Nokia 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 vs HTC U11 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Price, specifications, and features compared

Here's how the newly launched Nokia 8 fares against its contemporaries.

HMD Global has finally taken the wraps off its first Nokia-branded Android flagship smartphone for this year. Called, the Nokia 8, the premium category smartphone is priced at €599 (approximately Rs 45,000) and takes on the likes of Samsung Galaxy S8, HTC U11 and the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. The smartphone not only boasts top-tier features but carries a price tag which is likely to help the brand regain popularity amongst the masses. Here’s how it fares against its contemporaries on all parameters.

Pricing and availability

Nokia 8 carries a price tag of €599 and will be available in four color choices of Polished Blue, Polished Copper, Tempered Blue, and Steel. It has been currently launched in the (__) market. It is expected to be introduced gradually in other markets throughout September.

In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is priced at Rs Rs 57,900 and available in color choices of Orchid Gray, Mighnight Black, and Maple Gold. HTC U11 is priced at 51,990 and available in Sapphire Blue, Amazing Silver, and Solar Red colors. Sony Xperia XZ Premium, on the other hand, is priced the highest at Rs 59,990 and available in color choices of Luminous Chrome and Deep Sea Black.

If the Nokia 8 is launched around the same price at par with its international pricing  in India then it stands a good chance of success as the competing smartphones here are placed in the Rs 50,000 and above range.

Display

Nokia 8 boasts a 5.3-inch IPS LCD display with quad HD resolution (2560 x 1440). The display is layered with 2.5D glass with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch quad HD display, the HTC U11 packs a 5.5-inch quad HD display. The Sony Xperia XZ Premium features a 5.5-inch 4K HDR display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. An HDR display is essentially meant for HDR content consumption.

Based purely on the display, the Nokia 8 pales in comparison both in terms of size and resolution. However, given the price of the smartphone, it might be overlooked by potential customers. ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy S8 review: A combination of beauty, beast and near-perfection!

Chipset, RAM, storage

One of the elements making the Nokia 8 a flagship smartphone is its use of Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC – the same chipset that powers the HTC U11 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium. While the Samsung Galaxy S8 is also available in the Snapdragon 835 variant, in India, it runs the Exynos 8895 SoC. As for the memory and storage, the Nokia 6, Galaxy S8, and Xperia XZ Premium include 4GB of RAM with 64GB of expandable internal storage. The HTC U11, on the other hand, packs 6GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage. While the Nokia 8 is yet to be tested for performance, given the same configuration as its contemporaries, we can expect it to score well on this front.

Cameras

In what is likely to give the Nokia-brand a much-needed boost after the re-entry in the mobile market is the decision to opt for a dual-camera module on the Nokia 8. Catching up on the industry trend, the Nokia 8 features a pair of 13-megapixel primary sensor with Optical Image Stabilization and a 13-megapixel monochrome sensor with PDAF support, dual tone flash, and IR range finder. Up front, there is a 13-megapixel sensor with f/2.0, 78.4-degree lens and display flash.

Samsung Galaxy S8 features a single 12-megapixel rear camera with OIS, EIS, and PDAF. Up front, there is an 8-megapixel camera. The HTC U11 also packs a 12-megapixel rear camera with UltraPixel technology, 5-axis OIS, EIS, f/1.7 aperture and 4K video recording support with 360-degree sound recording. Up front, there is a 16-megapixel camera with 150-degree wide-angle lens. ALSO READ: Sony Xperia XZ Review

Known for camera prowess, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is equipped with a 19-megapixel rear camera with features like predictive capture, triple image sensing technology, predictive hybrid autofocus. Up front, there is a 13-megapixel camera. The smartphone further comes with Motion Eye technology making it capable of shooting super slow motion videos.

The presence of a dual-camera module on the Nokia 8 makes it stand out from its competition here; none of which boast the newer trend in smartphone camera technology.

Battery, OS, Connectivity

Nokia 8 is powered by 3,090mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and HTC U11 are both fueled by a 3,000mAh battery. The Xperia XZ Premium boasts the maximum capacity in the list with a 3,230mAh battery.

On the software front, all the smartphones run the newer Android Nougat out-of-the-box; Nokia 8 is powered by Android 7.1.1 Nougat, Galaxy S8 runs Android 7.0 Nougat with TouchWiz UI, HTC U11 runs Android 7.1 Nougat with HTC sense while the Xperia XZ Premium is powered by Android 7.1 Nougat. ALSO READ: HTC U11 review: Utopia in the making

In terms of connectivity, all the smartphones are Type-C based, and support 4G VoLTE support, fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, and dual SIM. Except the HTC U11, all the other smartphones support Bluetooth 5.0.

Verdict

Going purely by the set of specifications, the Nokia 8 is set to give existing flagship smartphones a run for their money by bringing the top-tier features such as dual-camera setup, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, and a decent battery capacity at an aggressive pricing. While the smartphone boasts the camera as one of its USPs, the HTC U11 offers a squeezable feature while the Galaxy S8 has an Infinity Display for an edgeless-experience. Similarly, the Xperia XZ Premium boasts what is called as the world’s first super slow-motion camera. While each of the contemporaries has one key feature to boast, the Nokia 8 aims to seal it all with its pricing strategy.

Nokia 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 vs HTC U11 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Comparison Table