2018 edition of Nokia 2, 3 and 5 announced: Here's what has changed

The trio of smartphones brings host of improvements in term of features and specifications over their predecessors - the Nokia 5, Nokia 3 and Nokia 2

HMD Global, a Finnish company behind the Nokia-branded phones, on May 29 announced the Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1. The trio of smartphones brings host of improvements in term of features and specifications over their predecessors – the Nokia 5, Nokia 3 and Nokia 2.

Built from a single block of 6000 series aluminium, the Nokia 5.1 gets a bigger and modern screen of 5.5-inch in 18:9 aspect ratio. Not just the screen, the resolution has also been raised to fullHD+ to make it sharp and crisp for watching multimedia content. The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio P18 octa-core processor, which runs at a maximum frequency of a 2.0 GHz. In terms of imaging, the phone’s primary camera has been upgraded with a 16-megapixel sensor that supports phase detection auto-focus. To accommodate new format screen, the company has moved fingerprint sensor to the back and the capacitive navigation keys of the predecessor are now replaced with on-screen navigation keys. Being a Google Android One smartphone, the phone boots latest version of Android Oreo out of the box and is promised to get an Android P update.

The Nokia 5.1 will be available in three colour variants -- copper, tempered blue and black, and two storage and RAM configurations -- 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB.

The Nokia 3.1 also sports an 18:9 aspect ratio screen of 5.2-inch, covered under Gorilla Glass protection. However, the resolution still maxes out at HD+, same as predecessor. The phone features a polycarbonate body and metallic chassis made of aluminium processed through CNC process. The phone is powered by MediaTek 6750 chipset, which is an octa-core system-on-chip with Cortex-A53 cores. In terms of imaging, the phone has a 13MP primary camera, and an 8MP selfie camera with 84.6 degree wide-angle lens.

The Nokia 3.1 will be available in three colour combinations -- blue/copper, black/chrome and white/iron, and two storage and RAM options -- 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB.

The Nokia 2.1 sports a 5.5-inch HD screen and dual front-facing stereo speakers. Powered by a 4,000 mAh battery, the smartphone boots Android Oreo Go edition operating system, which is a trimmed down version of Android Oreo designed to work optimally in low-end devices with 1GB of RAM or less. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 SoC, paired with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. On the imaging front, the phone sports an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP front-facing.

The Nokia 2.1 will be available in three metallic colour combinations -- blue/copper, blue/silver and grey/silver.

Nokia 8 Sirocco is as elegant as original Nokia 8800: First impressions

The Nokia 8 has top-tier innards, sturdy stainless steel body, curved plastic-OLED screen and Android Oreo operating system, which comes with Android One promise of guaranteed timely updates

HMD Global, a Finnish company behind Nokia-branded phones, finally has a flagship – the Nokia 8 Sirocco – that can take on the competition. The device has top-tier specs, sturdy stainless steel body, curved plastic-OLED screen and Android Oreo operating system, which comes with Android One promise of guaranteed timely updates.

In terms of design and features, the Sirocco edition is a completely new device with major improvements and, therefore, is nowhere close to the original Nokia 8, which was launched last year. The phone’s curved sides grabs the attention and looks plush. The compact form factor improves usability, but the glossy stainless steel back and curved side profile make it prone to accidental drops.

Things get interesting once the device is powered on. The front is dominated by a curved pOLED screen that results in zero side bezels and limited top and bottom bezels. The screen looks vivid and touch response is top-notch. However, due to curved profile, the sides of the screen registers accidental touch, which results in unstable phone’s behaviour.

The ultraHD (2K) pOLED screen is a delight to watch video content. It renders deep blacks and is bright enough to stay visible under direct sunlight. However, the mono speaker output is on a muted side and, therefore, hinders the performance. The lack of 3.5mm audio port is another miss -- the phone comes bundled with USB type-C to 3.5mm port jack.

our brief use, the Nokia 8 Sirocco imaging showed promising results in good day-light conditions. However, it was not up to the mark to capture low-light scenes. The dual-camera module is tuned for warm colour reproduction and the output shows saturated colours, instead of natural colours. The selfie camera also showed similar results but with prominent noise levels across light conditions.

The vanilla Android Oreo experience is smooth and the phone easily sails through tasks without breaking sweat. The software shows no sign of lag or unresponsive behaviour, at least in our first impression. The battery life seems good and the charging time is quick.

The Nokia 8 Sirocco has impressed us with its blueblood traits in first impressions. However, we are reserving our verdict until detailed review, where we’d test the device on several parameters to test its overall capabilities.