We all expected HMD Global to announce a Nokia 9 smartphone as this year’s flagship device but we were all surprised when the company took to the stage and no 9 was being talked about. After the announcement of the Nokia 7 Plus, we honestly thought that was it but HMD had a great “one more thing” surprise for everyone.
Back in 2006, a device by the name Nokia 8800 Sirocco emerged. The phone was a premium version of the Nokia 8800. In HMD’s nature of playing around with Nostalgia, they decided to name their flagship device, Nokia 8 Sirocco.
The Nokia 8 Sirocco not only carries a bold name but also packs quite a design to wow anyone. The biggest deal about the phone is the build and design of the phone. The device is made out of 3D Gorilla Glass 5 glass on the front and back and a stainless steel frame that HMD claims can hold up to 3 grown men without bending.
The phone comes in an 18:9 edge-to-edge Galaxy S8-style curved display form factor. The phone is quite compact and can easily pass as a 5-inch smartphone, despite it’s larger display. HMD says that the Nokia 8 Sirocco is all about elegance and class and to match their words, here are the features of the Nokia 8 Sirocco:
- 5.5-inch QHD POLED Display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor
- Android 8.0 Oreo
- 12MP + 13MP Dual cameras with 2x zoom
- 5MP selfie shooter
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage
- USB-C for fast charging
- Rear-mounted fingerprint reader
Admittedly, the Nokia 8 Sirocco is a looker and the scary part is that it feels like it would break just by shouting mean words at it, let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint its makers. To top up on the premium nature of the Nokia 8 Sirocco, HMD included lifestyle features such as Qi wireless charging, IP67 water and dust resistance certification, 360-degrees OZO Audio recording, Bothie mode, 3D Personas (aka Animoji), Nokia’s Pro Camera app that features manual controls with live preview on the viewfinder and A.I powered image editing.
The Nokia 8 Sirocco will be available as from April, carrying a price tag of 749 Euros (Approx. Kes.94,000).
