HMD Global just introduced a number of smartphones earlier this morning. Headlining the new lineup of devices is the Nokia 8.3 5G, the company’s first-ever 5G smartphone. The selling point of this device is a simple one: it’s compatible with a wide range of 5G networks around the world.
In fact, HMD bills the Nokia 8.3 as the world’s first “truly global 5G smartphone” for this one reason. The device’s support of a wider range of 5G bands compared to its competition does merit this, and the wide compatibility may attract consumers who want a painless 5G data roaming experience – when 5G networks see a wider rollout anyway – across the globe.
Speaking of which, the 5G connectivity of the Nokia 8.3 comes from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset with Qualcomm’s 5G RF Front End module solution. While the Snapdragon 765G isn’t quite as powerful or as attractive as, say, the Snapdragon 865 SoC found in many other 5G smartphones, it’s still a reasonably capable chipset outside of the Snapdragon 8 series.
Naturally, HMD is putting quite a bit of emphasis on the camera capability of the Nokia 8.3, promising great detail preservation and low-light performance. It features a PureView-branded quad camera system on the back with Zeiss Optics, which is made up of a 64MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. Unfortunately, there’s no telephoto shooter here, oddly enough.
Beyond its camera configuration, the Nokia 8.3 sports a 6.81-inch 1080p PureDisplay with a 20:9 aspect ratio, making it quite a tall smartphone. There is also a hole-punch cutout at the top left of the screen for the 24MP selfie camera, along with a rather sizeable chin with the Nokia logo at the bottom of the display.
Other specifications of the Nokia 8.3 include 6GB or 8GB of RAM, up to 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot for further storage expansion, a relatively generous 4,500mAh battery, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Android 10 out of the box. This is also an Android One device, so expect a clean, near-stock software experience.
The Nokia 8.3 5G will be available globally sometime in summer this year. Two variants are offered: the 64GB model with 6GB of RAM goes for €599 (about RM2,825), while the 128GB option with 8GB of RAM retails at €649 (approximately RM3,060). Do note that these price tags include VAT for the European market, so expect the Nokia 8.3 to cost less in other regions.