After a big launch at Mobile World Congress this year, HMD Global have today announced the Australian launch dates for their new range of phones.
Availability
There are four new Nokia phones arriving in Australia this month with the Nokia 1 and Nokia 6 arriving this Friday (May 4th) for $149 and $399 respectively, while the Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 will arrive from Tuesday, May 17th for $649 and $1,199.
Harvey Norman and JB Hifi will offer the Nokia 1, Nokia 6 and Nokia 7 Plus, but it’s JB Hifi which have the exclusive on the Nokia 8 Sirocco.
Software
At their launch, HMD Global announced that the Nokia range is going a new route in terms of software. Nokia’s Android phones have always been essentially stock Android but they’re now even more so with all handsets in the range running either Android Go (Oreo Edition) for the Nokia 1, while the rest of the range is now running Android One, with guaranteed updates from Google.
Nokia 1
The Nokia 1 is one of the first wave of Android Go (Oreo Edition) phones that are arriving. These phones are designed to run on less than 1GB of RAM, and run ‘Go’ editions of Google apps as well as ‘lite’ versions off apps from partners including Facebook, Twitter and more.
The Nokia 1 brings back the famous Nokia Xpress-on covers, swappable, brightly coloured rears for the phone which cover a removable 2150mAh battery. The Nokia 1 will be coming in Dark Blue, and covers will be priced from $19.95 in Azure, Grey, Yellow and Pink.
The Nokia 1, despite it’s great price tag is also packing in a decent amount of hardware as well:
| Key Specifications: | Nokia 1 |
|---|---|
| Release date | — |
| Screen size | 4.5-inch |
| Screen technology | IPS |
| Resolution | 854 x 480 |
| PPI | 217 |
| Rear camera | 5MP |
| Front camera | 2MP |
| Chipset | MediaTek MT6737M |
| Core config | Quad-Core 1.1GHz |
| RAM | 1GB |
| Storage | 8GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 128GB |
| Battery | 2,150 mAh |
| Battery removable | Yes |
| Connector | MicroUSB |
| Headphone Port | Yes |
| Headphone Location | — |
| Speaker Configuration | — |
| NFC | — |
| Android OS | Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition) |
| Vendor skin | — |
| Dimensions | 133.6x67.78x9.5mm |
| Colours | — |
Nokia 6
Manufactured from a single piece of 6000 series aluminium, the Nokia 6 will turn heads in terms of looks with a dual-tone anodising process giving highlights to the basic white and black colours. The Nokia 6 will be available in Black/Copper and White/Iron.
The phone won’t just look good, it is specced to impress with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor. The Nokia 6 was launched in two variants, one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage, and a 4GB RAM/64GB storage model, and while it would be nice to get the higher end option, it’s the 3GB RAM/32GB storage model that’s coming to Australia.
The 16MP rear camera with Zeiss optics will be a big deal for photographers, and it will work with the 8MP front-facing camera using their ‘Dual-Sight’ feature that let’s you use both cameras at the same time.
| Key Specifications: | Nokia 6 |
|---|---|
| Release date | — |
| Screen size | 5.5-inch |
| Screen technology | IPS |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 |
| PPI | 403 |
| Rear camera | 16MP |
| Front camera | 8MP |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 630 |
| Core config | — |
| RAM | 3GB/4GB |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 128GB |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh |
| Battery removable | — |
| Connector | USB type-C |
| Headphone Port | Yes |
| Headphone Location | — |
| Speaker Configuration | — |
| NFC | Yes |
| Android OS | Android Oreo |
| Vendor skin | — |
| Dimensions | 148.8x75.8x8.15mm |
| Colours |
|
Nokia 7 Plus
The new Nokia 7 Plus offers a beautiful aluminium body machined from a single piece of 6000 series aluminium, but also comes with anodised edges which gives the phone a contrasting look with two-tone contrasts in Black with Copper highlights.
The Nokia 7 Plus offers an 18:9 aspect ratio FullHD+ resolution, with a Snapdragon 660 and 4GB of RAM powering the phone. The Nokia 7 Plus comes with a dual rear camera sensors behind ZEISS optics, with the primary 12MP sensor offering wide-angle shots with an f/1.75 aperture sure to please in low-light situations, while the secondary 13MP sensor delivers up to 2x Optical Zoom.
| Key Specifications: | Nokia 7 Plus |
|---|---|
| Release date | — |
| Screen size | 6.0-inch |
| Screen technology | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 2,280 x 1,080 |
| PPI | 403 |
| Rear camera | 12MP+13MP |
| Front camera | 16MP |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 660 |
| Core config | — |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 256GB |
| Battery | 3,800 mAh |
| Battery removable | — |
| Connector | USB type-C |
| Headphone Port | Yes |
| Headphone Location | — |
| Speaker Configuration | — |
| NFC | Yes |
| Android OS | Android Oreo |
| Vendor skin | — |
| Dimensions | 158.38x75.64x7.99 mm |
| Colours | — |
Nokia 8 ‘Sirocco’
Finally, the flagship of Nokia’s 2018 range is the Nokia 8 ‘Sirocco’, a name which exudes quality with the design of their flagship phone ramped up to match. The Nokia 8 is made of a machined stainless steel frame encased in a premium glass body in stylish black.
The phone houses a 5.5″ QHD resolution pOLED display which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 6GB of RAM. 128GB of on-board storage will allow you to store almost anything on the phone.
Nokia has included the same camera setup as the Nokia 7 Plus in the Nokia 8, with a dual rear camera setup behind ZEISS optics. The Nokia 8 also includes enhanced audio capture thanks to Nokia spatial audio, to allow you to capture everything from the quietest whisper to the loudest rock concert thanks to three microphones.
| Key Specifications: | Nokia 8 Sirocco |
|---|---|
| Release date | — |
| Screen size | 5.5-inch |
| Screen technology | pOLED |
| Resolution | 2,560 x 1,440 |
| PPI | 534 |
| Rear camera | 12MP+13MP |
| Front camera | 5MP |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 835 |
| Core config | — |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| MicroSD | — |
| Battery | 3,260 mAh |
| Battery removable | — |
| Connector | USB type-C |
| Headphone Port | — |
| Headphone Location | — |
| Speaker Configuration | — |
| NFC | Yes |
| Android OS | Android Oreo |
| Vendor skin | — |
| Dimensions | 140.93x72.97x7.5mm |
| Colours | — |
Unfortunately there’s still no information on the so-called ‘Banana Phone’ the Nokia 8110 re-launch, with HMD Global saying they’ll keep us advised…so we’re hoping soon. We’re super keen to get more time with the new Nokia range and we’ll be bringing you reviews shortly.
Are you going to check out the new range of Nokia phones?
is there any news about 7plus releasing on Vodafone or other Telco’s?
the nokia 1 and nokia 6 2018 are avalible now
I just wish the lower specced phones had wireless charging and OLED that come with the Nokia 8.
good price on an overseas 7+ here with the current 20% off, https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nokia-7-Plus-TA-1062-4GB-RAM-64GB-4G-LTE/222950690573
I would bite if only it had 120gb onboard. not willing to go down the hybrid sim/micro sd card route
Decent price, but I’d rather pay the bit extra to get proper local warranty. Having dealt with grey import warranty before I know it can be a nightmare if anything goes wrong.
Sweet, might be buying the Nokia 6
The only thing I’m worried about is how Android One will be implemented and maintained now that these phones have joined that program. If Nokia rolls out updates nearly as soon as Google rolls out patches and updates for Nexus and Pixel phones then I’m in. Nexus 5X will be end of life by November and I’m looking for a like-for-like replacement and so far the Nokia 6 (2018) looks like the best candidate. I just hope the software rollouts work out as I want them but from what I have gathered so far with Nokia phones, their track record… Read more »
Nice, I’m excited for the 7+
can you add NFC to the specs as it is a big deciding factor to my purchase descision
So May 17 for the 7 Plus. Hope there’s some decent cases for it, because black is ugly boring bland.
are you crazy it looks amazing
My first Android phone was an LG P500 Optimus One. Satin black body with silver body band. That was back in 2011. And now folks are looking forwards to satin black body with copper body band.
3GB version? Guess I won’t be recommending the Nokia 6 to my brother, not going to reward corner cutting.
Also, why can’t I update my mother’s unbranded Nokia 5 to Oreo? It’s been available worldwide since January.
So much for the regular updates.
Is she on Vodafone? Vodafone can’t keep up with updates very well :/ Regardless of the fact it’s unbranded, it will use Vodafone as an update source as part of the carrier configuration. As far as I’ve heard with previous Android One phones, the carrier is kicked out of the update process as the updates have to be deployed directly from Google.
https://www.vodafone.com.au/support/device/software-updates