Nokia 8.1 6GB RAM, 128GB storage variant to go on sale on February 6
Nokia 8.1 has received a new variant in India. HMD Global, the Nokia brand licensee, on Thursday announced it will be offering the 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant of the smartphone in the country. To recall, the Nokia 8.1 was introduced in a single 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant in the country back in December, and the company had revealed soon after that the 6GB RAM/ 128GB variant would go on sale in the country in January. It appears HMD Global has almost kept its word. The Nokia 8.1 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant will go on sale in the country next week. Apart from the added memory and storage, there is no difference between the existing and the new variant of the Nokia 8.1
The Nokia 8.1 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant price in India is set at Rs. 29,999. To put that in perspective, the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant that was launched in India in December was priced at Rs. 26,999. It was launched globally just a few days earlier. The new Nokia 8.1 (Review) variant will go on sale in the country from February 6, via Amazon India and the Nokia online store, apart from offline retail outlets. It will be available in Blue/ Silver and Iron/ Steel colour options - the same as the cheaper variant. Pre-bookings will open from Friday, February 1 via the Nokia site, and Amazon will offer a 'Notify me' option. HMD Global has announced some launch offers as well.
Nokia 8.1 launch offers include up to 1TB of Airtel 4G data on eligible prepaid packs starting from Rs. 199. Airtel postpaid customers will get additional 120GB data with 3 months of Netflix and one year of Amazon Prime subscriptions. On Amazon.in, between February 6 and February 17, Nokia 8.1 buyers will get an additional exchange discount of Rs. 2,500; between February 18 and February 28 they will get an additional exchange discount of Rs. 1,500.
Nokia 8.1 buyers using EMI transactions on HDFC Bank credit and debit cards (through Pinelab terminals at offline retail stores) will be eligible for a 10 percent cashback from February 6 to February 17, and 5 percent cashback from February 18 to February 28. On the Nokia site, buyers will get a gift card worth Rs. 3,000. As we mentioned, HMD Global had revealed the Nokia 8.1 6GB RAM/ 128GB variant would be launched in India in January.
The Nokia 8.1 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant's specifications are identical to the 4G RAM/ 64GB storage variant, with the exception of RAM and inbuilt storage. The dual-SIM (Nano) Nokia 8.1 runs stock Android 9 Pie - it is part of the Android One programme that is guaranteed to deliver timely updates. It sports a 6.18-inch full-HD+ (1080x2244 pixels) display with a 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 81.5 percent screen-to-body ratio, HDR10 support, 500 nits peak brightness, 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 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM.
The Nokia 8.1 6GB/ 128GB bears a dual rear camera setup with Zeiss optics, with the primary 12-megapixel camera featuring a 1/2.55-inch sensor, 1.4-micron pixels, OIS, EIS, 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 company is touting its Bothie feature, which allows both the front and rear camera to used simultaneously, as well as 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.
There is 128GB of inbuilt storage on the Nokia 8.1, expandable via microSD card (up to 400GB). Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, VoWiFi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, FM radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB Type-C port. The Nokia 8.1 6GB/ 128GB bears an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, and proximity sensor. It 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.
The Nokia 8.1 6GB/ 128GB runs on a 3,500mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 22 hours of talk time, 24 days of standby time, and up to 11 hours of video playback. The company is also touting the presence of 18W fast charging. It measures 154.8x75.76x7.97mm, and weighs in at 178 grams. It features a single speaker design, and also comes with a smart amp, 2 mics, and Nokia Ozo surround capture. HMD Global also points out that the Nokia 8.1 has Google ARCore support.
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