HMD Global to take wraps off Nokia 8: What does Nokia's first Android flagship hold for buyers

Nokia launched three mid-segment Android smartphones and a revamped version of sturdy Nokia 3310 earlier this year. While, nostalgia remained a key factor in marketing these devices, they did not fare as well as expected in a fiercely competitive market. After much anticipation and numerous leaks, Nokia might finally turn things around with its first Android flagship - Nokia 8.

HMD Global will unveil the much-awaited Nokia 8 at an event in London at 7:30 pm local time today (12:00 am IST). This will be the first flagship device in years to bear the Nokia brand, and the first since the Finnish startup acquired it from Microsoft. And it will be first flagship ever under the brand to run Android. Earlier rumours had suggested that it will be Nokia 9 which will be the first flagship by the company to run Android.

And if the leaks are anything to go by, the Nokia 8 will be a smartphone worthy of the flagship tag. The images of Nokia 8 doing the rounds on the internet show design language akin to Lumia phones and a dual camera set-up with Carl Zeiss lens. Nokia phones have always been known for being sturdy devices, and the new flagship is expected to carry on this legacy too.

Rumoured features and specifications

First things first, the phone is likely to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, which has been used in several flagships, some of which have already been launched and some are rumoured. This puts Nokia 8 in league with the likes of Moto Z2 Force, Samsung Galaxy, and OnePlus 5. An Adreno 540 GPU will be there for the graphics. This powerhouse of a mobile processor is likely to be coupled with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory which can be expanded with a microSD card. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 also comes with Quick Charge 4.0, as well as enhanced power efficiency owing to its 10nm architecture. Nokia 8 is believed to be powered by a 3000mAh battery unit.

Nokia 8 will likely sport a 5.3-inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels and will have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Nokia's trademark ClearBlack display technology, once seen on Lumia phones, might also be seen on Nokia 8. This will allow better sunlight legibility to the smartphone. Also, Nokia has opted out of the trend of making bezel-less smartphones with its new flagship.

The Nokia 8 will also will herald the first dual camera set-up ever used in a device by the company. With HMD Global entering into an exclusive partnership with Carl Zeiss, the cameras on Nokia phones will once again feature the same lens which had once made them best in the segment. The dual camera set-up will consist of two 13-megapixel unist - one RGB and another monochrome - along with dual LED flash. The front snapper might be a 12-megapixel camera. There is no word on a selfie flash, though. The camera UI might not be all that was expected though. Leaks on Chinese search engine Baidu show that the Lumia Camera patent that HMD Global recently got from Microsoft is yet to be put into Nokia 8. Chances are, though, that it will be sent to devices as a software update later. For now, we can expect the Lumia Camera UI to be streamlined to work with Android.

On software front, Nokia 8 will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. It will be a stock version, just as it was seen on Nokia 3, 5, and 6. HMD Global had already cleared that monthly security updates and timely Android updates will be made available to the Nokia devices. Nokia 8 will also be one of the first devices to receive Android O when Google releases it. Design-wise, if reports by leakster Evan Blass are to be believed, the phone will be made entirely out of metal. A home button with fingerprint sensor embedded in it will be present below the screen, flanked by capacitive buttons for back and options on either side.

What Nokia 8 might cost

While Nokia is yet to declare an official price for its new flagship, rumours are that Nokia 8 might be priced at 589 euros, which amounts to around Rs 44,250. There have been reports, though, that Nokia 8 will come to Indian markets with a smaller price tag than that. This gives the smartphone competitive edge over other flagships it will be competing against for market share.

How to see the launch event

HMD Global will live-stream the launch even in London on its official Nokia website as well as the Nokia Mobile YouTube page. The Nokia Mobile twitter handle has also posted a tweet showing YouTubers Jonathan Morrison and MoreAliA who are expected to be present at the Nokia 8 unveiling. The launch event can also be caught at their YouTube pages.

Other devices to show up too!?

According to reports by Gizbot, HMD Global might launch Nokia 2 and a 3G variant of Nokia 3310 at the event too.

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