The Nokia 9 is only a few weeks away. It is said to be HMD Global’s most expensive smartphone with premium specs. The Nokia 9 would have all the features necessary to challenge the likes of the iPhone X, Galaxy S line, and the upcoming LG G7. Though the rumor mill has revealed plenty of details about the next-gen Nokia-branded flagship, a new Nokia 9 back cover sheds light on its dimensions.
Here’s what the Nokia 9 back cover tells us about the phone
Folks at NokiaPowerUser have posted a hands-on YouTube video of the Nokia 9 back cover they claim to have obtained from a reliable source. The video highlights the compact size of the handset. It shows that the Nokia 9 back cover fits the Nokia 3 nicely. It means the upcoming flagship phone’s dimensions will be similar to the Nokia 3’s 143.4 x 71.4 x 8.48 mm.
Cutouts on the Nokia 9 back cover show that the phone would drop the 3.5mm headphone jack, which may disappoint some fans. Since Apple ditched the audio jack from the iPhone 7, many vendors including Google have removed the feature from their flagship models. The Nokia 9 would sport a vertically-placed dual camera system on the back. The fingerprint sensor is positioned below the camera module while the LED flash is placed next to the camera.
You can see the power button and volume rockers at the right side of the handset. The USB-C port, mike, and speaker grille are placed at the bottom. HMD Global has also included a mike at the top to enhance your audio experience. The phone would sport a bezel-less OLED display, which forced HMD to relocate the fingerprint reader to the rear panel.
Nokia 9 features and specs, according to FCC documents
A few days ago, the Nokia 9 was spotted passing through the US FCC. The FCC documents revealed some of the most important details about the phone. A screenshot shared by FCC suggested that the device would sport a 5.5-inch OLED panel supplied by LG display. The Nokia 8 came with the traditional IPS LCD screen with thick bezels. The FCC documents showed that the device would run Android 8.0 Oreo.
The upcoming flagship would run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 SoC and house a 3250mAh battery. Though the battery size seems decent for a flagship, using the year-old Snapdragon 835 when the Snapdragon 845 has been announced could turn off some potential buyers. The FCC didn’t mention the RAM. It would offer 128GB of internal storage.
The Nokia 9 would include a 12MP and a 13MP lens on the back panel and a 5MP front snapper. HMD Global is expected to source the camera lenses from Zeiss, which also supplies lenses for the Nokia 8. The Nokia 8 already has a dual camera, but it doesn’t offer great quality photos. We expect Nokia 9 to have an improved dual camera setup compared to the Nokia 8.
Nokia 9 price and release date
Chinese regulators have also certified the Nokia 9, which indicates that its release is imminent. It is said to be one of the first premium smartphones of the next year. HMD Global is said to be holding a media event on January 19 to unveil new phones including the Nokia 9. The company would also announce the Nokia 8 (2018) and Nokia 6 (2018) at the same event. The Nokia 9 would hit the store shelves in late January or early February to gain the first-mover advantage against the LG G7 and Samsung’s Galaxy S9.
It is unclear how much the Nokia 9 would cost. We expect it to sell at a higher price than the Nokia 8. Early reports suggest that the device would be priced at CNY 4199 ($635) in China. A few other reports claim it would cost EUR 750 in European markets. Anyway, we will find out the official price in a few weeks.
HMD sold 16 million Nokia phones in Q3
HMD Global has released a wide range of phones this year from the budget model Nokia 2 to feature phone Nokia 3310 to the premium Nokia 8. The company hasn’t announced how many Nokia-branded phones it has sold. But data from Counterpoint Research suggests Nokia has made a strong comeback. According to Counterpoint Research, HMD Global sold more than 16 million phones during the third quarter of 2017.
The company shipped 2.8 million Android smartphones and 13.5 million feature phones in Q3. That’s a lot of phones for HMD in the debut year. It makes the Finnish company the third largest vendor of feature phones and 16th largest smartphone maker. Counterpoint said the Nokia phones have been “well received in the market,” which helped the brand grow rapidly in recent months.
The Nokia brand still holds value among dealers and consumers. That, coupled with the high quality of phones, has helped Nokia gain market share in a short time. Now HMD Global has a phone for almost every market segment. With the imminent release of the Nokia 9, it is only expected to strengthen its foothold in the Android market.