Nokia 8: HMD Global's flagship smartphone is aimed at content creators
In December 2016, HMD Global launched in Finland with plans to develop and market Nokia-branded phones. Today, its first flagship smartphone was announced.
HMD Global has released three smartphones and five feature phones in its young life to date. Last month I tested the low-cost Nokia 6 as an Amazon Prime exclusive phone and was impressed by its capability at a price less than $200.
The new Nokia 8 is a true Android flagship with the latest high end specifications, a few unique features, and a pure Android experience with timely software updates and regular security releases. It will be available starting in September for a MSRP of €599.
CNET's initial reviews were strong:
- Nokia finally has a flagship Android phone and it's beautiful
- Taking the Nokia 8's dual camera for a test drive
- Nokia 8 phone was built to help you overshare
The Nokia 808 PureView was the best Nokia camera phone available, but that was five years ago, and I honestly thought we would never see a Nokia phone again with Zeiss optics. It is encouraging to see HMD Global move ahead with the Nokia brand, and I hope to try out the new Nokia 8 at some time in the future, even though it is not targeted to the US at launch.
Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer of HMD Global, stated:
We know that fans are creating and sharing live content more than ever before, with millions of photos and videos shared every minute on social media. People are inspired by the content they consume and are looking for new ways to create their own. It's these people who have inspired us to craft a flagship smartphone which perfectly balances premium design, an outstanding experience and powerful performance.
Three first for Android
HMD Global is promoting three unique aspects of the Nokia 8: Zeiss optics, Dual-Sight capture and sharing, and advanced Nokia OZO Audio.
The Zeiss partnership was just announced on July 6 and is sure to bring advanced optical performance from Nokia's future products. The front and rear cameras of the Nokia 8 were co-developed with Zeiss optics.
The new Dual-Sight technology uses the front and rear cameras at the same time to help you capture a Bothie, HMD Global's term that captures both the front and back experience rather than the selfie capturing just the front-facing camera environment. The Dual-Sight option lets you share photos and videos via livestream services. You can now share the complete story, rather than just the story with you or without you.
Nokia OZO Audio uses three microphones and Nokia acoustic algorithms to capture audio with 360-degree spatial surround sound. Advanced encoding of the audio lets people enjoy high fidelity playback even on devices without OZO Audio.
Specifications
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core
- Display: 5.3-inch 2560x1440 pixels resolution LCD with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Operating system: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB internal with microSD expansion card slot
- Cameras: Dual rear 13-megapixel cameras (one color and one mono), 1.12µm pixel, f/2.0 aperture cameras' Front 13-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture
- Water resistance: IP54 splashproof rating
- Battery: 3090 mAh with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11 ;/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
- Sensors: Fingerprint, G-Sensor, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient Light, Proximity
- Dimensions: 151.5 x 73.7 x 7.9 mm and 160 grams
USB Type C is used for the charging port and there is a headphone jack on the Nokia 8. The Nokia 8 will be available in Polished Blue, Polished Copper, Tempered Blue, and Steel.