Nokia 8.1 India Launch Expected as HMD Global Reschedules Event to December 10

Nokia 8.1, which was earlier expected to be unveiled in India on December 6, will now likely make an appearance on December 10. HMD Global has sent out revised invites for an event later this month announcing the change of dates. Since the invite was last sent, HMD Global has officially launched the Nokia 7.1 in India, which means the as-yet announced Nokia 8.1 is likely to be the star at the India launch event on December 10.

Earlier this week, HMD Global sent out invites for an event in New Delhi on December 6. Though there was no official word from the company, it was largely expected that the event will see Nokia 8.1 and Nokia 7.1 unveiled for the Indian markets. But on Friday, HMD announced the India launch of the Nokia 7.1 via a press release.

Nokia 8.1, of course, is the as-yet unannounced phone, the successor to last year's Nokia 8. The phone is expected to be announced — possibly alongside the budget Nokia 2.1 Plus, with a small chance that the hotly anticipated Nokia 9 may also make an appearance.

Nokia 8.1 price in India and specifications

According to earlier reports, the Nokia 8.1 price in India might be set at Rs. 23,999 in India.

The Nokia 8.1 is said to be global variant of the Nokia X7, so their specifications should match. That would mean the Nokia 8.1 is expected to run a stock version of Android Pie out-of-the-box. It will sport a 6.18-inch full-HD+ display with an 18.7:9 aspect ratio and 2.5D curved glass. The handset will be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, paired with 4GB/ 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB/ 128GB of inbuilt storage. Storage on the Nokia 8.1 might be expandable via microSD card (up to 400GB).

In terms of optics, the Nokia 8.1 is expected to sport a dual rear camera setup with a primary 12-megapixel sensor and a secondary 13-megapixel sensor. On the front, the handset will bear a 20-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and fixed focus. There will most likely be a 3,500mAh battery under the hood of the Nokia 8.1, with support for 18W fast charging.

Nokia 7.1 price in India and specifications

On Friday, HMD revealed Nokia 7.1 price in India is being set at Rs. 19,999 for its 4GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant, and the phone will go on sale in the country from December 7.

The dual-SIM (Nano) Nokia 7.1 runs Android Oreo, based on the Android One programme, with an update to Android 9.0 Pie arriving over-the-air for buyers in India. It sports a 5.84-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) PureDisplay panel with a 19:9 aspect ratio, HDR10 support, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM.

In terms of optics, the Nokia 7.1 bears a vertically aligned pair of dual rear camera setup that consists of a 12-megapixel primary sensor, with autofocus and f/1.8 aperture, and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor with fixed focus and f/2.4 aperture. The company is also touting two-phase detection and Zeiss optics for the rear camera setup, apart from EIS. On the front, the handset sports an 8-megapixel fixed focus sensor with f/2.0 aperture and 84-degree field-of-view. There is 64GB of inbuilt storage, expandable via microSD card (up to 400GB).

Connectivity options on the Nokia 7.1 include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors onboard the smartphone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, electronic compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Dimensions are 149.7x71.19x7.99mm and weight is 159 grams. There is a 3,060mAh non-removable battery under the hood with 18W fast charging, delivering 50 percent charge in 30 minutes.