However, even premium phones are getting cheaper. We have phones like the Poco F1, Asus ZenFone 5Z and the Samsung Galaxy A7 with triple rear cameras that come with flagship grade features in the Rs 30,000 price range. Is HMD Global’s decision to bring the new Nokia 8.1 handset in this price range absolutely correct? Let’s find out…
Nokia 8.1 design
The Nokia 8.1 feels big and heavy. This is due to the styling by HMD Global and the materials used to build this phone. The body of the Nokia 8.1 is made of solid aluminium. There is glass on the front and back panel. You have two colour options – Blue/Silver and Iron/Steel. We got the Iron variant for review. Polished steel has been used on the edges.
The build quality of the phone is excellent. Every part feels sturdy. The body does not twist or flex even a bit. The glass used on the front comes with Corning Gorilla Glass protection, but information about the version is not available. HMD Global has not said anything about the glass on the rear panel either. It would have been nice if it had water and dust resistance.
The display notch is quite wide. But it only houses the earpiece, front camera and proximity sensor. The chin is also not very wide. The camera module on the back has a raised shape. When the phone is placed on its back, the camera bump comes in the middle. The glass part does not touch the surface at all. Because of this, the phone does not slide either.
Even though it’s on the thick side, the Nokia 8.1 is easy to grip. We were able to use it with one hand on several occasions without worrying about it falling or slipping from our hands.
Nokia 8.1 specifications and software
The most interesting thing about the Nokia 8.1 is that it is not being launched as an upgrade to the Nokia 8 or Nokia 8 Sirocco. Both of these were flagship devices and powered by the Snapdragon 835 processor. Instead, we are dealing with the first phone to run on the Snapdragon 710. Which is premium, but not the most powerful.
The new processor supports high-end smartphone features like a separate AI subsystem, multiple high-resolution cameras, modern LTE modem, etc. The Adreno 616 GPU is claimed to deliver console-like gaming quality.
Another feature of this phone is the HDR10 capable screen. The screen is 6.18 inches and the aspect ratio is 18.7:9. Because of this the resolution is 1080×2246 pixels. The battery is 3500 mAh and it supports 18 watt fast charging. You will get an 18 watt charger in the retail box. But HMD Global has not used the name Qualcomm Quick Charge.
Nokia 8.1 has only one variant – 64 GB storage with 4 GB RAM. This is a bit irritating, because in this price range, 128 GB storage is now available. If you want to use a microSD card, then you will have to compromise on the second SIM card. Because it has a hybrid dual SIM design. Both SIM slots support 4G and VoLTE. You will also get features like Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5, NFC, FM radio and GPS. There is a USB Type C port at the bottom and a 3.5 mm headphone jack at the top.
Our review unit was running Android Pie out of the box. This is an Android One phone. This means you get the stock Android UI. Apart from this, regular security updates and future software updates are guaranteed. We also noticed that there are some customisations in the UI.
There are preset options for the display like Standard, Vivid and Muted colours. Dynamic mode is on by default which changes the presets according to your activity. The Ambient Display feature shows the time, date and notification icons in monochrome. When you get an incoming message, you can take action by tapping.
Nokia 8.1 performance, battery life and cameras
Generally, using this phone was smooth. We were able to switch between apps with ease. The same was the case when switching between multiple Chrome browsers. Games with powerful graphics like PUBG and Asphalt 9: Legends ran smoothly.
As soon as we played some demo YouTube videos, the HDR screen started working. Even if the resolution drops to 480 pixels, you can watch videos with HDR. There is no need to worry about any mode or settings. However, it does take a toll on the battery. The volume coming from a mono speaker is quite loud. The quality is also good.
Talking about battery life, it lasts for a full day in normal use. By night, Nokia 8.1 is left with 10 percent battery. In our HD video loop test, the battery lasted for just 9 hours and 21 minutes.
Nokia 8.1 has a 12-megapixel primary rear camera. It comes with Zeiss brand lens and optical image stabilization. Apart from this, there is a 13-megapixel fixed focus depth sensor. It has a 20-megapixel front camera that also comes with adaptive mode. It will capture pictures with better detail in low light by combining four pixels.
Tap to see full-size Nokia 8.1 camera samples
The quality of the photos taken with the camera was good, but not consistent. Photos taken in daylight were full of detail and vibrant colours. The Nokia 8.1 is quick to lock focus and was a joy to use. There were complaints of overexposure in some of the photos. Live bokeh shots took a while to lock focus in the right place, but the images turned out well.
However, the quality suffered at night. Shots were generally bright, but there was a lot of noise. There was also a lack of detail. Distant objects were not clearly visible. At times, the focus was also not to our liking.
Videos recorded in daylight were crisp and sharp. Optical image stabilization is a good thing. Night videos had an odd throbbing effect. The front camera took good pictures in most situations. Beautification is available, but is off by default.
Our verdict
Nokia 8.1 has a very confusing name. We are not comparing it with its predecessors. But it is difficult to determine the position of this phone. Because it does not have any flagship level features. Nor is it in the value for money price range. If you are ready to spend Rs 30,000, then you can get powerful phones like Asus ZenFone 5Z and Poco F1 in the market. On the other hand, there are many phones under Rs 20,000 that offer similar performance. Nokia 7.1 is also included in these.
This phone will be seen as an upgrade over the affordable phone in departments like build, style and camera. Some users may be willing to spend more just for the Nokia name. Nokia 8.1 has many features to like, but most of them are available in phones cheaper than this one.
#Nokia #Review