Nokia 8.3 5G release date, price, news and everything you need to know
After a short delay due to cancellation of this year’s Mobile World Congress, HMD Global – a Finnish smartphone manufacturer – has unveiled four new Nokia-branded handsets, including its first-ever 5G phone.
The new Nokia 8.3 5G is the headline phone from this announcement, and as the name suggests, it’s mostly focused on its 5G elements of the handset.
This isn’t a top-end flagship device designed to replace the Nokia 9 PureView though; instead, the Nokia 8.3 5G is a slightly cheaper alternative to the phonemaker’s top flagship.
Below we’ve put together everything we know about the latest Nokia handset including the specs, when we can will see it come out, and how much it’s set to cost. Read on to learn more:
Nokia 8.3 5G release date and price
Release date details for the Nokia 8.3 5G are currently a little bit complicated, and the company has only confirmed it’ll be releasing the phone at some point from June onwards.
It’s confirmed to be launching in the UK, but we’ve yet to hear if it’ll be available in the US or Australia.
We also don’t know exactly where the phone will be available. It’s set to launch in a variety of European countries where it’ll cost €599 (about $650, £550, AU$1,100) but HMD Global has yet to confirm the exact markets.
Design and display
We’ll start with the display here, which is a 6.81-inch Full HD+ screen with an aspect ratio of 20:9. That means the phone’s screen is longer than most handsets in an attempt to have a larger screen without it feeling too large in the hand.
The screen’s FHD+ resolution is 1080 x 2400, which is a pixel density of 386 pixels per inch. That likely means the picture won’t be as clear as you’ll get on a QHD device, but it should be enough for your day-to-day tasks.
The design is similar to what we’ve seen from HMD Global’s Nokia handsets in previous years with a metal edge and Gorilla Glass on the rear of the phone. It comes with a refracted light design that gives it a unique look rather than just a solid color. It’s only available in blue, or as the company is referring to it, Polar Night.
The fingerprint sensor is housed within the power button that sits on the side of the handset allowing you to turn the phone on and unlock it with one press.
Specs and features
5G is the biggest feature here, and this is the first phone from the company to be able to sport it. In fact, the company is referring to this as the world’s first “global 5G smartphone”.
What does that mean? HMD Global believes this is the handset that supports the most 5G bands right now. That claim seems to be correct with the phone able to use a large selection of high-, mid- and low-frequency 5G bands.
Other rival smartphones don’t all feature compatibility for bands such as n71 or n5, for example, which are used in more remote areas, but this handset from Nokia does. That should mean you get the best possible 5G signal from this phone.
We won’t know that for certain until we’ve tested the handset, but it’s Nokia’s main selling point for the Nokia 8.3. There won’t be a 4G version of this phone on sale for that exact reason.
There isn’t a top-end chipset inside this phone, and instead HMD Global is using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765 chipset inside here. That allows for 5G connectivity, but likely won’t provide as impressive processing as phones that use the flagship Snapdragon 865.
You’ll have the choice of either 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage or 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage. There’s also microSD support for cards up to 400GB.
Cameras
The rear camera on this device comes with a 64MP f/1.89 main camera as well as a 12MP ultra wide with an aperture of f/2.2. There’s also a 2MP depth sensor working alongside a 2MP macro.
It doesn’t quite seem to match the nine-camera shooter on the Nokia 9 PureView, but it may still prove to be powerful. On the front of the phone is a 24MP selfie shooter.
There’s a new mode included called Action Cam Mode that is specifically designed to capture smooth video. It uses a higher frame rate – that’s 60fps – to improve the footage for fast moving subjects. The Nokia 8.3 5G is also capable of filming in 4K too.
Battery and OS
The phone comes with Android 10 by default, and the company ensures us that it will be provided with software updates for two years and monthly security upgrades for a minimum of three years.
That means you’ll be set to get Android 11 as soon as possible later in the year too.
We don’t know how long the battery will last for, but there’s a 4,500mAh cell inside the phone. That’s quite large for a handset like this, so it should be able to cope with the extra power needed to be able to give the handset 5G.
There’s a USB-C charging port at the bottom of the handset, but it’s unclear if the phone comes with fast-charging features like a lot of other top-end handsets.
After a short delay due to cancellation of this year’s Mobile World Congress, HMD Global – a Finnish smartphone manufacturer – has unveiled four new Nokia-branded handsets, including its first-ever 5G phone. The new Nokia 8.3 5G is the headline phone from this announcement, and as the name suggests, it’s…
