Nokia’s Flagship aims at Android Rivals

Nokia 8 Release Date， Price and Specs Revealed

The revamped Nokia 3310 took all the headlines earlier this year but now theres a posh new call maker from the famous phone firm.

The Nokia 8 has just been revealed and its taking aim firmly at the flagship competition.

This new smart phone， which will go on sale in September， is packed with features that make it as powerful as all of its Android rivals.

HMD Global， the company behind Nokias return to the smart phone market， has already launched three midrange devices this year but the Nokia 8 is by far the best to date.

This Android-powered device includes a very decent 5.3-inch LCD display with always-on technology， superfast Snapdragon 835 processor and dual rear ZEISS cameras which Nokia says will produce some of the best low light photography in the business.

Fans will also be treated to a new‘Bothie feature， which can record video using the front and rear camera at the same time.

This Dual-Sight function simul- taneously harnesses the front and rear cameras in a split screen visual for both photos and videos which can even been live streamed via services such as Facebook.

Nokia 8 is also the first smart phone to feature something called OZO Audio.

This sound technology brings a fully immersive 360 degree audio experience to any videos you record on the device.

Other features include 64GB of expandable memory and a 3090 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge technology.

Along with plenty of top specs inside this smart phone Nokia is making big noises about its design.

With curved edges the Nokia 8 has been built to offer a comfortable expe-rience in the hand and， with the camera sitting almost flush with the rear case， its also been made to tuck neatly in your pocket.

Other design features include a hidden antenna which Nokia boasts will improve call quality whilst using less power.

Theres four colours to choose from including a very shiny Polished Copper and more subtle Tempered Blue.

Its worth noting that， unlike many of its rivals， the Nokia 8 isnt waterproof and only offers splash resistance -this means it should cope in the rain but not being fully submerged in liquid.

One thing Android lovers will be pleased to hear is that the Nokia 8 of- fers an almost untouched version of the Google operating system.endprint

This pure experience not only means theres no bloatware or annoying duplicate apps but it also should offer updates more quickly.

In fact， HMD Global says the Nokia 8 should be one of the very first non-Google phones to get Android O.

Speaking about the device， Juho Sarvikas， Chief Product Officer of HMD Global， said： “We know that fans are creating and sharing live content more than ever before， with millions of photos and videos shared every minute on social media. People are inspired by the content they consume and are looking for new ways to create their own.

“Its these people who have inspired us to craft a flagship smart phone which perfectly balances premium design， an outstanding experience and powerful performance.”

The Nokia 8 goes on sale in September with prices expected to start from around ￡550.

The First High-end Smart Phone the Finnish Company has Released

With the newly unveiled Nokia 8， you can livestream your breakfast， lunch， dinner and everything in between straight from the camera to either Facebook or YouTube. Not only that， but you can use split-screen （or “dual sight”in Nokia parlance） to show your own face and what youre looking at simultaneously thanks to the front and back 13-megapixel cameras built in partnership with imaging specialist Zeiss.

The focus on livestreaming underscores where the new Nokia is headed as it targets a younger crowd more likely to use the feature on Snapchat or Instagram. It marks the latest comeback attempt from the brand， which was once the largest phone maker in the world by far but was ultimately crushed by newer players like Apple， Google and Samsung.

Nowadays， Finnish startup HMD

Global has licensed the rights to build Nokia phones and is putting a lot of stock in livestreaming and dual sight.“It is revealing the missing part of the story，” Pekka Rantala， HMDs chief marketing officer， said of the splitscreens ability to share a different kind of video. Rantalas remarks came during a briefing.

With all its eggs in this on-trend basket， HMD is looking to go after a younger crowd than consumers old enough to fondly remember the old Nokia phones.

“Nokia is a brand for everyone， but we definitely want to stay laser-focused on the next generation，” said Rantala.“We know that these people are really the creators sharing their lives on a daily basis on social media.”endprint

But has the Nokia 8 got the goods to persuade power users across the board， and not just millennials， to ditch their iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S8s？

Given the importance of social media on phones， it makes sense to include features like “dual sight，” and the features wont put others off， said Ben Wood of market researcher CCS Insight.

“I dont think there is any risk this will alienate other potential buyers of the product，” Wood said in an interview.“The core attributes of the Nokia brand will ensure that the device will get wide consideration from a wide spectrum of consumers.”

Theres plenty to like， even if youre not an Instagram Live-obsessed， alwaysSnapchatting socialite.

Back in February when Nokia staged its comeback at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona， some people lamented the lack of a flagship phone that would relight the fire in Nokia fans and early adopters. Six months later， its finally arrived： The Nokia 8 is a highperforming， high-end phone that makes a statement about what Nokia phones of 2017 are all about.

From what we can glean， this means strong and simple across the board， thanks to a classic design and clean Android， but with minimal， carefully thought-out flare and embellishments that set it apart from rivals.

This can be seen not only in the camera features， but in the glossy cop- per and blue versions of the phones， which stand out from the sea of black or grey phones. Also， if youve been in a homewares store recently， youll know 2017 is all about the copper. One thing that could still potentially put buyers off the Nokia 8 is the price， which at$599 is just under the iPhone 7s starting price of $650， but above the discounted prices of the now months-old Galaxy S8 and LG G6. The specs justify the cost of the phone though， according to Wood， and just having a phone as high end on the market is an important step for the Nokia brand.

“Apple and Samsungs stranglehold on the market is proving notoriously difficult to displace， but the Nokia 8 is certainly a step in the right direction，”Wood added.

Indeed， the handset field is littered with rivals that have tried， and failed， to overcome the stranglehold that Samsung and Apple have over the premium phone market.

Yet peoples awareness of Nokia phones could well help， Wood said. HMD will have to shout from the rooftops to let people know theres a new flagship Nokia phone in town， but once it does， brand recognition -- something rivals like Huawei are still struggling with -- could kick in and convince consumers to give the Nokia 8 a second look.endprint