After a long wait, HMD Global has unveiled the Nokia 8.1 at a launch event in Dubai on Wednesday. The smartphone, as expected, is indeed the global variant of the Nokia X7, which was launched in China in October, and which is a successor to the Nokia 7 Plus. The Nokia 8.1 bears identical specifications to the Nokia X7 and is part of the Android One programme like other Nokia smartphones in the recent past.

The noteworthy features of the Nokia 8.1 include a 6.18-inch PureDisplay with HDR10 support, the presence of a Snapdragon 710 SoC and the fact that it runs on Android 9 Pie. Moreover, there is a 3,500mAh battery with 18W fast charging capabilities.

At the event Nokia highlighted a unique feature on the new phone, called ‘Bothie’. It allows both front and rear cameras to be used simultaneously. The company also showcased its Pro Camera UI, with several manual camera options. The dual rear camera setup will help create portrait shots featuring a bokeh effect, the company said.

While the phone has been announced European and Middle Eastern markets, it will soon make its way to India too. As for pricing, the Nokia 8.1 costs EUR 399 (roughly Rs. 31,900), and it will go on sale in “mid-December”. It will be available in Blue/ Silver, Steel/ Copper, and Iron/ Steel dual-tone colour variants.

The India launch event of the Nokia 8.1 is not far away and si scheduled for December 10th. This is based on the fact that the Finnish brand has been using identical hashtag #ExpectMore for both events in Dubai and India.

Nokia 8.1 specifications

It sports a 6.18-inch full-HD+ display with 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 81.5 percent screen-to-body ratio, HDR10 support and is capable of a 96 percent colour gamut. The Nokia 8.1 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC clocked up to 2.2GHz, coupled with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM.

The Nokia 8.1 bears a dual rear camera setup with Zeiss optics, with the primary 12-megapixel camera featuring a 1/2.55-inch sensor, 2PD (dual photodiode) tech, and a dual-LED flash. The secondary 13-megapixel fixed-focus lens is meant for depth sensing. At the front, the Nokia 8.1 bears a 20-megapixel fixed focus lens with 0.9-micron pixels, and 4-in-1 pixel tech for better low-light photography.

The Nokia 8.1 features a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel. It features a two-tone design, and is built out of 6000-Series aluminium that has diamond cut edges and has been through two anodising processes, the company claims.