Nokia 8 Sirocco first impressions: Good-looking phone, but pricey at Rs 49,999

Nokia 8 Sirocco: Design and Display

Nokia 8 Sirocco looks like a premium phone, and a glossy one at that, thanks to its stainless steel chassis along with 3D glass on the back and front for a unique look. The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 coating for protection. The phone is slim, compact and easy to hold. I liked that Nokia 8 Sirocco fit perfectly in my hand, despite having a 5.5-inch screen.

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The dual-curved edge screen is something we have come to associate with Samsung’s S-series flagships. Nokia 8 Sirocco looks very similar to one of those Samsung phones from the front. But that is not to say that the 8 Sirocco is any less stylish. I absolutely loved Nokia 8 Sirocco’s overall design, a phone I would not mind carrying around.

Nokia 8 Sirocco screams premium thanks to its stainless steel chassis along with 3D glass on the back and front for a unique look.

You will need to be extra careful with the phone as it is extremely slippery. Nokia 8 Sirocco also attracts fingerprint smudges very easily, and this goes for both the display and back cover. So a plastic case is recommended for protection against slips and smudges.

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Nokia 8 has a 5.5-inch QHD 3D p-OLED display. The bezels on the sides are non-existent, while those on the top and bottom are extremely thin. In a nutshell, Nokia 8 Sirocco is in-line with the current trend of Full Vision displays on smartphones, which is expected from a flagship device. The screen is a delight to look at, thanks to great viewing angles. I did not face issue while using the phone in bright sunlight, which is great.

Nokia 8 Sirocco: Camera

Nokia 8 Sirocco has a dual rear camera setup at the back, a combination of 12MP+13MP sensors with dual-tone flash. The primary 12MP camera is a wide-angle lens with 1.4um, f/1.75 aperture and 78-degree field of view. The 13MP telephoto lens has f/2.6 aperture and 47.3-degree field of view. The front shooter is 5MP with f/2.0 and display flash.

Nokia 8 Sirocco camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Nokia 8 Sirocco camera sample. (Image resized for web)

Frankly, I did not get to play around with the camera too much, but the shots that I clicked in outdoors turned out to be detailed, though the colours seem a bit washed out in some cases. Nokia 8 Sirocco is also quick to focus, which I liked. The back camera has a live bokeh feature that can be used to adjust depth focus in real-time. Nokia’s ‘Bothie’ mode is also supported, which let me use both the front and rear camera simultaneously with feed from both displayed on the screen.

Nokia 8 Sirocco: Processor, Battery and Memory

Nokia 8 Sirocco is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which might disappoint a lot of users, especially because this is an older mobile platform that powered the last year’s flagship devices. In 2018, smartphone makers are sticking with Snapdragon 845 for their high-end smartphones. Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ ship with the latest SoC in the US, though in India the phones come with Samsung’s own Exynos processor.

Nokia 8 Sirocco has been launched under Google’s Android One programme.

Nokia 8 Sirocco features 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Though I did not get to use Nokia 8 Sirocco extensively, performance should not be an issue with this phone. In my limited time, the apps opened quickly and I did not encounter any lag as such. More details in our full review. Nokia 8 Sirocco is backed by a 3,260 mAh battery and it uses a USB Type-C slot for charging. Qi wireless charging is also supported.

Nokia 8 Sirocco: Software

Nokia 8 Sirocco has been launched under Google’s Android One scheme, which ensures regular security patches and timely software updates, something worth looking forward to. Fans of stock Android experience will be pleased with Nokia 8 Sirocco. It runs Android Oreo 8.1 with no bloatware or customised skin on top. I enjoyed the easy-to-use UI and that I did not have to deal with pre-loaded apps, some of which I may never have used.

Nokia 8 Sirocco: Final Thoughts

Nokia 8 Sircco excels on some fronts including design and software, but the lack of Snapdragon 845 remains a problem, especially in the price-bracket where it is competing. My first impressions of the camera were not very great either, though it might change once we do an in-depth review. As of now, it looks like Nokia 8 Sirocco will have a very hard time competing with Samsung Galaxy S9 and Apple iPhone 8 series. It is also more expensive than other options like OnePlus 5T or Honor View 10. The price will raise some serious questions about the Nokia 8 Sirocco’s adoption, especially in a market like India.