Nokia has unveiled its first flagship Android smartphone. Called simply the Nokia 8, the phone boasts some impressive specifications including a returning partnership with imaging experts Carl Zeiss.
With a sleek all-aluminium unibody design that’s available both in matte and polished metal variations this is every bit the minimalist premium smartphone that you’d expect from Nokia.
It’s also one of the phones to feature a new copper-style colour, something that we know has been leaked as a possible new colour for the iPhone 8.
The Nokia 8 is slim too, measuring just 7.3mm at its thickest point. Something to note that’s really impressive about this device is there isn’t a single sharp line or edge anywhere on the body. Instead everything sits flush within the curved body making it extremely comfortable to hold.
While the design is impeccable, what Nokia is really pushing however is a particular feature within the camera which allows you to use both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras at the same time creating what the company calls a ‘bothie’ (instead of a selfie).
If taking a new type of selfie isn’t up your street then you’ll be pleased to learn that Nokia has rekindled its much-loved partnership with Carl Zeiss.
Back before smartphones changed the world Nokia’s partnership with Zeiss led to the creation of the superb N series, boasting ‘smart’ phone capabilities and a camera that could actually compete with stand-alone digital cameras available at that time.
Well that partnership is back and in the Nokia 8 you’re getting two 13MP Zeiss optics cameras. One shooting in colour and the other in monochrome.
On the front there’s another 13MP camera for taking selfies or as Nokia insists on calling them ‘bothies’.
The camera can shoot the same ‘bokeh’ effect shots you find on most smartphones now and can also record video in 4K.
The 8 also features the same 3D-audio recording technology from Nokia’s $60,000 OZO virtual reality camera. What’s even more impressive is that video sent to other people will still boast 3D audio, even if the recipient’s phone doesn’t feature the technology.
Finally there’s the screen. While some brands choose to stick with a standard HD display, the Nokia 8 has a reassuringly high-resolution 2K display. For comparison that’s higher than the current iPhone but lower than the Samsung Galaxy S8.
The Nokia 8 will come running the latest version of Google’s Android software and the company is promising that it will receive regular security updates as well as making sure you’re on the latest version of Android.
It’ll have 64GB of internal storage which can then be expanded using a microSD card.
It’s available in four colours (Polished Blue, Tempered Blue, Steel, Polished Copper) and will be on sale in the UK early September for around €599 or $700. There’s no word on a UK price yet.