAh battery that should last you a day of nominal usage. The handset also happens to be 1P54 certified water resistant. Note that this is still not completely water proof and is resistant to minor spills. So, no, you cannot take the Nokia 8 into the pool with you.

Moving on to the software, the Nokia 8 runs a near-stock Android UI. However, there are some nifty additions like Nokia OZO spatial 360-degree audio, which claims to offer an immersive video capture and a playback experience with spatial 360-degree audio built into its core.

The Nokia 8 is set to go on sale starting early September across Europe. It will set you back by approximately 599 euros ($705) for the unlocked version.

[Featured Image by HMD Global/Nokia/ Press Images]