Rushing to market to beat rival flagships to market, the Nokia 8 is the first Nokia flagship with ZEISS optics, OZO spatial 360-degree sound, "pure" Android and plenty more, including an $899 price.
Coming pumped with 64GB storage (expandable up to 256GB more via MicroSD), 4GB RAM, Cat 9 4G LTE, twin ZEISS optics lenses on the back, Android 7.1.1 and plenty more, Nokia has finally released the Android flagship of a type its fans would have wanted all those years ago, had Microsoft not meddled in Nokia’s destiny and burned its platform with Windows Mobile madness.
That madness destroyed Nokia smartphones, its reputation, its business and its Linux-based operating systems, but after Microsoft’s embarrassing broken Windows Mobile debacle, HMD Global licensed the Nokia brand name for consumer Nokia devices, and the once market leader has returned to the market.
HMD Global started off carefully in bringing new Nokias to market, starting off with lower-end 3, 5 and 6 numbered models at prices of $249, $329 and $399 respectively, as an iTWire writer covered at the time.
{loadposition alex08}The company then announced in early July that it was bringing ZEISS optics back to future Nokia-branded smartphones, presumably of the flagship variety, as reported in iTWire at the time.
Then we fast forward to late July, nearly exactly a month ago, with HMD Global’s chief executive, Arto Nummela, parting ways with the company in mysterious circumstances, but in no way stopping the Nokia train that has once against started hurtling down the tracks towards a very different smartphone landscape in 2017.
So, this now leads us to Nokia’s newest flagship smartphone, the Nokia 8, with three promised “firsts in one precision designed flagship”, with these headline features being as follows;
- First new generation Nokia smartphone to feature ZEISS optics.
- Tell both sides of the story with real-time live streaming using Dual-Sight mode.
- Introducing Nokia OZO spatial 360° audio.
Available for pre-order from today, 18 August, Nokia promises performance, pure Android and “the most advanced aluminium unibody design to date,” and says its Nokia 8 “has been designed from the ground up with the consumer in mind to deliver unique content capture and sharing experiences".
To that end, Nokia is introducing the concept not of a selfie but a “Bothie”, with a claimed “world-first in enabling Dual-Sight video to be livestreamed natively and in real-time to social feeds such as Facebook and YouTube".
We are told that, “Dual-Sight simultaneously harnesses both the front and rear cameras in a split screen visual for both photos and videos. With just one touch, this world-first livestream capability gives more immersive experiences for those who love to create and share special memories".
This design is claimed “to help you create and share the full picture”, as the “front and rear-facing cameras on the Nokia 8 have been co-developed with ZEISS optics for an optimum all-round experience".
The promise is that “content creators can natively broadcast their unique #Bothie stories to social media through the Dual-Sight functionality located within the camera app. Fans can also enjoy unlimited photo and video uploads to Google Photos".
Clearly, this is going to be something we’ll have to see for ourselves, because plenty of phones can livestream, while Samsung has offered the ability to record from both cameras at the same time for years, but it does sound like streaming both cameras live at the same time is new, so that will be interesting to check out when the opportunity arises.
We’re also going to have to hear for ourselves the difference, as Nokia is talking up its OZO Audio technology, which it bills as “placing exclusive Hollywood technology in the palm of your hand".
The deeper explanation is that “OZO spatial 360° audio brings a "fully immersive audio experience to your 4K video”, combining “three microphones with exclusive Nokia acoustic algorithms to capture audio with immersive 360° spatial surround sound”, delivering “leading-edge 360° audio capture that “ensures the playback lets you truly relive the moment so your memories never fade".
Next up comes Nokia proudly boasting the 8 has “a seamless unibody that is 4.6mm thin at the edge and just 7.3mm slim on average”, and which is “precision milled from a single block of 6000 series aluminium”, with Nokia stating the app has “pure design” that has been “refined through a 40-stage process of machining, anodising and polishing".
There are clearly different finishes, with “select models” available that “feature a high-gloss mirror finish that has taken over 20 hours to complete to achieve a flawless look".
With the result being “a full-length, graphite shielded, copper cooling pipe that dissipates the heat generated by the high performing system across the full length and breadth of the handset”, Nokia will be pleased. The Nokia 8 runs cooler in even the most demanding situations.
The Nokia is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor and platform, Mobile Platform and paired with “pure and secure” Android 7.1.1, but there is no word on how quickly the update to Android OS 8.0 will arrive – although we are told there will be “monthly security updates".
The pure Android experience is supposed to mean “no unnecessary apps slowing down the performance of your device”, along with “monthly security updates” so your Nokia 8 is “safe and up-to-date”, while “biometric fingerprint authentication” delivers the enhanced security you expect from a flagship.
There’s also “Quick Charge 3.0 compatible” for faster charging.
Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer of HMD Global, said: “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.”
Mark Trundle, general manager ANZ of HMD Global, said: “We saw how much Australian’s love the Nokia brand when we announced the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 smartphones, and are now excited to launch our flagship handset – the Nokia 8 into the Australian market.
"Maintaining Nokia’s craftsmanship and quality, we’ve built on our outstanding design with a pure Android experience to create a superior device featuring ZEISS optics, Dual-Sight live streaming capabilities and Nokia OZO spatial 360° audio to allow consumers to create, share and enjoy content like never before.”
Available for pre-order from JB Hi Fi from 18 August, Nokia 8 will be available for a RRP of $899.00 at JB Hi Fi and Harvey Norman.
Technical specifications for Nokia 8
Networks:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA: 1, 2, 5, 8
TDS-CDMA: 34, 39
LTE:1,2,3,4,5,7,8,20,28,38,39,40,41
Network speed: LTE Cat. 9, 3CA, 450Mbps DL/50Mbps UL
Available in single SIM
OS: Android Nougat 7.1.1
Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform
MSM8998 (4* 2.45GHz Qualcomm® KryoTM + 4* 1.8GHz Kryo)
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GBiii internal memory with external MicroSD card slot (support up to 256 GB)
Form factor: Splashproof IP54 touch monoblock with capacitive system keys
Display: 5.3” IPS LCD QHD 2560 x 1440, 700nts screen brightness, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5,
2.5D Glass
Camera with ZEISS optics:
Primary camera: 13MP (Colour + OIS) + 13MP (Mono), 1.12um, f/2.0, 76.9 ̊, PDAF, IR range finder, dual tone flash
Front facing camera: 13MP PDAF, 1.12um, f/2.0, 78.4 ̊, display flash
Connectivity & Sensors: Type C, USB3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 3.5mm headphone jack, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, E-compass, Gyroscope, Fingerprint Sensor, Hall sensor, Barometer, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (MIMO), BT 5.0, GPS/AGPS+GLONASS+BDS, NFC, ANT+
Battery: Integrated 3090 mAh batteryiv with Qualcomm® Quick ChargeTM 3.0 compatible (18W, 5V/2.5A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A)
Audio:MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG, WAV, AMR, AWB(AMR-WB), FLAC, MIDI(MID,MIDI,XMF,MXMF,IMY,RTTTL,RTX,OTA)
Video:MP4, 3GP, 3G2, AVI, MKV, WEBM
Dimensions: 151.5 x 73.7 x 7.9mm (camera bump 0.4mm)
Weight: 160g
