Nokia 8.1 is said to launch in India on November 28. The much-awaited global variant of the Nokia X7 has thus far not been unveiled anywhere in the world, and now a new report tips the India launch date apart from its price in India. As per the report, the Nokia 8.1 price in India will be set at Rs. 23,999, and it will arrive in India at the end of this month.
This pricing will allow it to take on the likes of the Xiaomi Poco F1 and Honor Play in the sub-Rs. 25,000 price segment. Much like the other Nokia-branded smartphones in India, the Nokia 8.1 is also expected to run a stock version of Android, being a part of the Android One programme.
While HMD Global is yet to send out official press invites for a launch later this month, a report from 91Mobiles cites industry sources to claim that the Nokia 8.1 is coming to the Indian market soon. To recall, the Nokia X7 was launched in China last month with mid-range specifications and a design similar to the Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 5.1 Plus.
The Nokia 8.1 was spotted late last month on Geekbench with specifications that are similar to the Nokia X7. However, one major change was the presence of the latest Android 9.0 Pie software on the Nokia 8.1. Following that, the smartphone was spotted on Google’s ARCore supported devices list
Nokia 8.1 price in India
The Nokia 8.1 price in India will be set at Rs. 23,999 in India, the report claims, presumably for the top-end 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant. The Nokia X7 was launched in China at a price of CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs. 17,700) for the base 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage model, CNY 1,999 (around Rs. 20,900) for the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant, and CNY 2,499 (about Rs. 26,100) for the 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage model. Colour options for the phone include Dark Blue, Magic Night Silver, Night Black, and Night Red.
Nokia 8.1 specifications (expected)
If indeed the Nokia 8.1 is the global variant of the Nokia X7, their specifications will match. 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 handset is 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, with support for 18W fast charging.