The Nokia 8 could run Android O out of the box. Read the latest rumours on the Nokia 8 UK price, new features, specifications and launch date.
At MWC 2017 Nokia announced its Nokia 3,5,6 and 3310, which are fantastic budget- to mid-range smartphones. We’re now looking forward to something higher up the range, as Nokia prepares to unveil its flagship Nokia 8 in just a few weeks – a launch date is set for 16 August. (Also see: Nokia 2 rumours, Nokia 7 rumours and Nokia 9 rumours .)
As with those earlier phone announcements, the Nokia 8 will feature a premium metal design and a pure Android OS with timely updates – in fact, the phone could come with Android O out of the box. To this winning formula the company is likely to add dual-cameras with Zeiss optics at the rear, a Quad-HD display and the meaty Snapdragon 835 processor.
(Also read our Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 reviews.)
HMD Global has begun sending out invitations for a London-based Nokia 8 launch event on 16 August. We’ll bring you live coverage on the day.
A Scandinavian retailer claims the Nokia 8 will cost €589. In the UK that translates to around £517, so we’ll probably see a price tag of around £519.99.
This makes sense, leaving some scope above it for what is likely to be an even more expensive Nokia 9, while still competing with other UK flagships using the Snapdragon 835.
If anything, that seems a little cheap – and it turns out the phone could be even cheaper. Vodafone Romania is apparently going to sell it for €517.42 (£465/$605) .
(Also see: Best phones 2017 & Best Android phones 2017 .)
The key difference between the Nokia 8 and Nokia 9 is thought to be the screen, with this the smaller model of the two with a 5.3in display. It will most likely feature a 16: 9 display, while the upcoming Nokia 9 will house a 18: 9 screen.
This is demonstrated by a leak reported by NokiaPowerUser that shows the Nokia 8 with dual cameras and a physical fingerprint reader, alongside drawings of the supposed Nokia 9, which loses the fingerprint sensor to the rear while sporting a near bezel-less design.
It’s expected to be a Quad-HD (2560×1440 pixels) panel, with minimal bezels to the left and right but a bit more space top and bottom than recent flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6.
Dual-speakers will be found below the display, which would result in an overall chassis size of 151.55×73.7mm.
Protective Gorilla Glass 5 will also likely feature.
The vast majority of leaks surrounding the Nokia 8 have suggested it will feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chip, a quad-core chip built on the 10nm manufacturing process, optimised for energy efficiency and performance. However, we’ve also see the Snapdragon 660 tipped for the Nokia 8 (the Snapdragon 835 reserved for the Nokia 9) , which could explain the relatively low price.
As standard the Nokia 8 should be available with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, though models with 6GB- and 8GB of RAM could be coming later.
The camera is expected to be a key selling point for the upcoming Nokia 8, with HMD Global confirming that Nokia’s collaboration with Zeiss optics is back on. Zeiss is reportedly « rekindling its commitment to set new imaging standards for Nokia customers ».
However, a leaked photo of the upcoming Nokia 8 (see below) does not feature Zeiss branding.
Regardless, the Nokia 8 is expected to feature premium optics, with dual 13Mp cameras at the rear and another 13Mp selfie camera at the front. So photography is going to be a key selling point for the Nokia 8.
@evleaks has offered the following teaser:
The latest leak suggests the second rear camera will have a monochrome lens. A leaked camera interface image shows a menu from which you can choose one of three camera setups: RGB, dual-lens or Monochrome sensor.
Despite the fact that the Nokia handsets lower down the range use Micro-USB, the Nokia 8 will charge over USB-C. Quick Charge 4.0 should also feature, given the Snapdragon chip, though we’ve not heard anything as to whether the Nokia 8 will also support wireless charging.
We had assumed that the Nokia 8 would be running Nougat with a timely update to Android O following its release. However, with rumours now suggesting Android O could be no more than a week away and a Nokia 8 popping up on Geekbench running the software, it’s possible the company has teamed up with Google to put the new OS on its devices first.
It’s anticipated that the Nokia 8 will look very much like the smartphones lower down the line – Nokia made a point of saying no matter the price point you’ll get a premium design when it announced its earlier handsets.
VentureBeat has published the following image. In line with the rumours, there is a dual-camera on the rear, and what looks to be a 16: 9 screen with a physical home button below the screen.
However, a leaked photo said to be the Nokia 8 does not feature the same Zeiss branding on the rear.
Until now, all the images leaked had been concepts and renders – as seen in the video below.
Four colour options are expected to include Blue, Steel, Gold/Blue and Gold/Copper, all of which should offer IP68 waterproofing protection.
Also see: Best new phones coming in 2017 & 2018
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