Nokia 8 Philippines Price and Release Guesstimate, Specs, Press Photos : Has Dual Camera with Carl Zeiss Optics

Taking another step forward to completing Nokia-Brand's 2017 comeback run, HMD Global is expected to soon launch its 2017 high-end Android cameraphone model, the powerhouse Nokia 8.

Set to compete with other flagship-level handsets come Q4 2017 - including the Apple iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy Note8, Nokia 8 is the first smartphone from HMD Global to feature a Dual Camera Module with Carl Zeiss optics.

Nokia 8 Dual Camera Smartphone

Hardcore Nokia fans would remember Nokia's legendary partnership with German imaging company Carl Zeiss, which produced some of the best cameraphones in mobile tech history, including the Nokia 808 PureView and the Nokia Lumia 1020 -- both of which were capable of shooting 41 MegaPixel photos and had sensors that were unusually large for a smartphone during their time.

It remains to be seen, however, if new Carl-Zeiss-powered Nokia-branded smartphones made by HMD Global will have imaging prowess that can surpass Nokia cameraphones of old. As an owner of both Nokia 808 PureView and Nokia Lumia 1020, I personally choose to be optimistic about it.

Nokia 8

Apart from the phone's imaging capabilities, Nokia 8 is expected to also have high-end technical specifications that should delight power users, including heavy mobile gamers.

On the outside, the handset is said to have a 5.3-inch Quad HD 1440 x 2560 pixels IPS display that's protected by 2.5 Curved Gorilla Glass 5 touchscreen and a 12 MegaPixel front-facing selfie-camera that should benefit from the brand's own Beautification software.

Under the hood, Nokia 8 is rumored to run its Android 7.1 Nougat operating system with a 64-Bit Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with the beastly Adreno 540 GPU that's complemented by either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage; A set of innards that should put this metal-clad device well within the flagship category.

Nokia 8 Carl Zeiss

As yet, we still don't know what Nokia 8's Dual 13 MegaPixel Carl Zeiss optics can do. Will this set-up give this cameraphone Optical Zoom capability? Is it for better depth perception that can be used for creating digital Bokeh effect? We can only speculate for now but I certainly hope that it covers those two features.

Update as of August 4, 2017: I've just read reports that the rear camera set-up of Nokia 8 will feature one lens that captures images in RGB or color and another that shoots in monochrome or Black and White. This is rather similar to Huawei's rendition of the Dual Camera module on the P9 and P10. Another alleged built-in feature of Nokia 8 is the ability to use both the front camera at the rear camera at one to take collage shots.

Nokia 8

Nokia 8 is expected to be officially announced by HMD Global on August 16, 2017. According to reliable sources, the base model of this cameraphone should fetch for around 590 Euros or roughly Php 35,520 with current conversion. This Dual-SIM, 4G-LTE-A-enabled phone's unibody aluminum body should be out in a number of elegant colors, including Dark Blue, Gray, and Copper Gold.

HMG Global's headquarters in the Philippines - which has just made the Nokia 6, 5, and 3 available in our market - has yet to give word on the official release date or pricing details of the upcoming Nokia 8. Though, based on the rather late launch of the above-mentioned Nokia phones in the Philippines, I expect this new cameraphone to formally reach our shores either late Q3 or early Q4 2017 -- just in time for our holiday gadget shopping. As for our Nokia 8 price guesstimate in the Philippines, we're putting it at around Php 36,000 to Php 38,000.

Update as of August 17, 2017 (LATEST): HMD Global has just officially announced the Nokia 8 Android smartphone and thankfully, many of the things that we posted above turned out accurate.

Nokia 8 Philippines

Some of the official Nokia 8 features that we failed to predict or mention earlier include the following:

1. IP54 splash-proof build and availability in four colors, namely, Polished Copper, Polished Blue, Tempered Blue, and Steel
2. Full-length graphite-shielded copper cooling pipe for the 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor
3. 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM combo for the Tempered Blue, Steel, and Polished Copper variants and 6GB RAM / 128GB ROM combo for the Polished Blue version.
4. 'Bothie' shooting mode where you do a split screen recording using both the front and rear cameras simultaneously
5. Youtube and Facebook Live support within the camera app
6. Nokia OZO Audio with spatial 3D recording, which is even better than stereo
7. Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support for the non-removable 3,090 mAh Li-Ion battery pack
8. 13 MegaPixel front-facing selfie camera with 4K 30fps video recording capability

Nokia 8 Philippines

The official suggested retail price of Nokia 8 with Dual Carl Zeiss Optics is 599 Euros (our guesstimate was just off by 9 Euros) or Php 36,200 with current conversion. On the other hand, its release date in several key markets around the world - hopefully, including the Philippines - will be on September 23, 2017.

Update as of September 28, 2017: Nokia 8 will be officially available across the Philippines starting on Friday, September 29, 2017. Here's the official invite to HMD Global's media #UniteForNokia launch event for this high-end model. The company will be announcing the suggested retail price of the handset at the gathering - so kindly stay tuned for updates.

Update as of September 29, 2017: The official suggested retail price of Nokia 8 in the Philippines is Php 29,990. We got the model with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage and it will be available in only two colors: Steel and Polished Blue.


TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name : Nokia 8 (Confirmed, Official Specs)
Type : Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category : High-End (Flagship Level)
Dimensions : 151.5 x 73.7 x 7.9 mm
Weight : 160 grams
Available Colors : Tempered Blue, Polished Blue, Steel, Polished Copper
Operating System : Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Display : 5.3 inches (~69.4% screen-to-body ratio), 1440 x 2560 pixels (~554 ppi pixel density), IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Processor : 10nm 64-Bit Octa-core (4 x 2.45 GHz Kryo) + (4 x 1.9 GHz Kryo), Adreno 540 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 chipset
RAM / Internal Storage Options: 4GB RAM / 64GB ROM - Tempered Blue, Steel, Polished Copper
6GB RAM / 128GB ROM - Polished Blue
MicroSD Card Slot : Yes, via Hybrid Secondary NanoSIM Slot, not Dedicated
Camera : Back: Dual 13 MegaPixel, Carl Zeiss Optics, f/2.0 aperture, Laser and Phase Detection AutoFocus (PDAF), Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), Dual Tone LED Flash
Front: 13 MegaPixels
Video Capture : Front and Back: 4K 2160p 30 frames per second, Full HD 1080p 30 frames per second
Audio and Video Playback : MP3, WAV, eAAC+, FLAC, MP4, H.264
Ports : USB Type-C 1.0, 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, EDR, 3G HSPA+; 4G LTE-A
GPS : A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
FM Radio : Yes
Sensors : Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyroscope, Fingerprint Scanner, Heart Rate
Network : 2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 and SIM 2,
3G HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 28(700), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)
SIM Card Type : Dual nanoSIM
Battery : Non-removable 3,090 mAh Li-Ion battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 (18W, 5V/2.5A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A)
Uptime : TBD
Value-Added Features : Dual Camera Module (RGB and Monochrome), Nokia OZO Audio, Bothie Mode, IP54 Splashproof Build, Aluminum Shell, High-Gloss Finish for some variants, Copper Cooling Pipe, Quad HD Display, 4K Front Video Recorder
Announcement : Official Global Announcement - August 17, 2017
Availability : Official Global Release Date - September 23, 2017
Official Release Date in the Philippines - September 29, 2017
Price : Official SRP - 599 Euros
Price Guesstimate for the Philippines: Php 37,000 to Php 39,000
Official SRP in the Philippines: Php 29,990 for the model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of ROM

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