HMD Global has launched its latest mid-range smartphone in India. Priced at Rs. 26,999, the phone is now up for pre-order and will start shipping from 21st December through leading offline retailers as well as Amazon India and Nokia online store.
Display
The smartphone sports a 6.18-inch Full HD+ HDR10 display which uses the company’s PureDisplay technology, which was first introduced with the Nokia 7.1 that was launched a couple of months ago.
It offers 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 500 nits brightness, 96% NTSC Color gamut, DCI-P3, and 1500:1 Contrast ratio. On top of the display, there’s a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection from minor scratches.
Hardware & Software
The Nokia 8.1 is powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 710 octa-core processor which is manufactured using the 10nm design process. It comes with Dual 2.2GHz Kryo 360 + Hexa 1.7GHz Kryo 360 CPUs, coupled with Adreno 616 graphics processor.
The device packs 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It also supports storage expansion up to 400GB using a microSD card. There’s also another variant of the phone that packs 6GB of RAM. However, the company has not announced the 6GB RAM model in the Indian market yet.
Connectivity options on the device include Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, and USB Type-C. There’s also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for added security. The device is powered by a 3,500mAh battery with support for fast charging.
The phone is a part of Google‘s Android One program and thus it comes with a stock Android mobile operating system. It runs the latest Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box. Being a part of Android One, the phone is expected to receive the latest Android major release for atleast two years and continued support in regards to security patches.
Camera
Nokia has been trying to offer a
It features a 12-megapixel primary Sony IMX363 sensor with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4μm pixels, and Optical Image Stabilizer. There’s also a 13-megapixel secondary rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and ZEISS optics.
The camera offers several artificial intelligence-based features, including AI Beauty and AI Portrait Mode. There’s also 6 AI studio lights, AI expressions, and new dual-view mode.
As for the front-facing camera, the smartphone comes equipped with a 20-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture, 0.9-micron pixels, and 4-in-1 pixel tech for better low-light photography.
The company is also touting its Bothie feature, which allows both the front and rear camera to used simultaneously. It also talked about its Pro Camera UI, which offers several manual camera options.
Availability
The Nokia 8.1 will be available in India in two color options — Blue-Silver, and Iron-Steel. As said, priced at Rs. 26,999, the phone is currently up for pre-order and will go on sale from 21st December.
The phone’s launch offers include up to 1TB of 4G data for Airtel prepaid subscribers and up to 120GB of additional data for Airtel postpaid subscribers. Those who pre-book the smartphone or select the Notify Me option from Amazon India will get a 6-month screen replacement from Servify, while those buying the smartphone from offline retailers will get 10 percent
