HMD Global has started flooding the market with Nokia phones. It is already selling the low- and mid-range products in different countries. Now HMD Global is looking to take on the likes of iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8. The company will reportedly launch two new premium smartphones, Nokia 8 and Nokia 9, sometime next month. HMD Global has the exclusive license to make Nokia-branded phones.
Both Nokia 8 and Nokia 9 rumored to feature dual camera
Reliable tipster Evan Blass of VentureBeat has discovered an official 39-second promotional video showing four Nokia branded devices in their full glory. The video has since been taken down, but not before Blass reposted it to Twitter. The first two smartphones are the Nokia 3 and Nokia 5, which are already available in the market. One of the other two devices sports a dual-camera system. It could either be Nokia 8 or Nokia 9, both of which were previously rumored to feature a dual camera.
https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/864416988789170176
https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/864428092160434177
The fourth device looks a lot like Nokia 6, but has a different rear camera setup. Evan Blass speculates that it could be the mid-range Nokia 7 rather than Nokia 8. The video was originally posted by George Chevalier Lewis, who previously served as the head of brand photography at Nokia, according to his LinkedIn profile. HMD Global has reportedly hired Lewis as an art director for Nokia branded phones.
George Chevalier Lewis wrote in the video description that the phones were still in development, so their form and shape was much more simple than the “final products that have now been launched.” It means some of the devices featured in the teaser have already hit the store shelves, and the final products don’t necessarily look the same as shown in the video.
Nokia 9 to have no physical home button
Multiple leaks have suggested that both the Nokia 8 and Nokia 9 will feature a vertically-placed dual-camera system. Both devices are said to sport 22MP dual camera setup on the back and a 12MP front snapper for selfies. Where the two devices will reportedly differ is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. According to the design sketches leaked by Nokia Power User, Nokia 9 will have thinner bezels and no physical home button. It means the fingerprint sensor has to be integrated into the display or relocated to the back panel.
The same leak showed that Nokia 8 would have bigger top and bottom bezels than Nokia 9, and it will sport a physical home button. GSM Arena speculates that the dual-camera phone shown in the video is Nokia 8, though some other reports claim it to be Nokia 9.
Both phones to use Snapdragon 835
The Nokia 8 is rumored to have a rectangular form factor and a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display. The device is expected to run Android Nougat right out of the box. Most flagship Android phones coming this year have an aspect ratio of 18:9 or 18.5:9. While Nokia 9 will reportedly boast an 18:9 aspect ratio, Nokia 8 will have the standard 16:9 ratio.
Both the flagship devices are said to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset along with 4GB or 6GB RAM. Reports suggest that HMD Global would offer them in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options, which you can further expand via a microSD card slot. The rumor mill also expects the premium Nokia phones to support Google’s Daydream VR platform.
Nokia 8 price and release date
According to a report from PocketNow, the Nokia 8 and 9 will be launched in June. The same publication claims that there would be two versions of Nokia 8, one with a mid-range price tag and another targeting the premium market. According to PocketNow, the mid-range model is going to cost 4000 yuan ($580) and the high-end version would cost 4500 yuan ($652).
Nokia 9, on the other hand, is said to be priced at $699 in the United States. It will be interesting to see if HMD Global succeeds in reviving the iconic Nokia brand, especially when it is competing in the crowded Android market. Nokia still has a brand appeal in emerging countries in Asia and Africa. The company has just launched the Nokia 3310 in India.
