HMD Global, the Finnish upstart company which launches Android-powered Nokia smartphones will likely convert the Nokia 8 flagship series into an upper mid-range series. So far, HMD released two flagship smartphones under Nokia 8 series- the original Nokia 8 and the Nokia 8 Sirocco. But the next phone under the series will be a mid-ranger, according to a new tip by Nokia anew. HMD will be releasing the Nokia X7 in global markets as Nokia 8.1, not with the expected Nokia 7.1 Plus moniker. Also, it's expected that the Nokia 8.1 will go official by the end of this year in various markers where Qualcomm can supply the Snapdragon 710 chipset.
Nokia 8.1 is the Nokia X7 for Global Markets
HMD Global has been all around the place when it comes to naming its smartphones. The Nokia X series in China arrived at global markets with Plus moniker, only to the confuse the users. The Nokia X5 and Nokia X6 launched in India and various other markets as Nokia 5.1 Plus and Nokia 6.1 Plus. It's expected that the Nokia X7 launched recently in China will be introduced in global markets as Nokia 7.1 Plus. But that's not the case according to the tipster mentioned above as Juho Sarvikas, the Chief Product Officer at HMD has changed his mind and the Nokia X7 will be launching in global markets as Nokia 8.1
This will be a major change to the company's product portfolio because the Nokia 8 series has been known for flagship smartphones with Snapdragon 800 chipsets. The Nokia 7 Plus arrived in India as a mid-range smartphone, but most likely, the Nokia 8.1 will be launched in the sub-continent as an upper mid-range smartphone priced above Rs 30,000.
The Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 5.1 Plus will take care of the mid-range and budget smartphone categories. This essentially means that HMD is preparing a new flagship series which could be the Nokia 9 series as it has been rumoured for a long time.
Nokia 8.1 Aka Nokia X7: Specifications and Features
In line with this report, the Nokia 8.1 made its first appearance on the web through benchmarking portal Geekbench. The Nokia 8.1, according to the Geekbench report will run Android 9 Pie and will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM. The hardware specs are in-line with the Nokia X7, while the software is something new, but going by this report, we can safely assume that the Nokia 8.1 will run Android 9 Pie out of the box.
Speaking off other Nokia X7 specifications, the phone flaunts a 6.18-inch Full HD+ display and supports HDR 10 titles. Underneath, it has Snapdragon 710 SoC, up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage along with microSD card slot. It rocks dual cameras of 12MP and 13MP on the rear side followed by a 20MP shooter on the front. It's backed by a 3500mAh battery with fast charging support.
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