The biggest names in mobile devices are in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, and the resurgent Nokia has just unveiled five new devices for 2018 – three mainstream Android handsets, one budget Android Go phone, and another rebooted classic from Nokia's past.
With phones like the Nokia 8, the legendary brand – now under the control of Finnish company HMD Global – is looking to drag itself back to relevance with well-built, uncomplicated, Android-powered phones that combine decent specs at affordable price points, offering something on the next rung down from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy handsets.
First up at MWC was the Nokia 8 Sirocco, an upgraded version of the flagship we saw last year. Milled from a single block of stainless steel and with rounded glass edges, the new top-end Nokia phone combines eye-catching looks with a 5.5-inch OLED display packing in 2560 x 1440 pixels.
Last year's top-end Snapdragon 835 processor is matched with 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of internal storage, and a dual-lens 12MP + 13MP camera on the back. As usual with Nokia, you get the latest version of Android – in this case Android 8.0 Oreo – and the promise of speedy updates in the future.
The phone goes on sale in April for €749 (roughly US$920, though it's likely to be lower than that currency conversion suggests).
Nokia had plenty more up its sleeve, including a new version of the Nokia 6, now available globally and bringing a few upgrades to last year's handset. It offers a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display, and is powered by a Snapdragon 630 chipset, with a 16MP camera around the back.
There's a choice of 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB or 64 GB of storage, and again Android 8.0 Oreo is on board. That phone can be yours for €279 (roughly US$345), and it's on sale in April.
Also new at the show was a Nokia 7 Plus, with a "flagship imaging experience" and the same dual-lens rear camera setup as the Nokia 8 Sirocco. The 6-inch, 2160 x 1080 pixel display is stretched to an 18:9 aspect ratio, so this would suit someone looking for a lot of screen for not much money – €399 (US$490) to be exact.
Besides that camera, there's a Snapdragon 660 CPU inside, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of internal storage. Like the Nokia 6, the Nokia 7 Plus is made from a solid block of aluminum, and like the other phones, it'll be widely available from April this year.
These three phones are part of the Android One program, used by Google as a way of identifying handsets running an untouched, up-to-date version of Android, with speedier updates than you might get from the likes of Samsung, HTC, and Sony.
Nokia is also bringing back another of its classic handsets, after reviving the Nokia 3310 last year. This time around it's the Nokia 8110 that's getting a modern day 4G update, offering users a cheap feature phone with excellent battery life and some classic Nokia apps – it can be yours for €79 (roughly US$95) from May.
Finally, there's the Nokia 1, running the lightweight Android Go software designed for developing nations where connectivity is at a premium, and the specs aren't quite as premium. Available from early April, with a choice of clip-on covers, the Nokia 1 will be retailing for an average of $85.
The specs reflect that price – a MediaTek MT6737M chipset is paired with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, while the 4.5-inch display has just a 854 x 480 pixel resolution. There's a 5 MP camera around the back.
Nothing that Nokia unveiled today was dramatically different to what we've seen before, but it shows the iconic brand is getting more and more confident in its range of Android phones. If you're not going to spend the top prices for an Android phone from Samsung or Google, Nokia is making a strong case to be your next choice.
Product pages: Nokia
