HMD Global, the Finnish company that has been operating in the smartphone market since last December, has finally brought the much-anticipated Nokia 8. While the new Nokia smartphone is officially designed to bring back the regime of the brand that was earlier a household name, it has some compelling features that are making it a strong competitor against the next iPhone. But what are all those features? We're listing them right here.
'Bothie', an extension of selfies
You might have tried to capture all your good friends in one selfie but failed eventually due to the small front-facing camera. HMD has addressed this concern by adding a feature called Dual Sight that captures not a selfie or groupfie but "bothie". This new development allows you to take photos or record videos using the front and rear camera sensors of the smartphone simultaneously. The shots include both the moments in one single frame.
Companies like LG and Samsung have already brought similar features on their previous flagships. However, the Nokia 8 is set to market the pre-installed extension at a large scale by offering the ability even to broadcast "bothie" stories to social media. Additionally, there is Google Photos integration with unlimited photo and video uploads. This unlimited storage is something that you won't get on the iPhone 8.
Zeiss optics with dual-camera setup
Apart from the feature to capture both front and rear camera views at once, the Nokia 8 comes with dual 13-megapixel image sensors on the back with Zeiss optics on top. The Espoo, Finland-based company partnered with Carl Zeiss to provide enhanced image optics. Notably, one of the two image sensors includes optical image stablisation (OIS), and the dual-camera setup is accompanied by laser and phase detection technology and dual-LED flash. This entire combination produces high-quality photos and videos that would make things difficult for the upcoming iPhone.
OZO Audio
In addition to premium imaging results, the Nokia 8 has OZO Audio technology that lets you record spatial 360-degree sound. There is a preloaded Audio Focus mode that helps you capture crystal-clear sound along with 4K videos. This mix of hardware and software enhancements brings the new Nokia smartphone in line with the iPhone 8. Also, it is likely to influence the buying decision of some music professionals.
Display with 2K resolution
Though the market of flagship smartphones is now adding full-screen displays as a key factor to persuade buyers, and the next iPhone is rumoured to support a similar technology, HMD has continued to offer a traditional experience. Nevertheless, the Nokia 8 has a 2K display that makes 2560x1440 pixels (QHD) resolution. There is also Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top. This combination is enough to deliver comparable results.
Top-end, 10nm processor
HMD Global has managed to deliver higher end hardware on the Nokia 8 than most of the currently available Android phones. It is based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chipset that is among the first few mobile chips with 10-nanometre architecture. Alongside octa-core processing, the device has up to 6GB of RAM. The iPhone 8 is also presumed to have a 10nm chip and plenty of memory. But real-world results are yet to emerge against the rumoured details.
Pure Android experience
Unlike other flagships such as Samsung's Galaxy S8 or the upcoming Note 8 or HTC's U11, the Nokia 8 runs a pure Android experience that comes with the latest Nougat version. The smartphone also has Google Assistant support that was initially limited to Pixel range and brings a Siri-like experience.
Unibody design
The Nokia 8 has been designed with an aluminium unibody construction. This is developed in a 40-stage process that involves machining, anodising and polishing the build. Also, the rigorous process is accomplished with a mirror finish which has Tempered Blue, Polished Blue, Steel and Polished Copper color options. The paint job is even premium than the current-generation iPhones.
Next-gen Bluetooth
The last feature in our list is the least noticeable one -- yet a vital one, especially when making a comparison with the next iPhone. It is the new Bluetooth connectivity.
The is among the very few handsets that have Bluetooth 5.0. The new Bluetooth standard is touted to quadruples range and increases the capacity of connectionless data broadcasts by eight times than its preceding version. Specifically, the technology is capable of delivering a bandwidth of up to 2Mbps. It simply means faster data transfer alongside lesser power consumption.
HMD Global is launching the Nokia 8 around the globe in September at a price of €599 (approximately S$952). The launch schedule is matching the arrival of the next iPhone. So what are your thoughts about the new Nokia handset?
