Nokia 8 presented: The Finnish top smartphone
from David Haydl 
on August 22, 2017, 21:02 pm | Write a comment
A few days ago, HMD Global presented the Nokia 8. It should be the company's first real flagship. Based on the specs, you quickly notice that this device clearly wants to play in the top range of smartphones. But: is it really the new top smartphone from the Finns?
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Housing
The case of the Nokia 8 is made of polished aluminum. As a result, it shines a lot and is therefore similar to the HTC U11. Here you could have gone a more independent way. In addition, the smartphone is only splash-proof. The lack of water resistance is not a major point of criticism in 2017. You can buy it in black, dark blue, an orange shade and silver. At 7,3mm, the device is also very thin.
These are the four color options (Image: © 2017 Nokia / HMD - Global)
Back and front
In addition to branding, only the vertically installed dual camera, which was developed in cooperation with Zeiss, can be found on the back. On the front there is a 5,3 inch LCD display with a Quad HD resolution. It also comes in the normal 16: 9 format. An 18: 9 display would definitely have been more interesting here as well. The navigation buttons are located below the display in the form of touch-sensitive buttons. The fingerprint sensor is located under the home button. The front camera is also located above the display. It has a resolution of 13MP.
Cameras and microphones: at 2017 level
HMD - Global relies on a dual camera for their Nokia 8. This was developed in cooperation with the Zeiss company. Both sensors have a resolution of 13MP. One takes on the colors and the other only takes pictures in black and white. This interaction ultimately results in sharper photos in all situations. With the help of three microphones and Nokia OZO audio technology, 360 degree sound can also be recorded for videos and ordinary memos.
An innovation in the camera software is the possibility of so-called bothies to record. You can use it to take a photo or video where you can see your face and what the main camera is recording at the same time. After the shutter release, both camera perspectives are saved side by side on a recording.
This is how "Bothies" are recorded (Image: © 2017 Nokia / HMD - Global)
Specs and software
The Nokia 8 is powered by a Snapdragon 835 from Qualcomm. There is also 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory, which can be expanded up to 256GB via micro SD. A 3090mAh battery provides enough juice. If this should become empty, you can quickly recharge it with a Quickcharge 3.0-capable power plug via the USB-C port.
The software used is pure Android version 7.1.1 with the stylish Pixel Launcher. Accordingly, bloatware is not preinstalled. This overall package promises smooth performance and quick updates in the future.
The Pixel Launcher at Nokia 8 (Image: © 2017 CNET)
Conclusion: we already had ...
I think the Nokia 8 is very similar to the HTC U11. The housing is practically the same except for the dual camera and branding. In addition, it looks similar with the specs on both smartphones. Both devices also each have a special feature. With the HTC U11 that is Edge Sense and with the Nokia 8 they are bothies. There are actually only two things Nokia has done better than HTC. On the one hand, there is the software. Stock Android is definitely better than the HTC UI. On the other hand, the Nokia smartphone has a jack port, which the U11 does not have.
Because the price and software of the new Nokia smartphone is better than the comparable HTC Flagship, I would prefer it. The Nokia 8 will go on sale on September 8th at an MSRP of € 599.
