TechTheDay

The legend of the mobile phone industry, Nokia, with their partner HMD Global, finally unveiled their flagship Android phone: the Nokia 8. But we shouldn’t expect much from the phone’s looks as the first glimpse of the phone will remind you that this phone has arrived late. The design is pretty much from the last generation, with two thick bezel on the top and bottom of the phone.

So you might be wondering “is this a joke?” “Is Nokia really releasing this phone as its flagship Android phone?” Well first, no. And second, yes.

Looks Are Not Everything

First of all, we should remember that Nokia arrived late in the Android game. Just six months ago they don’t have any phone that they can really call as their flagship phone. Nokia 3, 5 and 6 are not what you’d call “high-end” smartphones. LG, Sony and Huawei would have completely dominated the scene in Barcelona had Nokia not re-launched their 3310. It’s not even as tough as the real 3310: just a new phone with new looks that inherited the old name.

So we should really forgive Nokia for the 8’s design. It’s not an edge-to-edge display, sure. It’s not waterproof. And it doesn’t have the ability to detect someone squeezing it. But what really matters is the functionality of the phone, right? Edge-to-edge displays, waterproof devices and squeeze input functions are just gimmicks. They bring extra functionality but aren’t really necessary features.

But we’re not saying that Nokia should continue on forever with the old looks though. Phones today function more like an accessory, rather than just a communication device. The cooler they look, the better. People would want their phones to look cool. And so in this generation, cooler phones equals more customers, and that equals more consumers, equals more money. So while we should forgive how Nokia 8 looks, the next flagship phone should definitely be worthy to be called “a 2018 smartphone.” But for that, we’ll have to wait.

The Strength Inside

What’s inside the Nokia 8 is a different matter. The phone boasts of a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB RAM. There’s a 5.3-inch display at the front with Ultra HD resolution. The phone can easily be used even on a bright, sunny day. At the back and front, you’ll each get 13-megapixel cameras. Two at the back, one at the front. One of the back cameras can only capture in black and white. All three cameras capture 4K resolution video. The phone also can simultaneously capture video from the front and the back and it can combine those two into one video with a split screen. Good for live streaming if you want to show something while capturing your face on video too.

The casing is all metal and is very polished. It also easily gets fingerprints on it so a good outer casing might be a good idea if you want to avoid scratches and prints all over it. It’s not waterproof, but it’s splashproof. It also has a fingerprint scanner and USB-C port as the charging port.

Finally, just like 3, 5 and 6, Nokia 8 will run the latest version of Android Nougat.

The Price

Finally, the price. Nokia 8 will be sold at around £599 in the UK, and 599 euros to the rest of Europe. Currently, there are no plans for the phone to be launched in the US or Australia, but 599 euros is equal to around $700 in the US and AU $900 in Australia. If you plan to import it, it might cost you more.

It’s not cheap, it’s a high-end phone after all. It just looks like it isn’t. You might just rather buy the current high-end phones that are available in the market right now if the looks still bugs you. There’s no difference in the specs compared to other high-end phones anyway. But if you really want to try this out and you live in the US, then importing it is your only option for now.