Product test

Comeback of the year - What the Nokia 8 is really good for

13.10.2017

Translation: machine translated

Microsoft's withdrawal from the mobile phone industry also marked the end of an era for Nokia. Little did anyone know that HMD Global had bought the Nokia brand rights shortly beforehand. Now, the Finnish company is on the attack with the Nokia 8. Will the comeback be a success?

A little over three weeks ago, Senior Editor Dominik Bärlocher handed me the Nokia 8 to test. He knows that I've only ever used iPhones. He casually told me to give myself the pure Android experience - I would learn that the term "pure" was not chosen at random during this test. Initially, the changeover was difficult. However, a few tricks, gimmicks and other outrages later, everything is now running smoothly. And how!

Sleek design and the involuntary stability test

I'm not actually known for destroying mobile phones like Junior Editor Livia Gamper. In fact, I successfully got four smartphones and two tablets through their relatively short, roughly two-year life cycle without the slightest scratch.

The series broke on my test object of all things. Of course it did. It wouldn't be funny if I didn't have a fie-fie to confess to the product Management. What happened? The mobile slipped out of my hand. The rough landing on the pavement in Zurich resulted in a cracked glass on the back of the camera lens and two rather harsh curses on my part.

Smartphones

Nokia 8

64 GB, Tempered Blue, 5.30", Hybrid Dual SIM, 4G

Smartphones

Nokia 8

64 GB, Stainless steel, 5.30", Hybrid Dual SIM, 4G

This accident was obviously not due to my clumsiness (caution, sarcasm!). To ease my conscience, I blame the clean workmanship. In other words: The mobile is made from a 6000-grade aluminium block, with rounded corners - nice and thin and pleasantly light. A so-called unibody housing. It looks very classy, but without a protective cover it is in constant danger of slipping out of your hands. Could the Nokia 8 have been a little thicker? Yes, why not. It would fit a little better in the hand.

Nonetheless, there's hardly anything to criticise about the design. On the contrary, it impresses with its simplicity. The display may not be bezel-free - which seems to be all the rage at the moment - but thanks to the rounded edges, it looks like it is. When I don't drop the mobile on the floor, it feels really smooth. This is hardly surprising, after all, the Nokia 8 is a premium device.

Lots of power and the pure operating system

Let's list a few hard facts:

CPU: Snapdragon 835 processor from Qualcomm
Operating system: Android 7.1.1 Nougat (stock Android), Android 8 Oreo from the end of October
Internal memory: 64 GB storage space
Memory: 4 GB RAM
3.5 mm jack for headphones
Fingerprint sensor for unlocking
Dual SIM function included on request

The processor and 4 GB of RAM ensure fast operation. Swiping back and forth feels smooth and without any delays. Apps open quickly and load smoothly. Even CPU hogs such as Spotify or Snapchat load a tad faster than on other Android devices. With Snapchat, I was able to easily swipe between the filters - something I wasn't familiar with before.

The fact that the device runs so well is also due to the fact that HMD Global uses a pure version of Android, also known as stock Android, for its new smartphones. Where other manufacturers take the operating system as a basis and programme their own fuss (superfluous, pre-installed apps and user interface customisations) over it, HMD Global takes the software as it comes from Google. The company does without its own exclusive functions that it could advertise. In return, the user gains an operating system that is practically flawless.

Another advantage: faster security and system updates than the Android competition. The system update to Android 8 Oreo will be released at the end of October, which is significantly earlier than the competition.

A lot of power in a flat aluminium block. Design meets technology.

The internal memory is only 64 GB - 48 GB if you subtract the space reserved for the software - but can be expanded via micro SD card. You can unlock the screen with a fingerprint. This has worked perfectly for me so far. A dual SIM function for the simultaneous use of two SIM cards is also available on request.

Great cameras and outstanding display

The camera specifications are impressive:

Two rear cameras, colour and monochrome
13 megapixels and autofocus also on the front camera
Zeiss optics for both front and rear camera
Photos with depth of field thanks to the dual camera (bokeh effect)

The black and white function is cool. It allows you to take photos directly in black and white; there is no need to apply a filter in an editing programme. This clearly benefits the image quality. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test the bokeh effect because the glass in front of the second lens broke when I dropped it on the tarmac - saudoof!

A new, very clever function is the so-called "Bothie". The name is derived from selfie and means that you can activate the front and rear camera at the same time so that you not only take a photo of yourself, but also of what is in front of the camera. It also works when making videos: At my girlfriend's graduation ceremony, I was not only able to film the solemn moment of the diploma presentation, but also my proud little eyes glistening with real male tears. What a beautiful thing!

The QHD display is also impressive. 3.7 million pixels (2560×1440 pixels) on a 16:9 display with 554 pixels per inch ensure razor-sharp images. If you wish, you can set the display so bright that it burns your eyes out - fortunately, the brightness automatically adjusts to the lighting conditions if you activate the adaptive brightness function beforehand. This worked perfectly for me: During the day, the picture is clear and easily recognisable, even in the brightest lighting conditions. In the evening, the picture automatically dims just as much as necessary without me feeling like I was staring at the picture with sunglasses on. Great cinema!

Battery life as usual

As always with me, this smartphone doesn't last more than a day without a charging station during normal use. By normal use, I mean paddling around a bit on the train in the morning, reading "20 minutes" or WhatsApping. The same again at lunchtime and in the evening. A selfie (sorry, bothie) or a video or two in between. Around 9 p.m., the charging station attracts me at least as much as the light attracts the moth.

The Quick Charge function, which takes the mobile from 0 to 100% in just over 90 minutes, is very much in keeping with the times. This is extremely practical, especially if you don't have access to power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Less contemporary is the lack of wireless charging. It would have needed a glass or plastic back, which would also have been easier to handle (I'm still convinced that I'm not a clumsy person). To be fair, however, it has to be said that such an installation is not usual for a premium mobile phone and would have alienated some potential customers.

New standards are not set for battery life. But it doesn't fall short of old ones either.

Conclusion

The Nokia 8 is certainly not a mobile that unpacks new, revolutionary functions that we haven't seen before. It doesn't have facial recognition, wireless charging or an edge-to-edge display. Everything it can do, the others can actually do too. Word of the bokeh effect has long since got around, and fingerprint unlocking is no longer a world first. So what makes the Nokia 8 so special?

For me, it's the fact that it can do what it does damn well. And damn fast. And at a very attractive price if you compare the mobile with its competitors. Then there is the admittedly simple but very stylish design. But the icing on the cake is stock Android: the user interface is straightforward and doesn't have any superfluous bells and whistles.

Successful comeback? A successful comeback.

12 people like this article

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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