HMD Global-owned Nokia today unveiled the Nokia 8.1, its successor to the excellent Nokia 7 plus from earlier this year. The Nokia 8.1 improves upon its predecessor in every way possible which includes the switch to a more power efficient and powerful Snapdragon 710 chipset.
The 7.97mm thick Nokia 8.1 features a 6.18-inch FHD+ PureDisplay that is capable of playing back HDR10 content. The display is protected by Corning’s 2.5D Gorilla Glass and it is also found at the rear. The Series 6000 aluminum chassis features diamond cut edges and it is strong enough to withstand regular wear and tear while offering a premium in-hand feel.
The Nokia 8.1 is powered by Qualcomm’s new mid-range Snapdragon 710 chipset which HMD Global boasts offers 35 percent better graphics performance and 20 percent higher CPU performance. The AI performance has also doubled due to a multi-core AI engine. There’s also support for Qualcomm’s aptX streaming codec for improved audio quality over Bluetooth. There’s a 3500mAh battery powering the device. Other notable specs include 18W fast charging support, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card slot, USB-C connectivity, fingerprint sensor, NFC, and more.
Apart from solid internals, the camera is another highlight of the Nokia 8.1. It features a 12MP ZEISS shooter with a large 1/2.55″ sensor and 1.4um pixels. This is paired with OIS, a wide aperture, and superfast autofocus for the ultimate low-light imaging performance. Like other Nokia devices, the Nokia 8.1 features OZO surround sound. The primary sensor is paired with a 13MP depth sensor used for capturing portrait photos and dual Hi-Cri flash. At the front, there’s a 20MP adaptive camera that uses pixel binning to capture detailed selfies in low-light.
The Nokia 8.1 runs on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. It is an Android One device meaning it will get three years of security updates and the next two major Android updates. The Nokia 8.1 will be available starting from mid-December for around 399 €. It will be available in three different color combinations.
