Why Nokia's 2018 line-up looks like a winner
After resurrecting Nokia from the dead, Finnish conglomerate HMD Global has taken it upon itself to give this forgottten market leader of the past its rightful place. With the announcement of the Nokia 3310 (2017) along with Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6, the mobile phone maker made quite a splash at the Mobile World Congress 2017.
However, it has arguably gone bigger this year after announcing a line-up of five strong phones - Nokia 1 (Android Go), Nokia 8110 (Banana phone), Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 6 (2018) and the Nokia 8 Sirocco.
With devices that start from as low as $85 and go all the way up to approximately $950, the handset maker's line-up for 2018 sees it covering market segments across the board, thus ensuring that the company makes a strong push for the smartphone market crown.
Apart from announcing a host of handsets, Nokia also used the calendar's biggest trade show for phones to consolidate its image as a leading Android smartphone maker. To this effect, the company announced that going ahead, all Nokia 3 and above smartphones will come bearing pure Android builds and will be part of Google's Android One programme, thus ensuring that Nokia devices receive timely and direct updates straight from Google.
But more on Nokia's push for Android later. For now, let's take a look at the five phones on offer, and how they will look to change the game in their respective budget segments.
Nokia 1
Starting with the most affordable of the lot, the Nokia 1. At $85 (approx Rs 5,500) the phone is the company's new bet for the ultra-affordable budget segment. Despite its low-end specs, the device brings with it the promise of smooth performance as it ships with Google's new budget phone optimised OS, Android Oreo (Go edition).
With Android Go, Google has made optimisations to the system UI and kernel of Android OS along with announcing new apps that are designed to run smoothly on entry-level phones with as little as 512MB of RAM.
The device comes with a basic design - a small pebble-shaped form factor measuring 133.6x67.78x9.5mm and is made out of a two-tone polycarbonate shell. In terms of specs, the phone sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA IPS display and is powered by a 1.1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737M processor paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.
Nokia has equipped the phone with a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. In terms of connectivity, the phone boasts of Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS/AGPS, Bluetooth 4.2, Micro-USB 2.0, and 3.5mm headphone jack.
Lights on the package are kept on, courtesy a 2150mAh battery pack that Nokia claims can provide up to nine hours of talk time and up to 15 days of standby time.
Reports suggest, India to be one of the first markets to get the device with shipping expected to start in April. As for the price, for now, we're still waiting for official word, but if Nokia's previous pricing strategy for India and the phone's US pricing is anything to go by, expect the device to be sold in the country for a price point between Rs 4,000 and 5,000.
Nokia 8810: Banana phone
If the 3310 was Nokia's weapon of choice for evoking Nostalgia in 2017, then Neo's Banana phone from Matrix is the company's attempt at doing the same this year.
Announced with a price tag of 79 Euros (approx Rs 6,500) the device, however, is no novelty phone as it comes equipped with a number of apps and support for 4G networks. The device comes with a forked version of KaiOS and sports Qualcomm 205 SoC, 2.4-inch QVGA display, 2-megapixel rear camera, a 1500mAh battery along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and 4G LTE.
In Banana yellow and black, the device is as appealing as any phone out there - probably the phone's biggest achievement. Granted that much like the Nokia 3310, the device is a feature phone that's being used by Nokia as a marketing tool that evokes mushy memories of the past. However, it would be unfair to not point out that it does more than just that.
For that price, the phone marks itself out as a good proposition for budget phone buyers looking for a phone that supports 4G. Overall, it's design, internals, and an expected Rs 5,000 price tag for India could see this phone becoming a winner.
Nokia 8 Sirocco
Nokia's new flagship for 2018, the Nokia 8 Sirocco is a definite upgrade on the model from 2017. The device is arguably Nokia's best Android smartphone to date and comes with a beautiful design that sees curved glass on the front and back melting seamlessly into a steel frame sandwiched in the middle.
The company insists on calling this a special edition phone from the Nokia 8 line-up, however, in all honesty it is a completely new phone altogether. Although the phone shares the processor, RAM and storage configuration of the higher end Nokia 8 from last year, the similarities end there.
The Sirocco is waterproof, comes with a refreshed design that features a Samsung Galaxy S9 style curved 5.5-inch Quad HD pOLED display that looks absolutely beautiful and a lot more premium than last year's Nokia 8. Adding to the premium feel of the phone is the lack of a physical button on the front and addition of wireless charging.
Nokia's also bumped up the cameras on the Sirocco and has equipped the device with a 12-megapixel +13-megapixel dual camera setup at the rear with 2X optical zoom and the ability to shoot images with depth of field effects. Unlike the Nokia 7 Plus, the front sensor is not extremely powerful – 5-megapixel.
The only problem that we see with the phone is its price. While the Nokia 8 was announced for 649 euro price, the Nokia 8 Sirocco gets a 100 euro bump on that. This could also see the Indian pricing of the phone being hiked and the phone crossing the Rs 45,000 mark, thus pushing it past the reach of many mid-segment flagship buyers.
Nokia 7 Plus
With a beautiful 6-inch 18:9 screen, the Nokia 7 Plus is a forward-looking phone that is also easy on the pocket. Sporting a bezel-less display, the device also marks a shift in Nokia's approach to design. Machined from a solid block of 6000 series aluminum, the phone is coated with ceramic paint at the back to give it a premium feel.
In terms of cameras, the Nokia 7 Plus boasts of a dual camera setup – a 12-megapixel sensor paired with a 13-megapixel telephoto sensor – along with a selfie 16-megapixel camera on the front.
Under the hood, the device packs a Snapdragon 660 SoC paired with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 265GB using a MicroSD.
Powering the phone is a 3800 mAh battery pack that Nokia claims can deliver up to 2 days of battery life. Priced at 399 euros (approx Rs 30,00) the device is a good blend of looks, power and features.
Nokia 6
This mid-segment phone from Nokia may well be the least exciting of all the phones announced by the smartphone maker at MWC 2018, however, it will still give a good fight to competition in its segment. Priced at 279 euros (approx Rs 22,500), the device is powered by a Snapdragon 630 processor paired with either 3/4GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage expandable via a microSD card.
On the front, the phone is adorned with a 5.5-inch Full HD LCD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. In terms of the optics, the Nokia 6 comes with a 16-megapixel rear shooter and an 8-megapixel selfie shooter in the front.
The hardware aside, what is expected to set the phone apart from the competition is its promise of being an Android One device.