Nokia 8 Overview: Is this the comeback we've been waiting for?

Nokia, a HMD Globally OY owned company is again trying to hit the smartphone market. This time, with new Nokia 8, which is a flagship device so, we can expect high-end features and robustness of old Nokia from this device. HMD announced, Nokia 8 is going to be released in last week of August or in the September.

The device itself is braced with Snapdragon 835 processor, QHD LCD display, premium aluminium unibody and latest android OS.  HMD makes it a camera phone by having its own take on the dual-camera module with incorporating two 13mp sensors, an optically stabilized chromatic shooter and a mono-chromatic shooter. Another overwhelming 13MP sensor on the front which is not just a selfie cam but, it does split screen live streaming and phase detection autofocus (PDAF). ZEISS lens over the three sensors wrap-up the iconic camera module.

Another astonishing feature of Nokia 8’s camera is the Nokia’s OZO sound technology. It developed a 360^o surround audio recording, which will capture sound with a quality to match the sharpness of the 4K video. Another rare feature is binaural audio, which is supposed to offer more immersive split-screen viewing experience. Both cameras (front as well as primary) support autofocus.  

One of the most charismatic features of the device is its display. Nokia offers a 5.3” IPS LCD QHD display having 554ppi density, which is one of the best in the industry. The panel is a bit smaller than Nokia 6’s panel, but it is much sharper with 554ppi density and it should be much brighter, maxing out at 700 nits (unit of visible-light intensity).

When it comes to battery life, it has 3090mAH battery, which is an average capacity of flagship device. The handset itself supports Quick charging 3.0 technology. You will find an 18W charger inside the retail box. It fills up the battery from 0-48% in just 30 minutes. The battery is capable of carrying out most day-to-day task and it will last up to 4-5 hours of SOT (Screen on Time). The device itself supports USB Type C.  

Nokia 8 runs on Android Nougat out of the box. It provides stock android experience. The advantage of stock Android is, you get faster updates whenever new update rolls out. It also supports Google Assistant. There is multi-window multitasking, but the screen always splits 50/50 you can’t resize the windows.

When it comes to real-life Performance, HMD chose the most powerful Snapdragon 835 processor for the Nokia 8 and a flagship deserves nothing less. It has one of the best processor in the market, with two kryo clusters, four cores each and it is paired with 4 gigabyte of RAM, which should be enough to handle stock Android OS. Nokia 8 comes in 2 variants, 64 gigabyte ROM and 4 gigabyte of ram and other one have 128 gigabyte ROM and 6 gigabyte of RAM (only in polished blue variant). HMD designed the device such that, it doesn’t heat up even after heavy usage. Heat sink is very well managed in Nokia 8. 

Final Verdict: Nokia 8 is sort of a comeback for Nokia in high-end smartphone market. HMD hasn’t overdone it; they are just trying to maintain the old Nokia brand value. No doubt that, Nokia has always been known for its durability, imaging (photography) and audio. They did their best in imaging and audio department but also maintain their iconic partnership with ZEISS and clean design.

HMD yield Nokia 8 with best in class display, 554 ppi density and 700 nits’ brightness will mesmerize every user. AMOLED would be better for marketing but not everyone is a fan of a vibrant palette. Nokia 8’s Camera is magical. It is the android edition which lives up the standards of the 808 pureview and N8.

     

 In audio department, OZO division achieves the class-leading sound in the market. The 360^o audio recording is best suited for Video recording of concerts. It will be compelling on video as on the venue itself. It also gives power of live streaming from both cameras, which is like dream come true for many vloggers and social media fanatics.

  

In normal day-to-day usage, Nokia 8 is top-charting. Snapdragon 835 combined with 4 gigabytes of ram immensely increase the user experience. HMD surely did the brand justice by delivering on all promises.