HMD Global introduced on Wednesday the Nokia 8. Long rumored as the premium flagship of the revived brand, the Nokia 8 features cutting-edge technology and a new Dual-Sight mode for taking ‘bothies’: portraits using both the front and the rear camera. It launches this September for €599 (around $700).
The latest phone by the Finnish giant is the device that was promised since leaks starting making its way into the web earlier this year. The company said that they would release at least five phones in 2016, and the Nokia 8 marks the fifth if we count the revamped 3310.
HMD’s Nokia is against the likes of Samsung and Google itself in the premium tier market, and that’s without including other top firms like LG or rising threats from the East like Xiaomi, Huawei, and OnePlus.
Nokia 8: Specs and design
As is tradition by now with the brand handsets, the 8 was made from a single 6000 Series aluminum slab. The finished design gives the phone its rounded edges and attractive color coating, which comes in Polished Blue, Polished Copper, Steel, and Tempered Blue.
On the outside, HMD is keeping the home button, which in other flagships of its category is already disappearing in favor of other forms of technology. The button, however, doubles as a fingerprint sensor and is not located in any weird places like in Samsung’s premium phones.
Inside, there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC paired with 4 GB of RAM in the only configuration so far. The official site lists a fifth design alternative in Gloss Blue, which comes with 128 GB of storage instead of the standard 64 GB for all the others. Both are microSD card-compatible for expansion up to 256 GB.
Features are the best about the Nokia 8
HMD Global themselves say that the rich features of the Nokia 8 are what sets it apart from the other Android flagships out there. Out of them all, the Dual-Sight mode is definitely the most appealing, even if some dismiss it as just a gimmick.
The new Nokia is riding on the rising trend of live content broadcasting and has added a two-camera shooting mode that works not only with photo and video but also streaming directly to Facebook and YouTube. People can record what’s happening simultaneously from two perspectives and show it to the whole world.
This feature comes courtesy of Carl Zeiss and a new set of dual cameras on the back and a front camera with the same 13 MP of shooting quality. Both can record in 4K and take impressive ‘bothie’ pictures that you can also share instantly.
OZO Audio pairs nicely with this feature, bringing rich sound as a welcomed feature on the Nokia 8. This “Hollywood” grade sound is making its debut in small form factors since previously it was reserved for pro studios used to make films.
Last but not least, Nokia once again delivers the pure Android experience that was once promised in Motorola phones and other manufacturers, offering the closest thing there is to a stock version of the mobile OS made by Google. Plus, there is a deal in place to keep you updated on the latest security releases.
HMD’s Nokia 8 is well-priced for a top-tier Android smartphone
HMD’s Nokia 8 launches this September for €599, which translates roughly to $700. At that price point, the newcomer device looks quite enticing for some consumers who don’t want to shell out almost $1,000 for a member of the Samsung Galaxy family or the latest in the Google Pixel lineup.
Rumors say that the Nokia 8 is not all HMD has to offer to its highest tier of customers. There is a chance that an even more exclusive device sees the light of day before the end of the year, but for the time being, you can get your hands on this flagship next month.
Source: HMD Global