We review the Nokia 8!
HMD Global, the company responsible for the Nokia brand’s comeback, has brought the band back together. After announcing and releasing solid, beautiful mid-range and entry level phones, all that’s left to complete the return of the once iconic brand was a flagship phone. HMD Global’s banking on the Nokia 8, the company’s first ever flagship, to bring back Nokia faithful to the fold. Aside from sporting flagship hardware, HMD Global has also collaborated with the company responsible for making the Finnish brand synonymous with top-end imaging. But will Carl Zeiss lenses and a unique new shooting mode be enough attract people back who’ve moved on from the brand?
Nokia 8
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor
- Qualcomm Adreno 540 graphics unit
- 4GB of RAM
- 5.3-inch QHD IPS display, 2560 x 1440 resolution, with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- 64GB of expandable storage, up to 256GB via microSD
- Dual 13-megapixel Carl Zeiss rear cameras (color + monochrome), f/2.0 aperture, 1.12µm pixels, with laser AF, OIS, dual-LED flash
- 13-megapixel Carl Zeiss front camera, f/2.0 aperture, 1.12µm pixels, with PDAF
- Fingerprint sensor, IP54 certification, Nokia OZO Audio
- 3090mAh battery, with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Design: Classic Lumia design, easy to use one handed
HMD Global has gone to great lengths to try and replicate the look and feel of Nokia’s Lumia line of devices in the new phones that they’re pushing to the public, and the Nokia 8 is no exception. The phone has a great blend of old-school Lumia with its unibody metal build and rounded corners, along with the dual rear camera (which we’ll get to in a bit). We’ve always liked how Nokia’s phones felt in our hands, and the Nokia 8 evokes memories of devices like the Lumia 925 with every touch.
Because of the smaller than usual display of the Nokia 8, the phone feels especially handy when you’re using it one handed. One thing that we’re not particularly fond of is that the back of the phone is a little slippery. If there ever was a phone that desperately needed to be put in a case, it’s the Nokia 8.
The rear of the phone holds the dual camera setup, which is symmetrically mirrored by the laser AF and LED flash. Zeiss has once again lent their expertise in making the lenses that power the dual 13-megapixel rear cameras that adorn the rear of the phone. The power and volume button are located on the right side of the phone, while 3.5mm jack is on top. The bottom of the phone holds the USB Type-C port and speaker grille.
The phone’s fingerprint scanner is located right below the 5.3-inch display, flanked by Android navigation keys. As with most fingerprint sensors in Android phones nowadays, it pulls double duty as the home button, and is flanked by Android navigation keys on either side.
Display: Sharp and easy on the eyes
While the Nokia 8 has a smaller display than most typical Android smartphones today, the 5.3-inch QHD IPS panel protected by Gorilla Glass 5 looks hella sharp. Color accuracy is spot on, and the display is vibrant enough despite being just an IPS panel. Of course AMOLED and Super AMOLED panels look more vivid in comparison, but honestly sometimes looking at those uber saturated displays get tiring after a while.
Performance: Can go up against most flagships today
Being HMD Global’s first flagship, the Nokia 8 is armed with the typical hardware you’d expect from a top-tier device in 2017: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s an even better version of the Nokia 8 in Europe that bumps up both RAM and storage to 6GB and 128GB respectively, but sadly that version won’t be destined to arrive in our shores.
You won’t have to worry though, since the version that’s being sold locally is plenty fast. We pretty much know how Snapdragon 835 behaves at this point in time, so it’s safe to say that you’ll be able to plow through any and all Android apps with ease.
Audio quality is a little iffy though out of the speakers, as the quality drops significantly the louder it gets.
Software: Stock Android plus frequent security updates
HMD Global has always made it a point to provide a pure Android experience to their phones, sticking as much as possible to the stock form of the OS whenever possible. That means you’re getting a Nexus-like experience with your device, giving you the option to customize the phone depending on your tastes. We’ve also gotten several Android security updates with our device during its time with us, which doesn’t always happen with the devices of other manufacturers.
Camera: A little disappointing considering the price, plus bothie mode is pretty weird
HMD Global has teamed up with Zeiss for the optics of the Nokia 8, which marks the return of the famed German camera maker to the fold of mobile photography after the mobile device arm of the Finnish company got sold off. The Nokia 8 uses twin 13-megapixel cameras with Carl Zeiss optics, f/2.0 aperture with OIS and laser AF. The cameras are a combination of color and monochrome sensors that work in tandem, much like Huawei’s dual camera system on their more expensive smartphones.
Does HMD Global’s collaboration with Zeiss give the Nokia 8 an edge when it comes to images shot with its camera? Not really – many of the shots we took were okay, but weren’t what we expected considering the camera’s pedigree. Low-light performance is also a little disappointing, which is partly the fault of the f/2.0 lenses in the phone which doesn’t gather as much light as phones equipped with lower-aperture lenses.
The Nokia 8 also headlines the bothie, which is a shooting mode that combines images taken from the front and rear cameras. It’s a bizarre shooting mode to be honest, and we’ve never really found a use for it during our time with the device.
Battery: Enough for a day
With a slim body, the Nokia 8 only carries a 3090mAh battery inside its aluminum body. That’s more than enough to take you through the day though, as PCMark battery benchmark gave us a score of 8 hours and 12 minutes, which is more than enough to get you through the day comfortably without having to hit the socket for more juice.
Verdict: Decent flagship for people who don’t want to spend over 30K for a new phone
Despite the Nokia 8’s issues with its camera, its still a perfectly decent flagship for people not keen on dropping more than 30K for a new flagship. Its small size makes it extremely handy and easy to use one-handed, and it’s more than a match for most of the newer flagships today.
The Nokia 8 retails for Php 29,990.
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