Nokia 8.1 promo video leaks showing device ahead of official launch [Video]

Damien Wilde | Dec 5 2018 - 5:52 am PT

After the surprising excellence — at least on my part — of the Nokia 7.1, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the next Nokia flagship. We haven’t had to wait too long as the Nokia 8.1 is set to launch in Dubai on December 5 with three devices expected to be unveiled. We’re just hours ahead of this global launch, and a promo video for the yet unannounced Nokia 8.1 has leaked.

Whilst the promo video is brief, it gives us a closer look at the Nokia X7 aka the Nokia 8.1 and gives us an indication of just what will be the key selling points of the device. Oddly, it sports a large notch at the front and a rear panel that resembles the previously released Nokia 7.1.

Throughout the 30-second clip we see just what Nokia wants us to believe are the killer features including — as always — Zeiss Optics on the dual rear-facing cameras, optical image stabilization and potentially better low-light shots. We don’t know if there is any sort of night shooting mode to be packed into the Nokia 8.1 but we would love to see a port of Night Sight on the device.

Others features the promo touts are mainly photography focused, with the Bokeh modes mentioned alongside AI camera functions. The Nokia 8.1 will feature what HMD calls a PureDisplay panel which will support HDR10 — much like its predecessor, the Nokia 7.1.

The leaked video comes courtesy of Nokiapoweruser and even includes a few press renders of the device front and back panels — showcasing the color options that will likely be available. These three colors will be known as Iron Steel, Blue Silver an Steel Copper — the maroon option is really catching my eye.

These images also show that the Nokia 8.1 will come with Android One, which is one of the best decisions that HMD Global has made in recent months. We’re hoping that the device will ship with Android 9.0 Pie pre-installed, as the Nokia 7.1 has recently received the update.

Specifications

As for rumored specs, we believe that the Nokia 8.1 will measure in at 6.18-inches with a 2246 x 1080 pixel display at a 19:9 ratio. We’re hoping that battery life will be good with the decent sized 3400mAh battery and the Octa-core Snapdragon 710 chipset powering the device. It will come in 4GB/6GB RAM + 64GB/128GB internal storage variants — although we expect that might include microSD expansion too.

Those dual rear-facing cameras will be 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors, respectively, and the front-facing camera will have a 20-megapixel sensor. It’s clear that Nokia is going all-out on the camera capabilities with the Nokia 8.1.

We haven’t got long to see this device in the real world, as the unveiling is set to take place later today in Dubai.

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