Nokia 8 to Get Face Unlock, ARCore Support With Android 9 Pie Update

HMD Global has promised fast software updates for its entire smartphone portfolio, and while it largely keeps its promise, a Nokia 8 user felt that the promise wasn't fulfilled when it came to software support for the particular device. To his complaint, Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas said that his team is working on a plethora of new features for the Nokia 8, and is looking to introduce them with the Android 9 Pie update. This includes support for ARCore, and a few camera improvements as well.

Sarvikas, in a tweet, replied that Nokia 8 is slated to get a host of new features and AR Core support. He said that face unlock feature is a work in progress, and the company is still evaluating solutions for that purpose. HMD Global had earlier confirmed that Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 6 (2018), and last year's Nokia 8will get face unlock feature in a future update in the coming months. Separately, Sarvikas also noted that an essential camera-related update was recently rolled out for Nokia 8 as well.

Nokia 8 price in India, specifications

The Nokia 8 price in India is Rs. 28,999 since the smartphone received a hefty Rs. 8,000 price cut earlier this year. It was launched last year as its flagship device, but has since been supplanted by the Nokia 8 Sirocco. The dual-SIM (Nano) Nokia 8 runs the Android 8.1 Oreo software version and has a 5.3-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) IPS display with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The handset also has an IP54-rated build that is splash-resistant. Plus, there is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, paired with 4GB RAM.

On the part of imaging, the Nokia 8 comes with a dual rear camera setup that includes two 13-megapixel image sensors, both with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 76.9-degree wide-angle lens and accompanied with a dual-tone LED flash and an IR rangefinder. The front of the Nokia 8 sports a 13-megapixel camera sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 78.4-degree wide-angle lens. All three cameras come with Carl Zeiss optics. Also, the smartphone comes preloaded with a 'bothie' feature that allows users to capture photos or videos using the front and rear camera setups simultaneously. There is additionally OZO Audio tech on board for spatial 360-degree audio recording that uses three built-in microphones.

The Nokia 8 comes with 64GB of onboard storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB) in a hybrid dual-SIM configuration. Connectivity options on the smartphone include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C (v3.1), and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The flagship Nokia handset also has onboard sensors, including an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, digital compass, gyroscope, and a proximity sensor. It also has a 3090mAh battery and measures 151.5x73.7x7.9mm.