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Introduction
This is it then. The long-awaited Finnish flagship that goes all in against the phones that rule today. The Finnish cameraphone returning to claim the prize that was once its birthright. Everybody bow and make way?
No, it's not how it works. No story begins with a happy ending. Nokia can tell a few about life after death but HMD is not looking at a life of Sundays. The thing with Microsoft wasn't going anywhere but it still counts as a wasted second chance. The third time, failure is not an option. Nokia and HMD seem well aware of that and the Nokia 8 looks like it has adapted to the new reality fast.
The flagship Nokia 8 is well-armed with the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835, an impressive high-res LCD, premium aluminum unibody and the latest Android OS.
The cameraphone Nokia 8 had no other choice perhaps than have its own take on the dual-camera outfit with two 13MP sensors, an optically-stabilized color one and a monochrome one. Another 13MP unit at the front is more than just a selfie cam - it does split-screen live streaming and has phase-detection autofocus. High-end ZEISS lenses in front of all three sensors mark the return of an iconic partnership.
Nokia's OZO camera division is involved in the 8 too. It co-developed the 360° spatial surround audio recording, which will capture sound with a quality to match the sharpness of the 4K video. Another rare feature, binaural audio, is supposed to offer an even more immersive split-screen viewing experience.
Nokia 8 key features:
- Body: 6000-series aluminum, IP54 splash resistance
- Display: 5.3" IPS LCD, QHD resolution (554ppi), 700 nits brightness; Gorilla Glass 5; Glance screen
- OS: Android 7.1 Nougat (basically stock)
- Chipset: Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, microSD card slot
- Main camera: two 13MP sensors (color + monochrome), 1.12µm pixels, Zeiss lens with f/2.0 aperture; OIS on the color sensor, Laser and phase detection autofocus, dual-LED flash
- Video: 4K video capture, 360° spatial surround sound with 3 microphones; YouTube and Facebook livestreaming (with picture-in-picture)
- Selfie camera: 13MP sensor, 1.12µm pixels, Zeiss lens with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus
- Connectivity: single and dual SIM versions; Cat. 9 LTE (450/50Mbps), Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, ANT+, USB-C 3.1 (5Gbps)
- Battery: 3,090mAh, Quick Charge 3.0 (18W)
- Misc: Fingerprint reader, unlimited Google Photos storage
Main shortcomings
- Battery capacity seems low
- Not fully water-proof
- No 1080p@60fps video recording
The Nokia 8 seems so thoughtfully designed and made that we had to go nitpicking to find flaws. Modest battery capacity? We have yet to see the actual battery endurance. Aluminum 6000 instead of 7000? We seriously doubt it that another bendgate could be on the way. Splash-resistant but not water-proof? This could be it but it's still better that than nothing.
Nokia has a legacy to protect and a future to build. Once an industry pillar, the brand has a long way to come back from oblivion. And while the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 surely helped restore some confidence, it's up to the 8 to rekindle the old glory. Or go down trying. Curious to know which way it's heading? So we are - but first things first.
Nokia 8's retail box
The Nokia 8 comes tucked inside a flat paper box, which may miss the iconic Connecting People slogan, but there is a cameo of a handshake, a tribute to the good ol' days. Inside the box is the Nokia 8 itself, an 18W charger plug, a USB cable, and a pair of in-ear headphones.
Nokia 8 360-degree spin
The Nokia 8 measures 151.5 x 73.7 x 7.9mm and weighs 160g - perfect for a 5.3" smartphone that's not even trying to pull any borderless display stunts. That's 6mm taller than the 5.1" dual-eyed Huawei P10, but also 3mm taller than the 5.8" Galaxy S8.
Design
The Nokia 8 starts as a single block of 6000-series aluminum, not the hardest revision of the alloy and supposedly more bendable than 7000 - but there's nothing to suggest durability issues at this point. It's then orbed, cut through, and has ends carved out for yet another take on the smartphone's antennas. The placement of the latter is similar to the Nokia 5's - there's one on top and another at the bottom. This allows the phone to adjust to your grip since you can't block both antennas simultaneously. HMD claims this improves reception and goes easy on the battery life.
The rear panel comes with either polished or matte finish. The Polished Blue and Polished Copper models can take over 20 manufacturing hours to receive their high-gloss mirror finish. Even the matte Steel and Tempered Blue versions have to go through a 40-stage process of machining and anodizing. We got the Steel one, obviously, and it does look stunning.
A large piece of Gorilla Glass 5 is what keeps the 5.3" display safe, ending on those fashionable chamfer edges, of course. The touch-sensitive Home key has an always-on fingerprint sensor embedded within its surface. It's fast, but not as accurate as the scanners used on the latest Huawei and Xiaomi phones.
The Nokia 8 is beautiful all-round, but not striking, or stunning if you will. It seems HMD has prioritized the classic style in its design and the Nokia 8's looks reminds us of Swiss-made watch, if you will. Even the dual-camera setup on the back doesn't have any trimming or highlights - it's just four circles and the iconic ZEISS logo on a glass plate.
We wish HMD had scored a higher water resistance rating - IP54 (dust and splash resistance) doesn't quite sound flagship grade. Not when the competition (Samsung, Apple, Sony, HTC, LG) offers IP67 or better.
Handling the Nokia 8 is both nostalgically classic and premium experience. Our matte version feels great in hand, its looks mean business right away, and the grip is as secure as possible.
The screen size may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's like the perfect compromise between a phablet and a pocket-friendly smartphone and we like it.
Controls
As we established, the Nokia 8 is a beautiful but far from bezel-less phone. The top bezel houses the 13MP selfie camera, which has a Zeiss lens and phase-detect autofocus. There's no dedicated flash on the front, but the screen could step in to provide some fill light (there is screen selfie flash).
Nokia 8 • turning the screen on • the top bezel • the bottom bezel
The bottom bezel has the always-on fingerprint reader and backlit capacitive keys.
The hybrid SIM slot is on the left-hand side of the phone - it can either take two nano-SIM cards, or you can put one SIM and one microSD card. The volume rocker and the power key are on the right.
The left side • the SIM slot • the right side • the volume and power keys
We are glad to see the 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the phone. The Nokia Active Wireless Headset was unveiled alongside the Nokia 8, but HMD is not forcing you to go wireless.
The bottom of the Nokia 8 has the USB Type-C port, the loudspeaker, and the mouthpiece.
The top • the bottom • the speaker grille
Moving around the back, there's the dual camera and the Zeiss logo is hard to miss. There's also the tiniest of camera bumps at the back - it's just 0.4mm but it's there and it will make the phone wobble a bit on a flat surface.
Display
The Nokia 8 is built around a 5.3" IPS display of a flagship-grade 1440p resolution. Some might have hoped for OLED, but HMD stuck with IPS LCD. The 5.3" panel is a bit smaller than the Nokia 6's screen, but is much sharper with its 554ppi density. And it should be much brighter, maxing out at 700 nits (vs. 450 nits for the mid-range model).
Peeking into it under our microscope peeking revealed a regular RGB matrix.
HMD promised 700 nits of maximum brightness and it delivered. Combine that with those deep black levels and you get an amazing 1840:1 screen contrast.
One thing worth mentioning is that even when the auto brightness is turned off and you pick a fixed position from the slider, the level of illumination varies a bit for unknown reason. Nothing to worry about, though.
Display test | 100% brightness | ||
Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
0.382 | 703 | 1840 | |
0.50 | 681 | 1362 | |
0 | 618 | ∞ | |
0.41 | 573 | 1398 | |
0.277 | 564 | 2036 | |
0.00 | 563 | ∞ | |
0.335 | 547 | 1633 | |
0.364 | 484 | 1330 | |
0.228 | 468 | 2053 | |
0 | 453 | ∞ | |
0 | 447 | ∞ | |
0 | 440 | ∞ | |
0 | 435 | ∞ | |
0.00 | 391 | ∞ |
As far as color reproduction is concerned, the Nokia 8's screen does a very good job producing accurate colors and the average deltaE is 5.5. The maximum deviation of 12.2 is in the white levels which suffer from a bluish tint.
In our sunlight legibility test the global Nokia 8 posted an excellent contrast ratio beating any other LCD panel we have tested to date and on par with the best AMOLEDs out there!
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - HTC Butterfly
1.873 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Sony Xperia L
1.351 - Xiaomi Redmi 2
1.311 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
Battery life
The Nokia 8 is powered by a 3,090 mAh battery - a rather average capacity for a flagship. The phone supports Quick Charging 3.0 technology and comes with a 18W charger in the retail box. It fills up the battery from 0 to 48% in only 30 minutes.
The Nokia 8 turned out to be a capable performer in our battery test with a 78-hour Endurance rating. It did a very good job in all tested scenarios - video, calls, web browsing and stand-by performance.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Nokia 8 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Connectivity
The Nokia 8 comes in singe and dual SIM versions, and the one we have on our hands is the dual SIM one. The dual-SIM slot is of the hybrid kind, so you will have to choose between two SIMs or a memory card.
Courtesy of the Snapdragon 835 chip, the phone supports Cat.9 LTE for theoretical maximums of 450Mbps down and 50Mbps up.
The Nokia 8 supports dual-band Wi-Fi and all of the available standards. Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, and GLONASS are also enabled. NFC is available, too, but FM radio is missing.
The port on the bottom is USB Type-C and supports the latest v3.1 revision for fast file transfers. USB Host and OTG should be supported, but you'll need to buy an adapter.
Clean Nougat at your service
The Nokia 8, just like the 3, 5, and 6, runs the an almost vanilla Android Nougat OS. Everything but the camera is handled by the stock Google app suite and while this approach may not be appealing to some, it does come with two indisputable pros - fast updates and the smoothest Android experience.
Before we get down to Android business, we should mention the return of the Glance screen. Once a valued feature in the Lumia series, Glance is making its way back to Nokia. It isn't an always-on screen, but it pops up every time the Nokia 8 detects movement and goes off after a predefined time-out (up to 20 mins). It can be configured to show a clock, missed calls count, unread messages count, among other small notifications.
HMD did tweak Android's look to certain degree with blue accents making it distinct enough to be easily recognizable and thus good for brand awareness. However, the two-color approach is not universally appealing.
The lockscreen displays the standard Nougat notification cards, complete with grouping, expanded view and direct reply.
There's a camera shortcut in the bottom right, and the fingerprint icon is also around - if you have fingerprint recognition enabled, that is. These cannot be changed either. While we're at it, the camera can be launched with a double press of the power button, if you enable the setting.
The homescreen is where the Nokia looks like no other. All of the system icons and pre-installed apps are painted in Nokia blue, and they're all circles. We often found ourselves scrambling to find the icon we're looking for, because we couldn't tell them apart by shape or color, but eventually they grew on us. There are no themes - the blue color scheme is the one you get and that's it.
On the other hand, all the third-party apps retain their original icons - the launcher doesn't apply any changes to them. That makes them recognizable, but then they look nothing like the built-in ones. This often caused a mild urge to put them away on their own separate screen, just to keep things consistent (and mostly, to oblige our OCD).
The Pixel-like app drawer that you pull up from the dock is your only option. Of course, since there is folder support on the homescreen as well, you can organize everything there and simply forget the Pixel-like swipe up gesture to open the drawer even exists.
Home screen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer
Speaking of gestures, a long press on the home screen toggles edit mode on. You also get access to widgets and wallpapers. The latter can be sourced from the pre-loaded Google Wallpapers app, which has the handy option for daily wallpapers. The homescreen setting menu only has a couple of options, but both are interesting.
Homescreen editing • Homescreen settings • Google Now panel • Google Wallpapers app
App suggestions is the nifty first row in the app drawer, which is automatically populated with recently used apps. As for the Google App toggle, it is used to enable or disable the Google Now interface, accessible through a swipe to the right form the homescreen. There's Google Assistant too - the customary long press on the Home button summons it.
The Nokia 8's notification shade is about as stock as you get. A single pull down gets you six small toggles, pull a second time and you get a total of 9 large ones per pane, with multiple panes supported. There's also a brightness slider, but Auto brightness is only accessible through the settings menu.
The task switcher is business as usual - the Android rolodex is present here. The 'clear all' button only appears when you scroll all the way to the top - a bit of a nuisance. There is multi-window multitasking (thanks, Nougat), but the screen is always split 50/50 - you can't resize the windows.
There are a few gestures you can enable on the Nokia 8, but just basic stuff, really. There are magnification gestures, pick up to mute and turn to reject call, and the double press of the power button to launch the camera counts as a gesture.
Synthetic and real-life performance
HMD chose the most powerful Snapdragon chip - 835 - for the Nokia 8 and a flagship deserves nothing less. This means the Nokia 8 has one of the best processors on the market right now with two Kryo clusters, four cores each. There is also one of the best GPUs to date - the Adreno 540. HMD has paired the processor with 4 gigs of RAM, which should be enough, especially with that almost stock Android OS.
We ran Geekbench and the Kryo processor didn't disappoint. While the single-core performance is the best any Android can get right now.
GeekBench 4 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3473 - OnePlus 5
2031 - Nokia 8
2005 - Samsung Galaxy S8
1945 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
1943 - Huawei P10 Plus
1937 - Huawei P10
1927 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
1915 - OnePlus 3T
1890 - LG G6
1733 - Oppo R11
1629 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
646
Then again four Kryos top the multi-core chart and the Nokia 8 obviously packs some serious oomph under its hood.
GeekBench 4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 5
6404 - Nokia 8
6293 - Samsung Galaxy S8
6175 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
6106 - Huawei P10
6069 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
5837 - Huawei P10 Plus
5821 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
5664 - Oppo R11
5510 - OnePlus 3T
4364 - LG G6
4209 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
2739
Moving on to graphics, the Nokia 8 is once again a chart topper when it comes to raw 1080p performance.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 5
41 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
39 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
39 - Nokia 8
39 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
39 - Samsung Galaxy S8
36 - OnePlus 3T
33 - LG G6
26 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
22 - Huawei P10
22 - Huawei P10 Plus
19 - Oppo R11
15 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
4.6
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Nokia 8
32 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
25 - Samsung Galaxy S8
25 - OnePlus 5
24 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
23 - OnePlus 3T
20 - LG G6
16 - Huawei P10
14 - Huawei P10 Plus
12 - Oppo R11
8.6 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
8.4 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
2.5
HMD has raised the flagship status of the Nokia 8 with a 1440p screen though, so the onscreen test should be more relevant. Of course, competing phone which use the same processor and the 8 can't match the framerate Adreno 540 handling 1080p onscreen resolution on competitors such as OnePlus 5 or Huawei P10, but it is surely in line with all other Quad HD offers.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 7 Plus
42 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
41 - OnePlus 5
40 - OnePlus 3T
33 - Huawei P10
30 - Samsung Galaxy S8
23 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
18 - Nokia 8
18 - Oppo R11
15 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
13 - LG G6
12 - Huawei P10 Plus
12 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
4.5
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Sony Xperia XZ Premium
25 - OnePlus 5
24 - OnePlus 3T
20 - Huawei P10
16 - Samsung Galaxy S8
13 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
12 - Nokia 8
12 - Huawei P10 Plus
9 - Oppo R11
8.6 - LG G6
8.5 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.8 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
2.5
The same goes for some more sophisticated graphic tests such as BaseMark's X and ES 3.1.
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S8
42370 - Huawei P10
39433 - OnePlus 5
38844 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
38507 - Nokia 8
37593 - OnePlus 3T
36958 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
34951 - Huawei P10 Plus
30602 - LG G6
30507 - Oppo R11
20350 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
7516
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal
Higher is better
1517
1189
855
842
817
796
716
641
541
345
100
The compound tests AnTuTu and BaseMark OS II confirm the top-notch skills of the Nokia 8 - it's one of the fastest devices we've tested so far.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- OnePlus 5
180331 - Nokia 8
175872 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
174987 - Samsung Galaxy S8
174435 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
168133 - OnePlus 3T
165097 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
144223 - LG G6
143639 - Huawei P10
126629 - Huawei P10 Plus
126252 - Oppo R11
118677 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
47495
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3796 - OnePlus 5
3601 - Nokia 8
3503 - Samsung Galaxy S8
3376 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
3319 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
3174 - Huawei P10 Plus
2940 - Huawei P10
2910 - OnePlus 3T
2678 - Oppo R11
2386 - LG G6
2126
The Nokia 8 is a beast and we didn't even need benchmarks to confirm this. A smartphone that packs the latest hardware is destined to be powerful even with the worst software optimizations crippling its performance. Luckily, the Nokia 8 aces this department as well - it's one of the smoothest and fastest smartphones we've seen this year, if not the best. It runs cool under pressure, has no lag when switching apps, and the whole interface feels more fluid than, say, Galaxy S8 or even the OnePlus 5.
If we could pick an Android flagship for the most responsive user experience, it will be probably the Nokia 8. Granted, that's a strong claim - remember, we're saying this before we've tested the Galaxy Note 8 and IFA 2017 and the season's announcements are still around the corner.
But it's true, the Nokia 8 is a pleasure to use. It benefits from a pure and lightweight Android OS, without any extra services or bloatware. Having as little as proprietary software tricks has surely helped the Nokia 8 feel this smooth, but top-of-the-line chipset is surely helping too.
Telephony
The Nokia 8 has the generic phonebook/dialer app with the list of favorites, the call log and the contacts are all tabs within the same app. The dialer is summoned with a tap on a button. Smart dial is supported too.
Favorites • Call log • Contacts • Dialler
Loudspeaker
The Nokia 8 has a single loudspeaker - the Nokia 6's stereo setup didn't make the cut. The lone driver can pump out a lot of decibels if the tune is right and it scored an Excellent rating in our three-pronged test. It kept its sound distortion-free even at max volume, too.
Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
62.9 | 65.2 | 71.6 | Below Average | |
66.4 | 71.5 | 65.0 | Average | |
65.0 | 68.2 | 70.8 | Average | |
61.0 | 69.3 | 78.3 | Good | |
66.2 | 70.5 | 72.5 | Good | |
66.8 | 68.8 | 74.5 | Good | |
68.3 | 72.2 | 72.9 | Good | |
63.1 | 70.9 | 82.5 | Good | |
66.1 | 69.0 | 84.1 | Very Good | |
69.2 | 72.9 | 77.5 | Very Good | |
67.7 | 70.0 | 83.6 | Very Good | |
83.1 | 74.5 | 85.0 | Excellent | |
88.0 | 77.1 | 81.4 | Excellent |
Google's Photos is your multimedia hub
There are no custom apps for handling multimedia content on the Nokia 8. For gallery, you get Google Photos, which isn't half bad, though for most of its functionality you need to have cloud upload enabled. If you do, you'd be able to search for photos with words: "beach", "selfies" and even people by name.
The AI assistance goes on - Google will automatically take photos (or videos) it finds interesting and spruce them up. It will create collages, panoramas, filter-heavy images, short animations and other.
You can, of course, stay offline, and then the album, GIF, and collage creation can be done manually.
Photos has a built-in editor too, which offers filters, light and color correction and basic cropping and rotation. There's no option for doodling on the images, or for slapping overlays and such - but that's hardly a shortcoming, really.
If the photo was taken in Portrait mode, then you can also launch a Bokeh editor and choose a different strength for the bokeh effect.
Bokeh Editor • Playing with the bokeh strength
There's no dedicated video player, Google Photos also takes care of that. Its feature set is basic at best - the most it can do is loop a video, and there is no subtitle support. You can, however, edit videos - trimming, 90-degree rotation, and stabilization are the available options.
Google Music
Google Play Music is loaded on by default and it has come a long way. Even if you don't intend to subscribe to Google's streaming service, it still offers bells and whistles like album art, powerful searching algorithms and also the neat ability to upload your own tracks to the cloud and stream them for free.
Audio output is good
The Nokia 8 didn’t impress with its loudness in either part of our audio quality test. The flagship was below average on both occasions, which is hardly ideal given its status. Still, the clarity of its output was quite good with no major weak points.
The scores were excellent throughout with an active external amplifier, while plugging in a pair of headphones didn’t cause too much damage. Some distortion crept in, while stereo quality degraded a moderate amount, but the overall performance was still pretty solid.
Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
+0.01, -0.03 | -94.2 | 90.5 | 0.060 | 0.087 | -88.5 | |
+0.06, -0.18 | -93.8 | 90.3 | 0.166 | 0.282 | -63.5 | |
+0.03, -0.01 | -94.1 | 94.1 | 0.0010 | 0.0070 | -94.2 | |
+0.15, -0.08 | -94.0 | 94.0 | 0.0033 | 0.139 | -59.9 | |
+0.05, -0.11 | -94.1 | 94.1 | 0.0017 | 0.0067 | -94.5 | |
+0.05, -0.02 | -93.7 | 93.8 | 0.0018 | 0.105 | -53.7 | |
+0.04, -0.00 | -92.5 | 92.5 | 0.0016 | 0.0072 | -92.8 | |
+0.03, -0.03 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0056 | 0.060 | -77.2 | |
+0.01, -0.02 | -93.5 | 93.3 | 0.0042 | 0.0092 | -92.7 | |
+0.12, -0.32 | -92.6 | 93.2 | 0.0072 | 0.219 | -67.0 | |
+0.01, -0.02 | -93.3 | 93.3 | 0.0059 | 0.0095 | -94.4 | |
+0.01, -0.02 | -93.4 | 93.4 | 0.0067 | 0.020 | -56.3 | |
+0.01, -0.04 | -93.0 | 94.8 | 0.0019 | 0.0080 | -93.5 | |
+0.25, -0.02 | -92.7 | 93.0 | 0.192 | 0.175 | -59.5 | |
+0.06, -0.10 | -92.4 | 92.3 | 0.0015 | 0.0093 | -80.9 | |
+0.03, -0.11 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0011 | 0.012 | -77.0 |
Motorola Moto Z2 Force frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
A 13MP dual-eyed Finn with ZEISS lens
The Nokia 8 has two 13MP camera sensors seating behind Zeiss lens. One sensor shoots in black & white, the other - in color (the latter also has optical image stabilization). At 1.12µm, the pixels aren't the largest, and the f/2.0 aperture isn't the brightest. We've seen Huawei do a great job with a similar setup, so there should be nothing to worry about. Note that the second camera will help with bokeh effects, but does not offer zooming capabilities as was the case with the most recent Huawei phones.
As mentioned earlier, the 13MP selfie camera also has an f/2.0 Zeiss lens and same size pixels too. Treating both (color) cameras as (near) equals has a point - Dual-Sight. This is what HMD calls the feature that combines video from the front and rear cameras in real time, and you can even livestream such picture.
Zeiss might be the big name in the camera business but there's an up-and-comer called OZO. Best known for Nokia's insane 360° VR camera, the team knows a thing or two about sound and the Nokia 8 has benefited from that.
The phone features three high dynamic range microphones and the same audio recording algorithms as the big OZO camera. The result is an engulfing 360° surround sound. Better still, special codecs are provided for binaural audio.
If you've never tried it, it creates a much more realistic sound with clear directionality. You clearly make out where the sources of sound are positioned in the space - in front, behind and to the sides! Note that you need headphones for the best effect, but people don't need a Nokia 8 to hear the effect in the videos you record.
We did say that the Nokia 8 runs mostly unmodified Android, but there's one major exception - Nokia wrote the camera app. And we're glad for it. As Google managed to prove with their own Camera app - sometimes an awesome app can make all the difference between an average and a great photo even on one and the same device and hardware.
The Nokia camera interface is clean and intuitive - on the left you can find a bunch of shortcuts, while the camera and video shutters are on the right.
Just next to the shutter there us a small key for the available modes - Beautify, Panorama, Auto, Bokeh, and Manual. Unfortunately, you can't adjust shutter speed in Manual mode.
Viewfinder • Camera modes • Manual mode
There is HDR auto option on the left bar, the switch for front/rear/front+rear camera is also there, as is the toggle for color/mono/color+mono. If you choose to shoot with both main cameras you will get a combined image, which should supposedly improve on detail level and clarity, especially at night, but shooting in this mode is quite slow.
Shooting modes • The shooting modes for the rear camera
The Nokia 8 should supposedly rely on both laser and phase-detect autofocus, but our unit exhibited some serious focusing issues no matter if it was broad daylight or night time. At least three of every ten camera samples came out out-of-focus and we even had to discard two complete test scenes as there wasn't a single keeper (something that's quite hard to judge while you are on the go). Of course, this could be an issue limited to our test unit in particular or something fixable on a software level with a patch. We'll keep you updated.
Daylight samples
The daylight camera samples came out with abundant detail and with vibrant yet true-to-life colors. The sharpening is moderate, the dynamic range is notably wide, and the noise is very low. Those are surely among the best 13MP samples we've had lately.
The monochrome samples are equally impressive, sans the colors, of course. The lack of the color filter lets more light in and allows the B&W camera to shoot at twice as fast shutter speeds while achieving the same exposure. Other benefits of not having a Bayer filter include the higher contrast and dynamic range, and even lower noise levels. Unfortunately, the focus issues plague the monochrome camera, too.
Nokia 8 13MP monochrome samples
Low-light samples
The Nokia 8 turned out a great performer at dusk and night when it comes to taking pictures. The color samples came out true to life, not that noisy, and with enough detail to impress us. The optical stabilization surely helps here, though the bad autofocus got in our way.
Switching to the monochrome camera we were able to get a little bit higher contrast and less noise as the phone shoots on lower ISO setting (400 vs 1000+ in color).
Nokia 8 low-light monochrome images
We should have been able to get better low-light images by choosing to shoot with the both main cameras, at least on paper. Stacking images is a familiar approach in lots of smartphones and it works great for the Pixel XL, Huawei P10, among others. Unfortunately, there is no real benefit of this mode on the Nokia 8. We saw no improvement among the samples, but getting info from the two cameras at least helped the autofocus and it does better. Be warned though, shooting such an image and the subsequent postprocessing may take up to 5 seconds, which is a huge bummer - especially having in mind there is a screaming hot chipset inside the phone.
HDR
The Nokia 8 offers auto HDR option, which is pretty smart and we suggest keeping it on all the time. When HDR is needed, the camera does a good job in boosting the shadows without blowing the highlights. The HDR samples aren't as realistic as the regular ones but they will do the job most of the time.
HDR off • HDR on • HDR off • HDR on
Panorama
The panoramic shots taken with the Nokia 8 are excellent. They use the full vertical resolution, and at about 4,000px tall, there's plenty of pixels. Detail is on par with still images; stitching shows no obvious issues (except moving cars, that is), and exposure variation is handled smoothly. The dynamic range once again deserves praise.
Live Bokeh also known as Portrait Mode
You can't have a dual-camera without a Portrait mode support, right? Indeed, the Nokia 8 has Live Bokeh, which automatically recognizes people and displays "Portrait mode" prompt. A tap on the screen reveals a slider for adjusting the bokeh effect's strength.
So, the Portrait shots turned out excellent. The phone did get right the subject's contours each time and the quality is among the best we've seen. Nice!
Portrait (50% effect) • Portrait (100% effect) • Portrait (50%) • Portrait (100%)
And here are two more samples demonstrating how the camera handles messy hair. While it's not the best, we've seen a lot worse.
Dual Sight
We tried the Dual Sight option too. The image quality of the selfie camera seems stellar, but we found it strange that the resulting image is 8MP. How do you combine the photos from two 13MP cameras and end up with 8MP? Plus, since you have to take both shots simultaneously, framing is quite tricky.
Selfies
The Nokia 8 has the same front camera as the main color one. It packs the same sensor, ZEISS lens, and phase-detect autofocus. The only thing missing is optical image stabilization.
The image quality is as great as the stills we got from the rear color snapper - plenty of detail, nice colors, and wide dynamic range.
Nokia 8 vs. Galaxy S8 vs. LG G6 vs. iPhone 7 Plus vs. Huawei P10 daylight comparison
We also couldn't pass on the opportunity for a quick camera shootout between the flagships we have around.
Looking at the images below, the Galaxy S8 has the punchiest colors, the LG G6 excels in resolved detail, while the Huawei P10 and the Nokia 8 are on par in picture quality. The iPhone has the dullest colors and the least amount of resolved detail, but is not far behind.
Overall, the Nokia 8 handled itself pretty great next to the other flagships and has one of the best cameras this season.
Nokia 8 • Galaxy S8 • Huawei P10 • iPhone 7 Plus • LG G6
The Huawei P10 has a 20MP monochrome camera but we have always recommended shooting at 12MP (not only because the hassle of switching the color and monochrome resolution each time, but also the 20MP samples aren't that great in full resolution). So, for our next test in B&W we shot 13MP monochrome shots with the Nokia 8 and 12MP monochrome shots with the P10.
The Huawei certainly has an edge as its images were originally taken at 20MP and then downsized to 12MP. But while the P10 wins in the amount of resolved detail, the Nokia 8 samples are not that far behind and are equally impressive in dynamic range, contrast, and noise levels.
Nokia 8 • Huawei P10 • Nokia 8 • Huawei P10
Nokia 8 vs. Galaxy S8 vs. LG G6 low-light comparison
We used the opportunity to put the Nokia 8 against the Galaxy S8 and LG G6 while we were shooting our regular low-light samples too. No iPhone and Huawei this time around but that's not intentional. They just weren't available at the time of testing.
The Galaxy S8 and the LG G6 have wider lenses (f/1.7 and f/1.8 respectively) than the Nokia 8 (f/2.0) and thus were expected to perform better. Indeed, the Galaxy S8 bested the other two in every scene, with the LG G6 followed closely behind. The Nokia 8 did quite well though not as great as the S8 and G6.
Picture Compare Tool
You can check how the 13MP RGB camera stacks against the 12MP Galaxy S8 and the 13MP of the LG G6.
Nokia 8 vs. LG G6 vs. Galaxy S8 in our Photo quality comparison tool
You could also use our tool to compare the monochrome camera to the P10's and Mi 5s Plus.
Video recording
Video mode gives you a choice of 2160p@30fps and 1080p@30fps for common shooting. Slow-mo and time-lapse are available, as well as 1080p Dual-Sight video. There's no 1080p@60fps mode, though, which would make a big difference in fast-paced scenes. No monochrome videos either, not that we've seen anyone do those.
Anyway, the 2160p videos are captured at a bitrate of 42Mbps and have rock solid 30fps. The audio shows as stereo captured at 256KBps bitrate. You can choose between Front, Rear, and Surround audio capturing thanks to Nokia's OZO technology and microphones. No matter what you choose, the audio sounds as promised, high-quality, and you experience great surround sound especially if you have 3D headphones.
Video mode • Video audio settings
The video quality is average though - the resolved detail is enough but barely competitive. The dynamic range is wide, which is great, but the picture is just too soft. On the positive side, the framerate is smooth and steady, and so is the footage itself thanks to the OIS.
The 1080p videos are shot at a bitrate of 20Mbps and have the same audio bitrate. The video quality in 1080p is comparatively better for its class compared to the 4K videos. The level of detail is higher than expected and they are quite sharp overall.
We didn't have time to take the Nokia 8 to a concert as it would have demonstrated its audio capturing skills much better, but if we do - you will be the first to know. You will have to take our and Nokia's word about the great audio, one of the loudest and clearest around actually.
As we wrote earlier - the 13MP selfie camera also has an f/2.0 Zeiss lens and same size pixels too. It can even capture 4K videos. Treating both cameras as (near) equals has a point - Dual-Sight. This is what HMD calls the feature that combines video from the front and rear cameras in real time. You can even livestream this type of video on Facebook or YouTube.
We somewhat expected the captured video to be 4K or at least 1080p. And while its resolution is indeed 1080p, the images from both snappers looked more like upscaled from 360p. This is surely lightweight for livestreaming, but we kind of expected more. Still, the OZO's mics allows your live viewers to hear both you and everything that's happening around you equally loud and clear.
You can also download the 4K@30fps (9s, 49MB) and 1080p@30fps (10s, 26MB) video samples taken straight off the Nokia 8.
Finally, you can use our Video Compare Tool to see how the Nokia 8 stacks against the LG G6 and Galaxy S8 when it comes to video capturing.
Nokia 8 vs. LG G6 vs. Galaxy S8 in our 2160p Video quality comparison tool
Wrapping it up
The Nokia 8 is a revelation. HMD did the iconic brand justice by delivering on all promises and there's no doubt that Nokia still has it when it comes to imaging and audio. The Nokia 8 is a newcomer but it doesn't look or act like one - it doesn't overdo it, it's not out of its depth. No rush to make up for the lost time - the Nokia 8 is methodical and confident, patient and prepared.
The Nokia 8 packs quite the flagship punch and one of the best IPS LCDs available. AMOLED may have worked better for marketing, but not everyone is a fan of the punchy palette, and it's hard to find fault with the class-leading screen HMD gave us. The clean no-nonsense design is another thing we liked about the 8 - it kind of fits with what Nokia stands for.
But the new camera is what we loved the most about the Nokia 8. It's a magic number for Nokia and the Android edition lives up to the standards of the 808 PureView and the N8. In short, HMD got everything right in the camera department. The image quality is great, the specs are as relevant as they can get, and the extra features are trendy yet not over the top. Color, monochrome, daylight, or nighttime, everything looks good that was shot with the Nokia 8. Even the selfies, whose dedicated camera got the same premium treatment as the primary unit, are top notch.
HMD worked with Nokia's OZO division to achieve the class-leading audio for the Nokia 8's videos. Any concert recorded with the 8 will be as compelling on video as on the venue itself. But you can also livestream on both cameras, which maybe a dream come true for many vloggers and avid social network users. We only wish 4K videos were sharper and better stabilized - they are only average as they are right now.
Nokia 8 key review test findings
- Build quality is top-notch - clean no-nonsense design, stylish, and pocket-friendly size and footprint. We would have liked complete water-proofing though.
- One of the best LCD display on a mobile phone - 700+ nits of brightness, deep blacks, excellent contrast, and AMOLED-like sunlight legibility. It's better than the iPhone 7/7Plus's.
- Battery life is very good with an endurance rating of 78h. The phone did great across our tests, but just average on standby.
- It's got rich wireless connectivity options, though it lacks FM radio and IR blaster.
- Purists will enjoy the mostly stock Android, fans of customization should look for third-party launchers. It's the latest 7.1.1 Nougat with updates coming in monthly and that's always good.
- The Snapdragon 835 offers chart-topping performance, doesn't get hot, and combined with a lightweight operating system - the Nokia 8 feels like the most responsive phone we've held in quite a while.
- Audio output through the jack is accurate and clear but relatively quiet. The speaker loudness is excellent, and so is its sound output.
- The photos from the main camera are great, with plenty of resolved detail, high dynamic range, and excellent colors and contrast. The monochrome shots are equally great. Low-light photos came out above average and the Nokia 8 can help you shoot some good night scenes. The phone has some autofocus issues which we hope are specific only to our unit.
- Very good Portrait shots and Bokeh effects, you can even adjust the effect's strength later on. The Dual-Sight shots are nice, too, though they are only 8MP.
- Class-leading 13MP selfies thanks to high-quality sensor, ZEISS lens, and autofocus.
- The image quality of the 4K videos is average, but still benefits from the camera's with high contrast and wide dynamic range. The 1080p samples came sharper and with more detail. The captured audio is class-leading thanks to the Nokia OZO's mics and tech.
- The 1080p Dual-Sight video has great audio but poor quality - the feeds from the cameras look as if upscaled from a much lower resolution.
Noteworthy alternatives
Now, for all that praise, it's clear that the Nokia 8 is up against the toughest competition. In no small part because Nokia and HMD are aiming pretty high with this one. Jam-packed with hardware, including iris recognition, the Galaxy S8 is an inevitable rival. You will be trading an awesome dual-camera for a superb single one, but gaining in terms of a borderless AMOLED screen and full water-proofing.
The OnePlus 5 is cheaper yet equally capable, powerful, and stylish. It also relies on near-stock Android though the Oxygen launcher is going further away from the vanilla looks with each update. Anyway, the OP5 has a great dual-camera with 2x zoom, an AMOLED screen, it just can't match Nokia's audio and that tinge of nostalgia that you can't put a price on. But Nokia can and it's a price higher than what OnePlus is asking for.
The LG G6 may have an older-gen chipset, but it has one of the top-quality camera setups in the market. It is surely a tough competitor mostly because of its super attractive price of €400. Its chipset is still relevant and the rest of the equipment is well up-to-date. The G6's wide-angle camera is an unbeatable feature right now and the G6 will even save you a good deal of money.
Android purists is who the Pixel XL was built for. Google's finest doesn't come with the latest chipset either, but its single camera turned out a real pleasant surprise with amazing quality in both stills and video. The phone is not cheap but it's the price of having a Google-made phone with the fastest OS updates.
Finally, the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Probably the only one that matches and bests the levels of loyalty Nokia enjoyed back in its prime. The rest is there in heaps too: great build, a top-performing chipset, superb dual-camera and the standard-setting smartphone experience and ecosystem. With the next iPhone(s) just around the corner, the Nokia 8 better enjoy its time in the spotlight while it lasts.
Speaking of, another big launch looming will inevitably take away from Nokia's appeal - and ironically it's an 8 too - the Samsung Galaxy Note8. Magic numbers, right?
Final verdict
It's not by a stroke of luck that Nokia 8 is where it is today. It's hard work, respect of tradition and putting years of knowledge and experience to good use. It's long-standing partnerships too - like that with Zeiss.
We said in the beginning that Nokia and HMD have a future to build. Let us rephrase. The future is wide open. 9 is another special number in the history of the Finnish brand. The Nokia 8 has given us all the right reasons to look forward to it.
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