Nokia 7 is a cheaper alternative for the bothie feature

338

When Nokia skipped the number 4, we understood why as it was considered a taboo number in certain cultures. When they skipped the 7 and went straight to the Nokia 8, the biggest question was what happened to Nokia 7? Well, we finally have our answer as Nokia has just announced the Nokia 7 which has the bothie feature without the high price tag.

The new phone will come with a 5.2-inch FHD IPS display, Snapdragon 630 processor, 3,000mAh battery and will come in two models of 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage or a 6GB RAM and 128GB storage which both are expandable via microSD card. The Bothie feature is the ability to capture an image using both the front and back camera at the same time, making it into one image. Using this feature on the new phone will be a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera.

The Nokia 7 is currently launched only in China with plans of bringing this and other Nokia phones to US and Europe at a later time. The phone will release on 24 October with prices for the two models coming in at about $377 (RM1593.39) and $407 (RM1720.19) with no indication that it will launch elsewhere.

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Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 1 will launch in Malaysia on 10 April 2018

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We have just got news from HMD Global that the Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 1 is headed to Malaysia and it will be launched on 10 April 2018. This are new Nokia phones that will be running on the light-weight Android GO, a special Android OS that takes up lesser resources than the regular Android OS and can support phones that have 1GB of RAM.

The Nokia 1 is said to come with a 4.5-inch IPS screen, MediaTek MT6737M processor, 1GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. On the back, it has a 5MP sensor and the front houses a 2MP camera. As for the Nokia 7 Plus, it comes with a 6-inch IPS LCD screen with an FHD+ resolution, Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It comes with a dual Carl Zeiss lens and the front is a 16MP camera.

We will be attending the official launch event on the 10 April so stay tuned to as we will bring you images as well as the price as soon as it launches.

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Nokia 7 Plus slides leaked, comes with Snapdragon 660 and improved camera setup

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HMD Global is skipping a refreshed launch of the Nokia 7 and going straight with the release of Nokia 7 Plus. This information comes from leaked slides that showed the image of the 7 Plus and some of the specs that will come with the phone.

Nokia is upgrading the processor to a Snapdragon 660 and it will come with a bigger 6-inch, 18:9 aspect ratio, but they are still retaining the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. There is still no news on the 6GB variant but we will keep our eyes peeled. The biggest change is with the cameras as they will be including a dual camera setup which comes in a 12MP + 13MP configuration and 2x zoom. The front will be a 16MP camera with a Tetracell sensor and all the cameras will be using Carl Zeiss lenses.

There is still no date on when the Nokia 7 Plus will arrive to consumers but we might get some news about the new phone during MWC 2018 which will be happening at the end of the month.

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Nokia 7 will be available in other countries soon

339

The Nokia 7 was announced as a China exclusive phone when it released in October 2017 and the rest of the world was left without the phone until recently. The smartphone is seen being sold by some European retailers but it would seem that the phone will be official in other countries soon.

Reports indicate that the Nokia 7 is set to launch in India later this month and the phone will be available exclusively through Amazon India but no price has been set. Other than that, it is expected that the phone will be officially available in Europe in the coming weeks and other regions will likely get their hands on the phone in February as well. It is still unsure if the phone will make it to any other markets but there is a good chance the company will slowly roll out the phone to other countries soon.

Currently, the phone can be pre-ordered in Romania for around 235 Euros but it won’t be available until 17 January and they have still not indicated if it will be official in other parts of Europe. Let’s hope we will see the Nokia 7 in Malaysia soon.

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The Nokia 8 is confirmed to retail at RM2,299

264

While we are still two days away from the local launch of the Nokia 8, a local Nokia retailer has apparently leaked the pricing of the flagship that we have been anticipating from HMD Global. According to retailer NOKIA Malaysia Store located at Bangsar Shopping Centre, the Nokia 8 will be available in colours of Steel and Blue, it will retail for RM2,299 and we assume there will also be free Nokia accessories given during the preorder period. Despite of the poor value of the Malaysian Ringgit, HMD Global has managed to price the phone pretty decently, considering it is a Snapdragon 835 powered smartphone.

The Nokia 8 may not look too different from its other brothers, but it sports a very interesting camera setup as opposed to other flagships we have seen, for instance the 13-megapixel dual camera system by ZEISS, 4K Video recording with Nokia OZO audio, and the ability to take a ‘Bothie’ which captures images and videos with both front and rear cameras at the same time. Other than that, this is a perfectly powerful smartphone that shouldn’t fail you with Qualcomm’s fastest processor and 4GB of RAM, the Nokia 8 however lacks water resistance and wireless charging, and it has a fairly small display at 5.3-inches, which explains the affordable price point, still commendable nonetheless.

We will be present at the local Nokia 8 launch this Friday, and we hope to see more surprises from HMD Global.

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Nokia 8 set for August 16 reveal

306

We’ve come across countless rumors across the web relating to Nokia’s upcoming high end flagship smartphone by Chinese company HMD Global. The smartphone maker recently unveiled a couple of Nokia handsets like the Nokia 3, 5 and 6. The long awaited Nokia 8 finally has a launch date set in August in London.

The Nokia 8 is has been rumored to sport a Snapdragon 835 processor, the same chipset seen underneath the hoods of this year’s flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, Sony Xperia XZ Premium, OnePlus 5 and a couple of others. It is said to be powered by 4GB or 6GB of RAM with 64GB and 128GB of storage space respectively.

As for its display, the Nokia 8 has been tipped to go with a 5.3-inch screen in QHD resolution, placing it on the same level as current flagship smartphones. It will also feature a dual rear camera setup by German optics expert ZEISS, with both sensors to be of 13 megapixels each.

Generally, the leaks so far seem to be pretty consistent leading to next month’s launch. Speaking of which, HMD Global has set the exact launch date on the 16th of August, which is a little over three weeks from now. Do you think the Nokia 8 will carry an affordable price tag like the rest in the lineup?

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Nokia 8210 4G now available in Malaysia for RM299

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If you are actually bored of smartphones and feel like having a throwback on classic phones, then be ready to spend RM299 on the Nokia 8210 4G, which has officially gone on sale today in Malaysia and it sure does bring back some memories of this small phone.

Fondly known as the ‘Butterfly’ due to its D-Pad design, the Nokia 8210 4G features the very same button form though it certainly feels nicer to press than its two-decade old senior, it features a 2.8-inch QVGA display that is pretty big for a feature phone, while its 4G connectivity is enabled by a Unisoc T107 chipset, there is unfortunately no WiFi hotspot feature as it doesn’t come with WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity is available but you probably won’t be able to do Bluetooth tethering as well.

Unlike the other modern Nokia feature phones, the 8210 4G unfortunately doesn’t run KaiOS which you don’t get access to apps such as WhatsApp and Google Assistant, it runs on the simpler S30+ platform which comes with a set of Java based apps and games, which includes the classic Snake game and some others from Gameloft, there’s also an MP3 player and FM radio function if you need some form of entertainment, storage expansion is supported up to 32GB with a MicroSD card.

Fortunately, you are able to take advantage of its 4G connectivity by browsing the web with a built-in browser and it even has a shortcut to Facebook, the phone comes with a VGA rear camera which will allow you to take really basic photos, try uploading them on Facebook and I’m sure it will be really hilarious.

Even though the Nokia 8210 4G isn’t an expensive phone by all means, the fact that you could easily own an entry-level Android smartphone such as the
Redmi A1
 by just topping up another RM30 made it seem like an unworthy purchase, but hey, it’s a classic phone and you might turn heads by using one.

The Nokia 8210 4G can be purchased at Nokia Mobile’s official store on
Lazada
 and
Shopee
.

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Nokia 8’s camera gets a 68 score from DxOMark

362

The Nokia 8’s camera has been put through its phase by the people over at DxO and the results are probably not what you expected. The Zeiss cameras on the phone managed to score a rather low 68 when compared to Google Pixel 2 which stands at 98.

Nokia 8 daylight shot

Based on the results published by DxO, the photos produced by the camera comes with good exposure and accurate white balance, but there are some cases that there is not enough saturation which makes colour shading obvious. Dynamic range comes out well only if Auto HDR mode is working which apparently is not working most of the time. Other than that, there is strong noise in areas of plain colour even when shot in bright light and detail levels are low with blurring present. Details become worst when it comes to indoors or low-light shots with lost of sharpness and strong softness visible near the edge of the frame. Autofocus is not great when it comes to low light, there are decent colours when using the dual-LED flash but some portraits show red pupils when shot and sometimes, autofocus does not trigger in low-light shots.

Nokia 8 low-light shot

DxO has an in-depth explanation of all the features and issues which you can read
here
. Take note that this is just a benchmark to give you a rough idea of how the camera performs at a professional level and in no way reflects the performance of the phone. If the camera is not what you are looking for in a phone, the Nokia 8 still performs decently well when it comes to regular everyday use.

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Hands-on images of the Nokia 9 tells us a lot

333

Nokia got the ball rolling again when it launched the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6. HMD, the company responsible for the new line of Nokia handsets, has also unveiled a new version of the legacy Nokia 3310 with a twist, tapping into the nostalgic hearts of consumers.

HMD has promised to roll out a couple more handsets in 2017, and the Nokia 8 (or now known as 9) happens to be the most anticipated smartphone from Nokia that has yet to be released. The folks at Frandroid managed to get their hands on what seems to be a prototype of the Nokia 9, and the results are promising so far.

Most of the phone is covered by an enclosure, which is probably an attempt to conceal the body from being leaked out to be public. But there’s no stopping Frandroid from showing us what the Nokia 9 packs. First off, it is obvious enough that the phone has a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

As rumored before, the Nokia 9 features a dual camera configuration of two 13MP sensors, and according to the images, it looks to be in a vertical layout. The camera software also tells us that one of the sensors is a monochrome sensor, hence it is likely that the camera setup will work like the ones on the iPhone 7 Plus and the Huawei P10.

On the front below the display sits a fingerprint sensor flanked by two backlit capacitive buttons. We’re fortunate enough to get a screenshot of a CPU-Z result for the Nokia 9. The phone sports the flagship Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Codenamed “Heart”, the phone ran on Android Nougat 7.1.1 at the time of testing.

Another image suggests that the Nokia 9 will come bundled with a Quick Charge 3.0 adapter and a pair of headphones. Frandroid managed to sneak in a couple of camera samples of the phone for us to be the judge.

Everything seems promising so far, and we definitely expect Nokia/HMD to nail it since the Nokia 9 is rumored to feature a very premium price tag. What do you think?

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Nokia 9 is reportedly in development and will have an almost bezel-less screen

272

The Nokia 8 was made official recently by Nokia confirming most of the rumours that we heard but adding on quite a few attractive features that give users more to do with the phone. It would seem like Nokia is not taking a break and is hard at work to produce what can only be the Nokia 9.

During the launch of the Nokia 8, HMD representatives hinted that a phone with a bigger screen than the Nokia 8 is currently in development to meet the needs of all users. The phone that we assume will be Nokia 9 seems to have almost no bezels based on some sketching that was leaked previously.

Image Source: Nokia Power User

As you can see, the phone has eliminated almost all the bezels and seem to place the fingerprint sensor at the back of the phone for obvious reasons.

There is still no concrete date on when the new phone will launch but it is expected to come with the Snapdragon 835, 6 or 8GB of RAM, 128GB storage, an iris scanner, and IP68 certification for water and dust resistant. The camera is said to be the same as the Nokia 8 and will be priced at 749 Euros.

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Nokia 9 will come with a 5.5-inch OLED screen and Snapdragon 835 processor

305

We finally have solid confirmation on the details and specs of the upcoming Nokia 9 which was released by the FCC which as most of you know, gives us a pretty good understanding of what we should expect when Nokia announces the new phone.

The Nokia 9 will come with a 5.5-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 835 processor and 128GB eMMC storage. It is also said to come with Android 8.0 out of the box with a near stock Android interface as seen with the other Nokia Android phones they released this year. On the camera side, the rear will come with a dual-camera setup with a 12MP + 13MP configurations and on the front is a 5MP shooter. Powering the device is a 3250mAh battery which will support fast charge.

The Nokia 9 is said to launch in January 2018 and if the rumours are correct, Nokia plans to have a launch event on 19 January in China where they will unveil the Nokia 9 and a refreshed Nokia 6.

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Nokia is back in Malaysia with the launch of the Nokia 3, 5, 6 and the reimagined 3310

265

Nokia is back in Malaysia by announcing the release of the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 which they unveiled earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The smartphones combine superior craftsmanship, distinctive design and powerful entertainment features with a pure Android experience.

The Nokia 3 features a precision machined aluminum frame forged from a single piece of aluminum, offering structural integrity and protection. It features a fully laminated 5-inch IPS display with no air gap and sculpted Corning Gorilla Glass, providing superb clarity and with a cut down on reflections thanks to the polarized screen. The integrated 8MP wide aperture seen on the front and back camera offers a premium feel in its compact and elegant form. The Nokia 3 will be available in Matte Black, Sliver, Tempered Blue, and Copper, it will retail for RM599 from mid-June 2017.

The Nokia 5 is crafted from a single block of 6000 series aluminum, creating the body that flows seamlessly into the laminated 5.2-inch IPS HD display with sculpted Corning Gorilla Glass and with the excellent sunlight and low light screen visibility screen, it would not be an issue using the phone in the outdoors. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, the device delivers excellent battery life, improved graphics performance in a premium quality design package. The back camera is a 13MP phase detection autofocus camera with dual tone flash with an 8MP, 84-degree wide-angle front facing camera. The Nokia 5 is available in Matte Black, Sliver, Tempered Blue and will retail for RM799 by the end of June 2017.

Next, is the Nokia 6, made from the same aluminum as the Nokia 5, the phone is equipped with a 5.5-inch full HD laminated screen and for music lovers, it comes with Dolby Atmos sound to further power your entertainment experience. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 and the Qualcomm Adreno 505 graphics processor, giving the phone a balance between performance and power consumption. The Nokia 6 will be available in Matte Black, Sliver, Tampered Blue and Copper. It will retail for RM999 by the end of June 2017.

Lastly, and probably the most interesting one would be the reimagined 3310, which comes with a lengthy 22-hour talk-time and a staggering one month standby time. Of course, the 3310 would not be complete without the return of the ever popular and addictive Snake game which has gotten a new face lift. The phone will come in Warm Red and Yellow with a gloss finish and Dark Blue and Gray in a matte finish. The Nokia 3310 will retail at RM239 starting from the first week of June 2017

The Nokia 3, 5 and 6 will come with pure stock Android without any addition bloatware. For more information on these phones and any other Nokia products, visit their official site
here
.


Nokia Brings Back Classic Banana Phone

462

The sea of smartphones may just be too overwhelming that sometimes, all you need is a classic non-touchscreen phone. And Nokia has definitely paid attention to this well by bringing back the triumphant 8110 4G that appeared in Keanu Reeves’ The Matrix. This is going to definitely do him proud.

The Nokia 8110 4G made its appearance at the MWC in Barcelona, Spain, and it’s clearly a crowd favourite. It’s the second revival of classic Nokia phones, followed by the 3310 that was released last year, and it definitely looks like a good comeback. Just like the original 8110, you can answer calls by just sliding open the case, and hanging it up by snapping it shut.

It features a 2.4-inch colour screen with a 320×240-pixel display that runs on the same interface as the new Nokia 3310. Apart from running on a dual-core 1.1GHz Qualcomm 205 processor, it has a 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage; fulfilling just the simplest of needs. And there’s clearly emphasis drawn to the battery life, where it can go for more than 20 days between charges or 8 hours of making calls.

Talk about nostalgia, but this phone is definitely a crowd pleaser already. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy using a phone that brings back so much memories? And even if you don’t prefer the bright yellow option, the Nokia 8110 4G comes with a black option as well. We seriously can’t wait to get our hands on this phone.

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Nokia devices to arrive in Malaysia by end of April 2017

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The smartphone scene is getting interesting again with the comeback of brands like Nokia, and it won’t be long that you will be able to get your hands on a Nokia device, as local tech blog Vtechgraphy, the site that reported an accurate leak of the iconic Nokia 3310 back then, has reported that the Nokia 3310 will be reaching the Malaysian shores by the end of this month, while the full range of Nokia Android smartphones, which includes the 3, 5 and 6 will begin selling accordingly in May. Furthermore, Vtechgraphy also reports that the Nokia 6 Arte Black version will be available in June.

If the scheduled dates are true, HMD Global would begin selling entry-level devices like the Nokia 3310 first to gain its traction here in Malaysia, which is actually a pretty smart move considering that the 3310 could be the best seller and would gather a lot of eyeballs on the once iconic phone brand once again, the company is also reported to do a weekly sales launch for its three Android devices, starting with the Nokia 3 and up to the Nokia 6. No pricing has been mentioned yet for the new Nokia phones, but we can assume that the prices announced back in the company’s
MWC event
would be slightly cheaper when the devices launch in Malaysia.

SOURCE:
VTechgraphy

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Nokia G300: Entry-level phone launched with 5G and 6.5-inch display

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Nokia has recently announced its latest entry-level phone, the Nokia G300 — this phone is priced at $199 which is about RM830 when converted to the local currency.

The Nokia G300 has a 6.52-inch LCD display that pushes HD+ resolution. It comes with a traditional waterdrop notch, a thick chin, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by a Snapdragon 480 5G chip paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

It

ships with Android 11 and sports 4,470mAh battery that supports 18W.

In the imaging department, the Nokia G300 has an 8MP front camera and a 16MP rear camera. The main rear lens is accompanied by a 5MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP depth sensor.

While the
Nokia G300
 may be one of the most affordable 5G phones in the U.S. market, it will face many competitors in our local market if it’s launched here.

The Nokia G300 is launching on October 19; this is about two weeks after the
Nokia T20’s debut
.

Nokia G300


Nokia introduces the Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 Plus to the Malaysian market

394

Nokia is back this year again to introduce new devices to close up the price gap between their current phones. The Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 1 are the phones that are going to fill up these gaps, effectively offering a phone for everyone at every price point.

Nokia 1

The Nokia 1 is an essential phone that comes with only 1GB of RAM but is able to run Android Oreo thanks to the Android GO program, which allows devices to run the latest version of Android even if the phone comes with low specs. Being an essential phone, the Nokia 1 comes with everything you expect like a quad-core MediaTek MT6737M processor, 2MP front camera 5MP rear camera, 8GB of expandable storage, 4.5-inch IPS display, and a removable 2150mAh battery. With Android GO, it comes with all the familiar apps that we have seen in the normal version of Android, the only difference is that it is optimized for devices with entry-level specs, and users will be able to get the latest update from Google as well as security patches as soon as it becomes available.

Nokia 1 will be available in two colours, Warm Red and Dark Blue and will go on shelves starting 13 April 2018 with a retail price of RM339. As a special launch, customers will be able to get an additional Xpress-On cover and more covers can be purchased for only RM39.90 for a set of two.

Nokia 7 Plus

The Nokia 7 Plus comes with a beautiful ceramic-feel coating achieved through a 6-layer paint system. Thanks to that, it offers a nice and comfortable feel when it is in your hand. Similar to the other premium Nokia phones, the Nokia 7 Plus is also built using a block of 6000 series aluminium. Specs wise, it comes with a 6-inch 18:9 FHD+ display, 4GB of RAM, Snapdragon 660 processor and powering the device is a 3800mAh battery which Nokia has claimed can offer a two-day battery life. It also comes with Android 8.1 out-of-the-box and Nokia has promised that they will be pushing monthly updates as well as security patches as soon as it releases.

Nokia has again teamed up with Carl Zeiss to bring a dual-rear camera with a 12MP wide-angle that performs well in both low light and bright areas and the 13MP sensor that supports 2x optical zoom. Nokia is also bringing back the Nokia Pro Camera mode which gives you quick access to manual controls like white balance, ISO, focus, shutter and exposure.

The phone will come in two colours, Black with Copper accents and White with Copper accents, it will be available in stores starting 20 April 2018 with a retail price of RM1699.

In addition to that, the Nokia 7 Plus comes with a gift box that contains a Bluetooth tripod, tempered glass protector, fisheye and macro lens worth RM300 while stocks last.

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Nokia Joins Android One Family

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Nokia unveiled 5 phones at their event at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, and it seems like things will take an interesting turn for them this year. The introduction made to all the smartphones were equally interesting and there are certainly many new features we can expect, since Nokia 3 and above will now join the Android One family.

Three of the smartphones are Android One devices; the Nokia 6, Nokia 7 Plus, and the Nokia 8 Sirocco. The Nokia 6 was named the most durable smartphone of 2017, and it comes with the much-awaited face unlock feature and supports Bothie mode as seen on Nokia 8.

Nokia 7 Plus has an immersive 2-day battery life span and is the first HMD Global phone with FullView display announced. It has dual rear cameras (12MP 13MP), where one is a telephoto lens. While the Nokia 8 Sirocco is the highlight of them all, where it sports Gorilla Glass 5 coating and gets a dual curved edge FullView display too.

The Nokia 1 Android Oreo (Go edition) will be one of the more affordable phones Nokia has to offer, and it comes with relatively fun and colourful Xpress-On covers to suit the user’s preference. While the Nokia 8110 4G comes with Android Go apps such as Assistant Go, Gmail Go, Maps Go and the iconic Snake game, the Nokia 3310 4G also gets announced as well.

Google’s Jamie had also talked about their partnership with HMD Global in powering the Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, and Nokia 6 with Android One security and improvements. It is going to be a memorable joint venture between the both companies as they collaborate in future endeavours.

The smartphones are expected to be available from April this year.

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Nokia jumps to four cameras in its next budget phone, rumoured to be the Nokia 5.2

373

Nokia’s next smartphone is expected to be the Nokia 5.2 — revealed on Twitter by leakster Evan Blass.

Blass was tipped with two pictures of the phone, one of the front and one of the back. The phone doesn’t seem very outstanding, but it does have a circular module with four cameras that everyone is assuming to be a wide lens, an ultra-wide lens, a depth lens and a macro lens.

Image credit: Evan Blass

Blass also posted that the phone will be equipped with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, a fingerprint sensor and a typical waterdrop notch. Interestingly, no other specs like its chipset and screen resolution were revealed.

However, Blass’s tweet did state that the phone will be launched on March 4 for only $180 — cheaper than when the Nokia 5.1 was first launched at MWC 2019. He also nicknamed the phone as Nokia Captain America thanks to its shield-like camera setup.

Although the rest of the specs weren’t revealed, we should still be expecting an LCD display and a battery no more than 4,000mAh — considering its price point.

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Nokia Purebook X14 laptop launched

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Man, India gets the most interesting tech products – one of the latest to arrive to the Indian market is the Nokia
Purebook
 X14, the Finnish company’s first laptop since the Nokia Booklet 3G mini laptop from 2009.

As the name suggests, the laptop packs a 14-inch FHD IPS display, plus a fairly rugged, albeit simple, design. The laptop is all black and also has a glossy touchpad of that boasts a darker shade of the
colour
. Its design is Lenovo-
esque
 with its squarish chassis and blocky keycaps.

Speaking of which, the keyboard is backlit and offers adjustable brightness. There’s an IR webcam for Windows Hello facial recognition too.

Under the hood is an Intel Core i5-10210U CPU along with the UHD 620 integrated GPU. It’s not the most powerful system out there, which is fine considering the
Purebook
 X14 is more business-centric. For memory and storage, you get up to 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB of storage thanks to
a

NVMe
 SSD.

When it comes to I/O ports, you get 3x USB Type A (2x 3.1 and 1x 2.0), 1x USB 3.1 Type-C. There’s a HDMI port, one ethernet jack, and headphone jack as well. The laptop packs a 46.7Wh battery which Nokia claims can last you 8 hours.

The Nokia
Purebook
 X14 is priced INR59,990 (about RM3,310) and will go on sale this December 18 via
Flipkart
. There’s no word when the device will arrive in Malaysia, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted when we get more information.

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Nokia to launch two new feature phones

310

After the Nokia 3310, HMD is obviously not giving up on feature phones just yet, as the company has filed two new products to TENAA, the Chinese telecommunication equipment regulator, and it is believed that these two feature phones will be the successors of the affordable Nokia 105 and 130, they are filed in as TA-1010 and TA-1034.

The TA-1010 is supposedly the most affordable of the duo, sporting a very similar design language to the new Nokia 3310, there’s no camera as and the keypad should come with white fonts. On the other hand, the TA-1034 looks like a slightly redesigned Nokia 130 with a round chin, which should feel pretty good when held on hand, the phone should also come equipped with a VGA resolution camera, which the Nokia 130 lacks.

Feature phones are still a big thing in China despite the huge market share of smartphones, as they are targeted at senior audiences who doesn’t require smartphone features, expect these two phones to hit markets like Indian and some other developing countries around the world.

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HMD Global is launching the Nokia 8 in Malaysia on 8th September

287

Looks like it’s official! The Nokia 8 will be launching on our home ground on the 8th of September based on the invites that HMD Global has sent to us on the launch calling it #HelloBothie. Bothie is the slang that HDM coined up due to the fact that the Nokia 8 will be able to take pictures and record videos using the back and front camera at the same time.

The invitation did not mention that it is the Nokia 8 but by putting two-and-two together we can safely assume this is the launch of the flagship phone from the Finnish company. Rest assured, we will be attending the event to see the best that Nokia has to offer. We are pretty excited to be able to finally hold the phone in our hands and will definitely be attending this launch!


Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM: A mid-range smartphone with potential

300

While the Android smartphone market has been recently dominated by cheap and powerful models from Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi, Windows Phone is the only smartphone OS that’s facing less to almost no competition in its own category. Despite of that, Windows Phone remains one of the most beautiful and silky smooth smartphone operating system that we’ve ever seen. Microsoft Devices f.k.a Nokia’s first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone for this year – the
Lumia
 630 Dual SIM, is one serious contender in the entry level and mid-range smartphone market for its affordable price tag and software capabilities.

Nokia Lumia
 630 Dual SIM Video Review

Funky looking yet brilliantly capable

Lumia
 smartphones have not been serious looking smartphones all these while, except for the
case
 of the Lumia 925, most phone models released formerly like Nokia have very striking and lively colors that will strike anybody’s attention, yet such design approach has even attracted some competitors. The
Lumia
 630 is easily recognizable as a Lumia smartphone by the looks of it, which our review unit has the striking signature yellow back cover, the design is also clearly positioned itself as a mid-range device by the looks of it and simply wants to be noticed. Let’s take a look at the phone’s humble hardware specifications down below:-

Nokia Lumia
 630 Dual SIM Specifications

Processor:
 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Quad Core 1.2GHz

RAM/ROM:
 512MB/8GB (expandable via MicroSD)

Display:
 4.5″ FWVGA (854×480) Nokia ClearBlack Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Camera:
 5MP Autofocus (Main)

Connectivity:
 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE

Features:

Lumia
 Cyan Update, Nokia Cinegrapher, Nokia Creative Studio, Nokia MixRadio, Nokia Storyteller

Networks:
 HSPA+ 21 Mbps/GSM

Battery:
 1830mAh

Put the above hardware specs on an OEM Android device, you could probably experience an extremely sluggish and uninspired user experience, but on the Lumia 630, it is brilliantly capable thanks to software optimization and support for phones with 512MB of RAM, the Snapdragon 400 quad-core CPU plays an important role as well.

Windows Phone 8.1 – an operating system that’s still trying to catch up with others

We all know that Windows 8.1 made a huge difference in PCs by having improved performance and usability, we have to say the same for Windows Phone 8.1, which has also made an apparent difference by having a much more optimized framework and bringing long missed features on to the table. Being the first commercially Windows Phone 8.1 device in the market, the
Lumia
630 also comes with Nokia’s Lumia Cyan update, which brings a collection of imaging apps which we’ll be discussing down below.

Probably the most wanted and longest missing feature of Windows Phone is a proper notification center, which has been introduced as the Action Center in Windows Phone 8.1, we are finally able to realize our “dreams” of swiping down the screen to reveal our incoming notifications. It still isn’t perfect, such as not able to dismiss them although they have been accessed and we need to manually swipe them off to dismiss them. The four configurable quick action buttons are pretty functional as we can configure them as wireless toggles or shortcut to a feature, we really wished we could have more buttons like this.

Windows Phone is still mainly dominated by its elegant and simple live tiles and is our favorite feature as we rely them on checking out our app notifications before the existence of Action Center. Microsoft has finally allow us to set a custom background to our home screen, which actually uses the live tiles to create a paranomic scene.

Overall, we love Windows Phone 8.1, though it still misses a few things and you will probably find some usability of the operating system pretty half baked, the smoothness and reliability of the operating system on a mediocre hardware like the Lumia 630 will really impress you.

Lumia Cyan and Camera – Nokia never disappoints

Microsoft is really lucky to have bought over Nokia, because mobile photography is one thing that Nokia has never failed to impress many over the years despite the company’s downfall. Thankfully, Nokia has seriously contributed a lot to Windows Phone’s incomplete photography experience and made it even better on the Lumia Cyan update, which comes along with most Nokia devices that got the Windows Phone 8.1 update.

First of all, the Pro Camera and Smart Camera app are finally married and renamed as the Nokia Camera app, which combines both auto and manual shooting modes in one single app. You may be surprised that even a mid-range device like this has access to extreme levels of picture control, which is certainly an advantage if you want to make the best out of the phone’s humble camera. Check out some camera samples down below from the humble 5 Megapixel shooter, it looks pretty decent in our opinion.

What’s fun without making some touch ups to your pictures? The Lumia Cyan update also intrdoduces Nokia Storyteller, an app that lets you create video highlights of your pictures and Creative Studio to further enhance pictures with filters.

On the Lumia 630, you are getting the best bang out of the buck in its photography experience which no other smartphone makers are able to offer, though you can pretty much download 3rd party apps to achieve some features, but hey, who doesn’t like preinstalled and original stuffs?

Performance, Battery Life and Call Quality

We are not going to perform any benchmarks on a Windows Phone device as it doesn’t really need one, the Lumia 630 is a pretty fast device although fully loaded with apps and only having a paltry 512MB of RAM. The best thing is, apps has never crashed and we haven’t even faced app restarts when we switched apps from one to another, in our opinion such capability has surpassed most entry-mid range Android devices.

Before you say ‘meh’ to the 1830mAh battery, it handles pretty decently on a moderate usage as in a few short texting sessions and phone calls in the day, browsing the web, streaming music over Spotify. In most cases, the Lumia 630 will last us a full working day in our review period and we have never cared to carry a powerbank along with us.

Nokia has always excelled on cellular networks, the Lumia 630 has reliable HSPA+ speeds over the Maxis network and our call experience is fantastic with callers reporting a reasonably clear voice from our end with both SIM slots. Also, the phone’s loudspeaker is extremely loud and vibrant in producing phone call volumes.

One thing that we think Microsoft can improve is how we choose our SIMs to call, the current operation method looks cheap and half baked, there’s also no way to configure ringtones for respective SIM cards.

A great mid-range smartphone, but…

Windows Phone is a beautiful operating system, no matter how you hate its live tiles or inconsistent ecosystem, it is the only mobile operating system that is almost on par with Apple’s iOS in providing a reliable and almost flawless user experience. Microsoft Devices has taken the necessary steps and strategy in making the Lumia 630 an affordable, capable and functional mid-range smartphone.

But…

The Windows Store isn’t improving much, despite already having a few essential apps ported over from competing platforms, the app catalogue isn’t as interesting as those found on iOS and Android, they simply exist for the sake of existing and doesn’t have much added value to the platform, unless you are just a person who generally wants a smartphone with the necessary apps onboard, or else we will still suggest you stick back to an Android device if you aren’t looking at a flagship device.

However here’s still one point to consider, the Lumia 630 retails at RM549, which is really hard to resist for a smartphone with reliable software and performance. If you can live with the compromises of not having fancy apps on your smartphone, theLumia 630 is one device that you should have in your smartphone shopping checklist.

Verdict

The
Nokia Lumia
 630 is an outstanding mid-range smartphone that delivers reliable performance which many of its competitors aren’t able to do so, all thanks to Windows Phone 8.1.

The Good:
+ Reliable and consistent performance
+ Acceptable camera performance
+ Lumia Cyan extras made a difference in Windows Phone
+ Great battery life
+ Excellent voice and data performance

The Bad:
– Display resolution can be better
– Windows Store still needs more quality and fun apps
– Dual SIM functionality half-baked and looks cheap

The
Nokia Lumia
 630 gets a 4 out of 5 star rating from us.


Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM available in Malaysia

306

Microsoft Devices f.k.a Nokia has announced the availability of the first Dual-SIM Windows Phone – the
Lumia
 630, in Malaysia today. This will be one of the last
Lumia
 smartphone that will still bear the Nokia branding and is the first device to ship with Windows Phone 8.1.

The
Lumia
 630 Dual SIM has a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 Processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB Internal Storage with MicroSD expansion, 5MP Camera, 4.5” ClearBlack LCD at FWVGA (854×480) resolution, 1830mAh battery and supports HSPA+ networks. The phone also features a new SensorCore technology that brings low power motion sensing to help people track their activity all day without using up the large 1830mAh battery, which is perfect for exercise and exploration using apps like Bing Health and Fitness.

At the price of RM549, the phone comes with colour options of bright yellow, white and black, it is now available at Nokia retailers nationwide.


Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM First Look and Unboxing

248

It’s the first Windows Phone to feature Dual SIM capability and also the first device to ship with Windows Phone 8.1, the
NokiaLumia
 630 Dual SIM has finally made its presence here in Malaysia, which becomes the first commercially available Windows Phone 8.1 in the Malaysian market. The
Nokia Lumia
 630 Dual SIM features a 4.5” FWVGA (854×480 pixels) resolution IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and has hardware internals such as a quad core Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 8GB ROM with MicroSD Expansion, 5 Megapixel Autofocus main camera, and a 1830mAh battery. The
Lumia
 630 Dual SIM will support HSPA+ 21Mbps and GSM networks.

Despite being positioned as an entry level device, the
Lumia
 630 Dual SIM features an extremely solid build quality which doesn’t feel cheap, we booted the device and clocked in around 10 seconds to reach the Start screen, it is impressive since this device only has such little amount of RAM. Furthermore, the Lumia 630 features on screen function buttons instead of capacitive ones and has exempted the camera shutter key this time. Check out our unboxing video down below.

We’ll have lots of devices to compare with the
Nokia Lumia
 630 Dual SIM so stay tuned to our space and subscribe to our YouTube channel if you haven’t done so.


Nokia Lumia 930 First Impression

289

A little over a week ago, we unveiled the Nokia Lumia 930, Nokia’s first flagship phone of 2014 and now we’re back with a First Impression post regarding the beautiful aesthetics and the super-performing software of this monoblock touch beauty.

You would be forgiven if you were caught drooling over the excellent-built aluminum frame and the generous 5” HD AMOLED Sculpted Glass Display equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is eye candy and will definitely catch anyone’s attention, especially with the Bright Orange back cover present in our review unit. The device fits rather nicely in the hand and the back cover is smooth to the touch. There is also an allure of sophistication with the
Nokia Lumia
 930 as the sides of the phone are relatively clutter-free and one will only find three hardware buttons located strategically on the right hand side of the phone. Overall, the design is almost if not completely flawless.

As an avid-Android user and occasional iOS user, I would be lying if I said that switching over to the Windows Phone OS was a walk in the park. However, the change proved to be rather refreshing and delightful as the
Nokia Lumia
 930 runs on the latest Windows Phone 8.1 software which Microsoft claims it to be more personal due to a number of enhancements but most notably is the fact that one would now have the opportunity to display any photo of choice on the Start background. Another noteworthy point is the introduction of Cortana in Windows Phone 8.1. She is your very own personal assistant! Cortana has greatly improved the user-experience on the
Nokia Lumia
 930 as she is able to handle and turn everyday tasks such as checking your schedule, making a call, texting, opening apps, setting alarms, finding out the weather into a joy-ride experience. Heck, she would even sing and tell jokes if you’d ever get bored! With the Snapdragon 800 Quad-core CPU and 2GB RAM on board, executing apps and multitasking is speedy and responsive.

Moving on, Nokia has always been in high regard when it comes to their Camera and the
Nokia Lumia
 930 is of course, no exception. On the hardware side, it comes equipped with a 20MP PureView Camera with ZEISS optics technology and dual LED Flash. However, the crux of it all is the Nokia Camera app. It is by far the best camera interface I’ve come across in any smartphone and it is a perfect marriage between hardware and software. It comes with a comprehensive yet easy-to-use interface and the manual focus is an awesome feature to utilize when taking close-ups. Below are a few shots taken with theNokia Lumia 930.

With all that firepower in a flagship phone, a very important question needs to be asked and that question is, “How is the battery life?” The Nokia Lumia 930 comes with a non-removable 2420mAh battery which supports wireless charging (although the wireless dock did not come with our review unit). For a Heavy (behemoth-like) user like myself, the battery life on the Nokia Lumia 930 proved itself to be a puny power source! On the first few days of using the phone, it died after approximately 5 hours. Hence, I decided to be a little gentler on the phone and it lasted me an extra hour and if I decided to be even daintier – 8 hours (and that’s pushing it already for me). I could never hit the approximated 17 hours as stated on the Battery Saver app. Oh well, that’s just me I guess.

Overall, I simply adore the Nokia Lumia 930 and I was truly impressed with the unit albeit a little annoyed with the mediocre battery life. I’ll be back with an even more in-depth review about the other slick features which comes with this flagship phone. Stay tuned!


Nokia Lumia 930 First Look and Unboxing, introducing our new editor A.RON

287

While Nokia has announced a few devices in IFA 2014 at Berlin at this point of time, we received the company’s first flagship for this year in our labs – the
Lumia
 930. The Lumia 930 features an aluminum frame around its body similar to the 925, it also features a less rounded corner design that makes the phone look elegant and premium, the phone also comes preloaded withWindows Phone 8.1 along with the Lumia Cyan update which introduces a few great photography apps to the table, you may also check them out as we feature them in our Lumia 630 review back then. Check out our brand new and refreshing unboxing video down below with our new editor onboard – A.RON, be prepared for some laughter as well.

Nokia Lumia
 930 Hardware Specifications

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-Core 2.2GHz

RAM/ROM: 2GB RAM/32GB ROM

Display: 5″ Full HD (1920×1080) AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and Nokia ClearBlack

Camera: 20MP Pureview (Main), 1.2MP (Front)

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, BT 4.0 LE, Qi Wireless Charging, NFC

Features:
Lumia Cyan
, Microsoft Cortana

Networks: LTE Cat 1, 3, 7, 8, 20/WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz/GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz

Battery: 2420mAh


NOKIA Lumia 930 Review: The best Windows Phone to date

288

A phone is not only a necessity in this day and age but also a fashion statement for the discerning and NOKIA has not lost sight of this notion with the introduction of the
Nokia Lumia
 930 which comes lavished with premium build-materials. This smartphone is pleasing to the eye as to the touch and is power-packed with an impressive hardware sheet as well. However, how does it fare on user experience? Check out the video review and read on to find out.

NOKIA Lumia 930 Video Review

NOKIA Lumia
 930 Hardware Specifications

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 Quad-Core 2.2 GHz

RAM/ROM: 2GB/32GB (non-expandable)

Display: 5.0″ Full HD (1080×1920) AMOLED Display, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3

Camera: 20MP, PureView, BSI f/2.4 Auto focus with two-stage capture key (Main), HD 1.2MP wide angle Front Camera

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Screen projection

Features: HTC Sense 6, HTC Blinkfeed, HTC Zoe

Networks: LTE network bands: 1, 3, 7, 8, 20/HSDPA 42.2 Mbps

Battery: 2,420 mAh, Wireless charging: Built-in (Qi Standard)

Sculpted to perfection

In our earlier First Impression post, we’ve taken a quick look at the form factor of this monoblock touch beauty but it wouldn’t hurt to continue our little rave as the design is undeniably breathtaking with smooth edges and
surface
 finishes. In light of this, however, one-handed use of the phone proves to be a slight hassle where the user would find themselves doing more than usual finger work due to a rather long body. The back cover is very smooth to the touch and users would have to be extra careful at times as the phone could get a little slippery. With that being said, it’s only at given times and this is not a cause for alarm. A cold touch is evident as well when the user finds themselves in a cold environment (thanks to the aluminum frame of the phone) and the opposite is also true as the phone would become a hot cookie when the battery heats up (very often in fact but we’ll talk about that a little later).

Coupled with a 5” Full HD AMOLED 2.5D Sculpted Glass and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 reinforcement, there is absolutely no need for cumbersome screen protectors and one would have the liberty to bask in all of the display’s glory. The
Nokia Lumia
930’s display resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels with a 441 ppi pixel density makes color reproduction crisp and the user is also given the option to adjust the display’s color profile which we found to be a nifty feature. Viewing angles are far beyond impressive and the addition of the Sunlight Readability setting enables the display to be incredibly legible even under harsh sunlight. Movies playback is a sheer joy on the phone as well. These little display features certainly win the phone some extra brownie points.

Perfect marriage of hardware & software

The
Nokia Lumia
 930 ships with Windows Phone 8.1 OS onboard and also the
Lumia
 Cyan firmware. This firmware enables unique Lumia features to function at optimum level, namely, its PureView camera and the ability to capture Living Images as well as that nifty Color Profile setting mentioned above. There is also a marked change in display as with the
Windows Phone
 8.1 OS as users are now able to set any image of choice as the Start background image and there is also an added third row for Live Tiles which enables users to have full control of how they would like to customize their apps on the Start Screen. In addition, the Action Bar at the top is Microsoft’s answer to Android’s long-prevailing drop-down Notifications bar. The update and particularly this feature is necessary for ease-of-use.

Other notable
Lumia
 features are the data-dependent
Lumia
 Beamer which enables a user to project the phone’s screen on another screen as well as the Lumia Storyteller which creates unique video montages from pictures taken according to place and time. In addition, the Lumia Creative Studio is also a comprehensive enough picture editor whenever one desires for a more simple approach in editing stills with acceptable results. With flagship hardware like the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 2.2 GHz CPU and 2GB RAM, the phone outperforms itself and the terms lag and crashes would most probably be a thing of the past with the snappy and feather-like interface.

PureView Camera

Nokia has always been a leader in Camera technology and the Nokia Lumia 930 is no stranger as it is equipped with a 20MP PureView Camera with ZEISS Technology and proves to be a sharp shooter with super fine, top-notch quality images. With the Optical Image Stabilizer and the Manual Focus function embedded in the Nokia Camera app, taking pictures have never been more delightful and Nokia has definitely outdone itself once again in this department.

Below are a few extra camera samples for your viewing pleasure. The Image Editor embedded in the Image Viewer is also very comprehensive and a few edits are below as well. There is also an option to save different image resolutions in the phone and the high resolution camera images which has a larger viewing angle (if the zoom function was used) and are easily accessible in the phone via a File Manager app or if connected to a computer as an
external Hard Drive
. This a really good feature and definitely takes advantage of the superb camera quality and image processing.

Dolby Technology

The Nokia Lumia 930 boasts a surround sound enhancement on the Audio settings for
headphones
 enabled and also other features such as a Dolby dialog enhancer which is said to improve dialog clarity for movies. A noteworthy feature is the ability of the phone to record audio for videos with Dolby’s new Digital Plus 5.1 technology. This feature shows marked improvements in audio recording quality and also comes with the option to toggle the Directional Stereo and Surround Sound recording ON/OFF and there is also an audio bass filter function which allows users filter out certain frequencies according to the user’s preference. The equalization under the Audio settings is now applied to the phone’s speakers as well which gives the users full control over the phone’s audio settings.

We have also taken the liberty to provide a video recording comparison between the Nokia Lumia 930 with an entry-level phone. Do watch the video with earphones/headphones/2.0 channel audio set-up (at least) to listen to the differences in audio quality.

Battery Life and Call Quality

Battery life on the Nokia Lumia 930 is expected at 17 hours on full charge, however, as mentioned in the First Impression post, this is not the
case
 and a heavy user would be utterly disappointed if he/she expects super performance from the 2,420mAh non-removable battery pack. With all that firepower in a flagship phone, it lacks in this department as medium and heavy users would be fortunate for the battery to last for half a day i.e. 6-10 hours on a single charge. On the flipside, for light users who do occasional web-surfing and toggling mobile data ON/OFF each time and relies heavily on Wi-Fi and who don’t message every other 10 minutes, the phone would work wonders for them. It might even last them a good 18 hours with 30+% left if they would toggle Airplane Mode ON throughout their sleep at night (which was what we did to test out the battery longevity).

Another notable downside is that the battery would overheat significantly in a very short period of time i.e. 30-60 seconds when heavy tasks such as playing games (Asphalt 8: Airborne) are executed. With all these being said, it is understandable why the people behind Nokia decided to go ahead with the said battery cap as this move is to encourage users to take advantage of the wireless charging capability where if one is not utilizing the phone, the device should be resting on the
wireless charging dock
. Secondly, it is also to maintain the luscious and premium form factor of the flagship smartphone.

Besides that, call quality on the Nokia Lumia 930 is incredible! Nokia has truly upped their game and taken full control of the high compression microphone capabilities in this flagship device. Even calls on Wi-Fi dependent apps such as Skype, LINE and Oovoo are exceptionally clear. I’ve never been more pleased with a phone’s earpiece speaker as with the Nokia Lumia 930, however, the phone’s loudspeaker is located at the back of the phone and this would entail the user to flip the phone face down for maximum sound propagation or rely on sound reflection when the phone is facing up – whichever floats your boat. Overall, the audio quality is rather impressive as Nokia has definitely done their homework in the audio side of things.

The best
Windows Phone
 to date

The Nokia Lumia 930 has been dubbed the best
Windows Phone
 to date and it is no wonder why. With beautiful aesthetics, exceptional software and a reasonable price tag at RM1999, it proves itself to be a force to be reckoned with and rival giants like
Samsung
 and Apple would definitely get a run for their money. Moreover, with its bold back covers namely, Black, White, Bright Green and Bright Orange (which is the color of our review unit) it is definitely all out on making a statement.

Verdict

Lives up to its name of being the best
Windows Phone
 to date.

The Good

+ Clean-cut design
+ Well-built frame
+ Bright back covers
+ Top-notch display
+ Impressive video and audio enhancements
+ Speedy performance
+ Amazing cell reception and crystal clear call quality
+ More affordable compared to rival giants with similar specs

The Unsatisfactory

– Meagre battery life
– Significant overheating of the battery pack

We rate the Nokia Lumia 930 at 4.5/5 stars


Nokia may be announcing even more devices on the 26th of February

283

Huawei isn’t the only one excited for MWC 2016 as Nokia has revealed that it will be making multiple announcements on the 26th of February.

Nokia’s intention to potentially announce more devices can be found on the brand’s Facebook page. Aside from revealing that the
Nokia 6
 will be heading to China, the brand added that it will be making announcements on the 26th of February.

Seeing as MWC 2017 starts just a day after Nokia’s scheduled announcements, this leads us to believe that Nokia may be giving us a sneak preview of its phone lineup for 2017. Nokia is currently keeping mum on whether or not the company will be showing off any new devices at the event.

Last year, HMD Global announced that new Nokia-branded smartphones will be coming to the market in 2017. It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise then that Nokia makes its grand return to the phone business at MWC.

Source:
GSMArena

announcement
hmdglobal
mwc2017
nokia
smartphone


Nokia may be building its own A.I. assistant called Viki

402

Yet another company is getting into the A.I. assistant market as Nokia has reportedly applied for a trademark on “Viki”.

According to the description found on the
European Union Intellectual Property Office website
, Viki is described as a “software for the creation and monitoring of mobile and web digital assistants working with knowledge and combining all data sources into a single chat and voice based interface.” In short, Viki is very much a digital assistant in the veins of Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri.

Nokia, of course, has decided to not comment on this particular trademark as a spokesman for the company says that the company does not “comment on how, whether or when they may be used for Nokia products or services.” That being said, if Nokia has every intention to create an A.I. assistant of its own, perhaps we would see such a feature present on future Nokia smartphones.

Source:
Engadget
,
EUIPO
,
IBTimes

artificialintelligence
assistant
nokia
smartphone
trademark
viki


Nokia may be putting out devices in the fourth quarter of 2016

286

After a messy divorce from Microsoft, it seems that Nokia is getting ready to make a grand return to the market. To that end, a senior Nokia executive has stated that the company will be releasing at least three devices by the year’s end.

Mike Wang, President of the Joint Management Team for Nokia China, has reportedly revealed to the Chinese Media that Nokia will be releasing its own smartphones and tablets by the fourth quarter of 2016. Said smartphones and tablets will be designed by HMD, the Finnish company made up of ex-Nokia and ex-Microsoft employees that bought the licensing rights to the Nokia brand. Manufacturing tasks will then be passed over to Foxconn.

While Wang did not reveal anything specific about the nature of these devices, rumour has it that Nokia is looking to launch two premium smartphones, both of which will run on Android 7.0 Nougat. Both of the phones are expected to feature a 5.2 and 5.5″ QHD OLED displays, a Snapdragon 820 processor, a 22.6MP camera, and a metal body with water and dust resistance.

Source:
Android Authority
,
Nokia Power User

android
nokia
smartphone
tablet


Nokia has officially unveiled the Nokia 8 equipped with Snapdragon 835

258

Nokia has officially announced the Nokia 8 and all the features it comes with. This Nokia’s attempt at the high-end market and its the first Nokia phone that is equipped with the Snapdragon 825 processor, a major leap from their previous models that are using the Snapdragon 435 processor. This is also the first phone to mark the come back of Nokia’s partnership with Carl Zeiss which was used in previous Nokia phones.

As a recap, the phone has a 5.3-inch QHD IPS screen, Snapdragon 835 processor, 64GB of internal storage expandable to 256GB, 4GB LPPDDR4X RAM, dual 13MP camera on the rear and a 13MP camera on the front. The phone is packing a 3090mAh battery which should give you more than enough battery to last throughout the day. Some of the features that Nokia has highlighted is the Dual-Sight mode which allows you to use both the front and back camera simultaneously allowing you to record using both the cameras at the same time. Other than that, there is also dedicated live streaming to Facebook and YouTube with a single touch, record 4K videos with 360 degrees audio thanks to the Nokia OZO feature, and comes with Android 7.1.1 out of the box.

To experience the Nokia OZO Audio feature watch this video with headphones:

The Nokia 8 will come with a price tag of 599 euros (RM3030.88) and is available in four colours, Polished Blue, Tempered Blue, Steel, and Polished Copper. Now that the company has finally announced the phone, expect it to be coming to our shores soon.

8
835
android
flagship
nokia
release
smartphone
snapdragon


Nokia opens lawsuit against Apple over patent infringement

343

Apple is facing yet another patent infringement lawsuit, but this time, it isn’t from a Korean company. Instead, it is coming from Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent.

Both Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent has filed
lawsuits
 in Germany and the United States, with both parties accusing Apple of infringing 32 patents. Nokia has since released a statement that reveals that the patents that were infringed upon include display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets, and video coding. Nokia’s lawsuit covers a wide range of Apple products which includes every version of the iPhone, the iPad Pro, every version of the iPad Air and iPad Mini, the Apple Watch, the Apple TV and services like Find My iPhone and Find My iPad.

“Nokia has created or contributed to many of the fundamental technologies used in today’s mobile devices, including Apple products,” says Ilkka Rahnastoin, Nokia’s patent chief. “After several years of negotiations trying to reach agreement to cover Apple’s use of these patents, we are now taking action to defend our rights.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that Nokia and Apple has went to court over patent disputes of course. Both companies have fought in court back in 2009 and 200, with a settlement being awarded to Nokia.

Source:
Ars Technica
,
Nokia

apple
dispute
lawsuit
legal
nokia
patent


Nokia P3600 Wireless Earbuds Review: darn good balanced and rich sound

2.6K

Nokia might still be well known for smartphones today, but little is known about their audio product lineup, which isn’t licensed to HMD Global Oy to manufacture and market but rather, a Shenzhen based company called Richgo Technology that exclusively manufactures Nokia branded mobile accessories.

I’ve got my hands on the Nokia P3600 wireless earbuds for several months, while I can’t say it is the most exciting earbuds that I have seen, it has a few things that caught my eye, such as a really nice metallic storage case, Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX Adaptive support, dynamic and balanced armature drivers, these are premium features that pique my interest in auditioning it and fortunately, it delivers.

Retailing at RM599, the Nokia Pro P3600 comes in a premium aluminum box that’s not only refreshing to see, but also one that you would want to keep rather than throwing away, inside the box you get the aluminum charging case that stores the earbuds, a soft fabric pouch, a user manual, two pairs of extra eartips and a short USB A-to-C cable.

I fell in love with the aluminum charging case of the P3600 when seeing the first time as it reminds me of the iPod’s shiny aluminum back, unfortunately that love didn’t last long as the glossy surface attracts fingerprints and scratches in no time, my unit is already scratched despite my attempts of storing it carefully in the provided pouch.

The earbuds has a familiar ergonomic L-shaped design that we have seen in many wireless earbuds, I was hoping that it would have a matte casing but unfortunately it is also a glossy one, which makes it look a little cheap and similar to the charging case, it can get scratches if you aren’t careful with it.

Fortunately, the earbuds fits well in my ears and I find the noise isolation to be pretty good despite lacking any form of noise cancellation tech, it also doesn’t slip out like some other wireless earbuds when I work out with it, and you will be glad to know that this pair of earbuds are IPX4 rated against water splashes and sweat.

Like any wireless earbuds, the Nokia P3600 springs into pairing mode as soon as you open the case. Despite having the latest Bluetooth standards, it doesn’t support Swift Pair, so you will still need to do the conventional way of connecting the earbuds through your phone’s Bluetooth settings.

The earbuds’ capacitive touch controls worked fine, though you will need to put in effort in remembering the number of taps for certain features, such as holding the left or right side for 2 seconds to adjust music volume, triple tapping the right earbud to trigger your voice assistant, double and triple tapping the left earbud to toggle ambient mode and gaming mode respectively.

While the Nokia P3600 has no other flashy features, it delivers excellent sound performance just that mainstream brands don’t offer at the same price range. With a 8mm Knowles balanced armature and single dynamic driver, the sound separation between vocals and instruments is pretty obvious especially when listening to pop music, the sound signature is satisfyingly warm and I love that it produces decent mid-range and high frequencies, while it doesn’t produce a deep rumbling bass in certain tracks, it still manages to produce thumping mid-bass decently.

One of the best tracks to try out the sound separation performance is Billie Eilish’s No Time to Die, where most earbuds fail to play the chorus properly, the Nokia P3600 delivers that department beautifully, preserving the details of the instrumentals that you can even hear a soft drum beat and not distorting Billie’s beautiful voice, this audition is done with Apple Music on the Galaxy Z Fold3 and streaming the lossless audio quality to take advantage of the aptX Adaptive codec.

The Nokia P3600 offers up to 6 hours of listening time on a single charge and the charging case will extend that up to 24 hours, I did a battery drain test with a 70% volume and the earbuds died after 5.5 hours of continuous music playback, which is accurate according to the claimed battery life but a rather standard figure for modern wireless earbuds.

To be honest, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the Nokia P3600 just like its phones, but the Nokia P3600 earbuds proved me wrong, though there’s no denying that this is an OEM-licensed product with no relevant Nokia sound technology onboard, it also lacks brand and marketing awareness compared to the rest, while its asking price of RM599 puts it close to some of the best wireless earbuds I have tested, it is definitely a tough sell but not difficult to recommend if you want a no-nonsense wireless earbuds that offers balanced, detailed sound and modern Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

The Nokia P3600 can be purchased for RM549 at
Good Deals by KLGG
.

Nokia Pro P3600 Wireless Earbuds Review

The Nokia P3600 delivers excellent sound performance that mainstream audio brands don't offer in the same price range.

KLGadgetGuy

Design

7

Features

7

High

9

Mid

9

Low

8

Soundstage

9

The Goods

Comfortable fit

Good noise isolation

Hybrid driver design

Balanced sound

aptX Adaptive support

Good battery life

The Bads

Aluminum case scratches easily

Earbuds have cheap plastic feel

No ANC

Lacks wireless charging

 8.2

Average Score

nokia
nokia p3600
nokia tws
wireless earbuds


Nokia has partnered ZEISS to make smartphone camera lenses

327

The trio of new Nokia phones may have disappoint without a great camera sensor, however that might change in the next batch of Nokia phones, as HMD Global and ZEISS have rekindled their relationship from the past, which the latter will be providing its glass to Nokia phone cameras for great image quality, the last device that the duo has worked on is the Lumia 950.

While this partnership has been confirmed, there is no hint of a new Nokia smartphone from HMD that will take advantage of the lens maker’s optics, the company has been lacking of a flagship smartphone for a long time since making its huge comeback, however judging from the past few years, ZEISS optics have also been found on mid-range Lumia smartphones such as the Lumia 830, so we can safely also assume that HMD isn’t going to use it merely on flagship devices.

Nonetheless, it is great to know that the Nokia-ZEISS partnership hasn’t ceased after the phone brand was licensed to HMD Global, such collaboration has proven to be really successful in the case of Huawei and Leica, we can’t wait to see what camera innovation the duo will come up with, but let’s also hope that Nokia catches up with better specs sheet on its next batch of smartphones.

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Nokia phones will be getting a camera app update with some Lumia UI features

309

When Nokia made a comeback, they were greeted with open arms by the entire world, but after users tried or bought their phones, they realized that the camera app was lacking features that could possibly enhance the decent cameras on the phone. Well, if you own any of the phones then you are in for a treat as the camera app will be getting an update.

Juho Sravikas, Global Chief Product Manager of HMD has confirmed that the Nokia devices will be getting an update for the camera app. This comes from his reply to an enquiry of a Twitter user who asked if the camera app is going to be updated and Sarvikas replied with a simple “Yep!”. He also goes on to hint that they would at least bring some features of the Lumia Camera UI to its smartphones.

Yep!

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas)
October 30, 2017

He did not mention when this update will come or what features will be added but there are some speculations that it will come with the Oreo update and the phones that will be updated is the Nokia 3, 5, 6 and 8.

app
camera
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Nokia set to launch the 3, 5, 6 in Malaysia

268

Nokia was a phone company that was here before any of the big giants such as Apple and Samsung made their way into our pockets, and after such a long time being away from the spotlight Nokia is back with the launch of the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 in Malaysia all of which will be running on Android possibly a better alternative to their previously used Symbian operating system.

The Nokia 3 comes with a 1.3Ghz Quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage with support for up to 128GB through a MicroSD slot and spot a 5 inch IPS LCD screen and 8MP for the rear and front cameras.

The Nokia 5 on the other hand comes with a Snapdragon 430 processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage with expandable storage of 128GB. The screen and camera is a slight improvement coming in at 5.2 inch IPS LCD screen, 13MP for the rear camera and 8MP for the front camera.

Lastly the Nokia 6 will come equipped with a Snapdragon 430 processor, 4GB RAM on the Arte Black version and 3GB for the others, 64GB of internal storage for the Art Black variant and 32GB for the others, both expandable up to 128GB through a MicroSD card. The screen will be a 5.5 inch IPS LCD full HD screen, 16MP rear camera and 8MP front camera.

All three phones are set to launch on the May 30 and will come with Android Nougat, we will be sure to be there to update you with more details on the pricing and availability as soon as we get more information.

3
5
6
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Nokia Store to be replaced by Opera Mobile Store on Nokia X, S60, and Asha Devices

270

Lots of exciting things are happening over at Nokia recently, such as the newly announced N1
Android tablet
 that marks a new start for the company after its sale of its mobile division to Microsoft. If you are currently still rocking a S60 Symbian Belle, Asha series smartphone or the ill-fated Nokia X, the built-in Nokia Store will cease to operate in the first half of year 2015 and replaced by Opera’s Mobile Store.

Of course, Microsoft Devices isn’t going to maintain Nokia’s old and outdated app store and transferring that ownership to Opera seems to be pretty good move, since some customers might be still using devices like the Nokia X that runs on a forked version of Android, at least you know that your device is still supported despite being killed off the product line.

Lastly, don’t ever just give up on your good old Nokia devices just yet in year 2015 if you really like the brand.


Nokia T20: HMD Global is back with an Android tablet after many years

884

The Nokia T20 that was
teased
 previously on Nokia’s official Twitter account is finally revealed with its full specs that includes a 2K display and up to 3 years of security updates.

This 10.4-inch tablet is as expected — it’s a budget tablet that uses the Unisoc Tiger T610 processor, and it comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

The Nokia T20’s display is possibly its biggest selling point

Interestingly, the Nokia T20 pushes 2K resolution and has an IP52 rating. It comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera.

You’ll also get a 8,200mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging, and Nokia says this tablet can last up to 15 hours.

While the T20 will ship with Android 11, HMD Global confirms that it’s using stock Android which lacks app UI optimisation for tablets.

The Nokia T20 will however get two years of OS updates and three years of monthly security update.

Even though this tablet is confirmed to be available in the U.S. and the U.K., there’s no information on its local pricing and availability yet.

Source

hmd global
Nokia T20


Nokia T20 officially launched in Malaysia: priced at RM1,099

812

After Nokia Mobile Malaysia
teased

the release of a tablet on their Instagram few weeks ago, the Nokia T20 is officially available in Malaysia. This is Nokia’s first tablet after seven years and is supposedly a budget option for those who don’t want to spend too much but still want decent specs.

Image Credit: GSMArena

The Nokia T20’s 10.4-inch display pushes 2K resolution at 60Hz refresh rate. The display also features SGS low blue light certification and a brightness boost which maxes out at 400 nits. Although the tablet sports thick bezels, the sandblasted aluminium body helps in giving it that premium look while ensuring its long-lasting durability.

Image Credit: HMD Global

Under the hood you have the Unisoc Tiger T610 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. If 64GB is not enough for you, there is a MicroSD card slot that supports up to 512GB. As for the imaging, you get an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera. It’s also equipped with stereo speakers with OZO Playback for an immersive experience.

Although it has a 8,200mAh battery that supports 15W fast charging, you’ll only be getting a 10W charger out of the box. Nokia does claim that this battery can last you 15 hours of web-surfing or even 10 hours of watching movies.

Image Credit: Nokia

The Nokia T20 is only available in the Wi-Fi only model and is priced at RM1,099. You can purchase the tablet via Nokia Malaysia’s official
Shopee

and
Lazada

stores and get yourself a free Rugged Flip Cover worth RM229 while stocks last.

nokia
Nokia T20


Nokia T20: Nokia’s new tablet to release on October 6

654

HMD Global
 recently confirmed that it’ll be releasing a new tablet on October 6; this is allegedly the Nokia T20.

With a caption that read “Everything you’d expect from a Nokia phone in a tablet,” it’s likely that the tablet will run on Android OS.

Expected Nokia T20 specs

Though no specs were revealed, previous leaks have suggested the tablet to sport a 10.36-inch display; the teaser image can only confirm that the tablet is in a dark gray/black finish with rounded corners and flat-looking edges.

Everything you’d expect from a Nokia phone in a tablet.
 Coming 6.10.21
pic.twitter.com/uTssAURMMQ

— Nokia Mobile (@NokiaMobile)
September 27, 2021

Other rumoured specs include 4GB of RAM paired with 64GB of storage, a Unisoc processor and 10W charging — this hints that the tablet is probably not a flagship device.

We’re also expecting two variants of the T20 — a 4G model and a Wi-Fi only model.

Both models should be priced below RM1,500.

Nokia T20


Nokia T20 to launch in Malaysia soon

1.3K

Last month, HMD Global
introduced
 Nokia’s first tablet after seven years – Nokia T20 – and we can look forward to seeing this tablet in Malaysia soon.

As
reported previously
, the Nokia T20 is equipped with a 10.4-inch 2K display that comes with IP52 rating. Under the hood, you have an octa-core Unisoc Tiger T610 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

Despite being a budget tablet, the body is made out of sandblasted aluminium, ensuring long-lasting durability while maintaining a premium look. Camera-wise, the Nokia T20 comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera.

 The tablet packs a 8,200mAh battery that supports 15W of fast-charging and Nokia claims it can last you 15 hours of surfing the web, seven hours of conference calls, or 10 hours of watching films.

The WiFi-only version is estimated to cost around RM950 whereas the LTE variant will cost around RM1,141. Nokia Mobile Malaysia has
teased

the arrival of the tablet on their Instagram and although no specific date was mentioned, we can expect it to arrive before the year ends so stay tuned as we bring you more updates.

Source

nokia
nokia malaysia
Nokia T20
Nokia tablet


Nokia unveiled the Nokia 8 in Malaysia, a Snapdragon 835 phone that cost RM2,299

358

Nokia 8, the most powerful phone from the Finnish company has finally landed on our shores and it comes with the latest Snapdragon processor to keep up with all your mobile needs. The phone, similar to its siblings, is also made from a single block of aluminium which feels really nice and looks sleek and premium.

Most of what we wrote about the phone has been confirmed as it comes with a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and Android 7.1.1 stock experience straight out of the box. The screen is a 5.3-inch screen IPS LCD screen and 64GB of storage expandable to 256GB via microSD card. The build of the phone is where it gets interesting as the internals are cooled using shielded copper pipe that dissipates heat generated by the powerful components.

The phone will also support Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0 to get the phone charged back up so you can keep using the phone in just a couple of minutes. As we mentioned before, the Nokia 8 has OZO Audio which allows you to record sounds in 360 degrees spatial sound which adds more immersion to your videos.

Another of its features is the Dual-Sight mode which allows you to use the front and back camera at the same time to record videos and take pictures so you are sure that you and your friends can have a shot together even if you are behind the camera.

Speaking of cameras, Nokia has once again partnered up with Carl Zeiss to produce the dual 13MP camera on the back and the single 13MP camera on the front, so you know your pictures will have good details when it used.

There is also the Nokia Active Wireless Headsets which matches perfectly with the Nokia 8 and it is dust, water, and sweat proof. Aside from that, Nokia is also providing a range of accessories like portable speakers, in-car chargers, cases and screen protectors to complement this powerful device.The Nokia 8 will come in four colours, Polished Blue, Polished Copper, Tempered Blue and Steel, it will retail for RM2,299. We will be taking out a quick hands-on video so do check back to see what we think about the phone or subscribe to our
Youtube channel
 to get notified when it comes out.

4gb
64gb
8
835
carl zeiss
nokia
ram
release
snapdragon
storage


Nokia will be releasing their new smartphone on 2016

324

Nokia, a Finnish company’s prospective partner will be expected to “take on the heavy lifting’ in the process of bringing a phone to the market. These include manufacturing, sales, marketing, and customer support for the device from Nokia. However, Nokia, on the other hand, will chip in with design and technology, which have a similar development path as the N1
Android
tablet
which manufactured by Foxconn under a Nokia license.

Besides that, Nokia promises that the earliest that they can deliver their new smartphone to the market will be around Q4, 2016 because the previous Nokia’s agreement with Microsoft for the sale of its Devices & Services business prevents it from getting back in the business earlier. Remember during April 2015, Nokia Company announced that it has no plans to enter the smartphone business because they already sell its devices and services to Microsoft, but during June the company’s CEO hinted at a return to the smartphone world soon.

The company return to the smartphone world will be a slight hit which will make Nokia fan to scream for it, but will it be an Android or windows phone from Nokia? Only time will reveal more information on what Nokia planning to release in near future.

microsoft
nokia
q4
smartphone


Nokia will be returning to the phone and tablet market

331

Nokia, the phone company that many of us grew up with, will be making a grand return to the phones and tablets market as the brand will be revived through a new licensing agreement.

In a statement issued by the company itself, Nokia has announced that it will license its brand and intellectual property to a new company called
HMD global
. Based in Finland, HMD global will be led by Nokia veteran Arto Nummela. HMD global has since managed to agree on a conditional deal with Microsoft to acquire the rights to use the Nokia name on feature phones as well as some related design rights.

Foxconn may also be involved in the upcoming Nokia devices as
Microsoft has sold off a huge chunk of its feature phone
 to its subsidiary, FIH Mobile. HMD global and FIH already have a standing agreement in place that would see them ‘support the building of a global business for Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets’.

It’ll be interesting to see what HMD global can do with the Nokia brand in the near future. Seeing as Microsoft’s experiment with the Lumia Windows phone has failed badly, it’ll be interesting to see if the Nokia brand as a whole can bounce back from that setback.

Source:
HMD global
,
Microsoft
,
The Verge

foxconn
hmdglobal
microsoft
nokia


Nokia X71 launched with 6.39-inch punch-hole display and 48MP triple camera

322

HMD Global today unveiled its first smartphone with a punch-hole display in
Taiwan
, dubbed Nokia X71. Thanks to the punch-hole camera cutout, Nokia X71 looks very different from all the other smartphones that the Finnish manufacturer has launched so far. HMD claims the device has a highly impressive 93% screen-to-body ratio.

The Nokia X71 has a glass sandwich design with a 6.39-inch PureDisplay offering 1080 x 2316 Full HD+ resolution and a 19.3:9 aspect ratio. When it comes to performance, the latest smartphone from HMD Global runs on a Snapdragon 660 AIE octa-core processor. While the Snapdragon 660 AIE still remains a capable chipset, there is no getting around the fact that it is now dated. HMD has clubbed the 14nm Snapdragon chipset on the X71 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal memory.

At the rear, Nokia’s new X71 has a 48MP + 8MP + 5MP triple-camera setup. The primary 48MP sensor is paired an f/1.8 aperture ZEISS-certified lens. The punch-hole cutout on the front houses a 16MP selfie camera with ZESS optics. Fueling the internals of the Nokia X71 is a 3500mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. It also includes a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a notification light embedded into the power button. In terms of software, the phone will ship with stock Android Pie OS.

In Taiwan, the X71 has been priced at TWD 11,990 (RM1,588 approximately). Available only in Black, the smartphone is set to go on sale starting April 10
th
. A global version of the smartphone is expected to be launched in the near future.

hmd global
nokia
Nokia X71
smartphones


All Nokia’s Android phones will be getting the Android Oreo update soon

287

Great news for those of you that have the Nokia 3, 5, 6 and 8 as these phones have been confirmed to receive the new Android Oreo update in the near future. This information comes from Juho Sarvikas, HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer’s tweet.

Although there is no time frame given, we should expect the update to come soon seeing as how all these phones are running on the stock interface so the change to the new Android should be smoother compared to other phones that have their own interface. However, signs point to the update coming by the end of the year as most manufacturers have already mentioned that they will be releasing the update by the fourth quarter. The new update will bring more stability to the OS as well as the latest Android Security Patch.

https://twitter.com/sarvikas/status/903867368052490240

If you are the owners of any of these phones, do keep an eye out for any new updates on your phone as it could be the Oreo update. We will bring you more information on the timeline when it comes in.

3
5
6
8
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nokia
oreo
update


Nokia’s five rear-camera phone might be called Nokia 9 PureView

368

Previously, we have seen that Nokia has a prototype phone that comes with five camera sensors and it will be a flagship-grade phone from the company.

We also know that the phone might be called the Nokia 9 or Nokia 10, however, a reliable source has claimed the phone will be called the Nokia 9 PureView which is a successor to the Nokia 808 PureView. HMD Global has not disclosed any information about the phone but rumours are indicating that the phone will come with a Snapdragon 845 processor and 8GB of RAM, making it a good contender in the flagship market. Other than that, the five cameras will be using Zeiss lenses.

It might be a while before we hear anything more about this phone, as Nokia has plans to release it next year. We believe it is a smart move, as they would need to compete with the likes of the Google Pixel 3, Huawei Mate 20 and OnePlus 6T, all of which are releasing this year.

9
cameras
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Non-Pro ZTE Blade V8 announced with a different dual rear cam setup

302

ZTE flaunted the Blade V8 Pro at CES 2017 Las Vegas, which was among one of the many dual camera smartphones unveiled at the tech convention a little over a week ago. The Chinese manufacturer has since announced a non-Pro variant of the mid range handset. The ZTE Blade V8 sports a different dual rear camera setup, but is nevertheless still a fairly impressive phone.

First off, the front panel of the ZTE Blade V8 is pretty typical of any mid range smartphone out in the market today, featuring a 5.2-inch display at 1080p Full HD resolution, alongside a home button below the display which doubles at fingerprint sensor. Moving underneath the hood, the handset carries a mid range labeled Snapdragon 435 processor, with two configurations – 2GB RAM with 16GB of internal storage and 3GB RAM with 32GB of storage.

The Blade V8 got a tune down from its Pro variant, though it still packs two cameras on the rear side. Instead of a 13MP + 13MP setup, the phone sports a 13MP + 2MP configuration instead. They say two is better than one, hence the 2MP secondary shooter still plays a part when it comes to depth of field and creating bokeh effects when capturing images. With the dual camera setup, the Blade V8 is also capable of taking 3D images, but only visible via 3D glasses. On the front is a 13MP selfie shooter with a front facing flash. Powering the Blade V8 is a 2,730mAh battery, a little short of the standard 3,000mAh seen in majority of the smartphones nowadays.

The Blade V8 is set for a release in Russia and Japan by February 2017 and Germany, Spain and Russia by March 2017. ZTE has yet to announce the pricing of this handset, but it will most likely be around the mid range $300 bracket. What do you think?

Source:
ZTE

blade
camera
dual
pro
rear
setup
v8
zte


Nord N1 5G: Successor to the OnePlus Nord N10 5G

423

The OnePlus Nord series made its debut last year and released three phones. Now, the fourth phone — the OnePlus Nord N1 5G — will be launching to succeed the Nord N10 5G.

We’re expecting the Nord N1 5G to be sandwiched between the Nord N10 5G and the
Nord
 itself. This means that it’ll be more affordable than the OnePlus Nord that costs RM1,799 and be better than the Nord N10 5G that is powered by the Snapdragon 690 5G chip. Tipster
Max Jambor
 speculates that it’ll launch sometime in October this year.

Nord N1 5G – better than its predecessor, but cheaper than the original Nord

Currently, the Nord N10 5G comes with a 6.49-inch screen that supports a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s equipped with 64MP quad camera paired with a 16MP selfie shooter, in addition to housing a 4,300mAh battery with 30W fast charging. We’re hoping the Nord N1 5G will have either a larger battery or faster charging — a faster chipset is a given, perhaps one from the Snapdragon 7 series.

OnePlus 9 series launching in less than two months

On the other hand, the OnePlus 9 series will be launching soon with three models — the OnePlus

9, the OnePlus 9 Pro and the OnePlus 9E. We should be seeing them in mid-March with the latest Snapdragon 888 chip, 120Hz displays and 65W fast charge.

Nord
Nord N1 5G
oneplus


Norton 360 Premium Review: Missing features on Mac, but still great

1.6K

When you talk about antivirus softwares, one of the most popular brands you’ll hear is
Norton
; the Norton 360 Premium is what we’d describe as an all-rounder, offering protection in several aspects of your devices instead of just viruses.

Norton 360 plans

The company has a few comprehensive plans to protect user’s devices — Norton 360 Standard, Norton 360 Deluxe, Norton 360 Premium and a recent one called the Norton 360 for Gamers.

We’re reviewing the Norton 360 Premium, the most advanced plan that is usually priced at RM279, but you can get it for RM60 less on your first year.

Compared to the Norton 360 Standard, the premium plan offers two additional features — Parental Control and School Time. But that doesn’t mean that you should only get the premium plan if you’re a parent.

Norton 360 Premium also offers protection for up to 10 devices whether it’s PCs, Macs, smartphones or tablets; in comparison, the standard plan only protects one devices and the deluxe plan protects up to 5 devices.

Another advantage the premium plan has over the other two is 100GB of cloud backup — this is useful for those who tend to store important files on their devices and don’t often back up these files onto external hard drives.

App UI

Norton’s app UI is straightforward, simple and organised; the main security features are displayed clearly in a big panel, and clicking into each feature will lead to more settings and tools that can protect your device.

You can also enjoy Norton Secure VPN service when subscribed to Norton 360; this allows your connection to stay safe and anonymous when using public Wi-Fi to prevent others on the shared connection from gaining access to your data.

VPN – Safer, but sometimes slower

Using a VPN will hide your IP address, and encrypt the data of your online activities; when connected to a VPN, your online activities uses a server’s IP address instead of your personal one, protecting you against external attacks.

What’s great about Norton’s VPN services is that it also comes with an ad tracker blocker — you’ll no longer be bombarded by ads when you visit different websites, plus it prevents web trackers from following you when you’re browsing on the web so advertisers can’t target you for their ads.

However, there are instances where I experienced slower internet connections when I connect to VPN server.

Security scans

This is the usual part of an antivirus software that many are familiar with — scanning for malware, viruses and similar threats.

Norton’s app will show you when was your last scan and protection, in addition to sending you warnings if your device is compromised.

You can also select different levels of scanning, Norton offers quick scan that analyses files that are more vulnerable to threats; full scan if you want to ensure that your PC is well-protected; and file scan if you suspect certain files are compromised. You can even schedule your scans if you don’t want it to disrupt you when you’re using your devices.

More importantly, Norton promises to refund users if their devices are infected by a virus that Norton can’t remove — this clearly shows how confident Norton is with its antivirus program.

Apart from threat-detection, Norton also offer its own cleaning tool to clear junk files that may slow down your Mac.

Missing features for Mac users

Unfortunately, Norton Cloud Backup and Parental Controls are only available on Windows, so even if the premium plan offers up 100GB of cloud storage, Mac users will not be able to enjoy this feature.

Mac users like myself will find this quite disappointing; after all, we’re paying the same amount as Windows users but not given access to the full features.

It also protects your phones

As mentioned earlier, Norton offers protection across many devices, and this includes your iPad and iPhone.

While many users don’t usually bother with getting an antivirus software for smartphones, you can do so with Norton 360 if you’re worried and want to take precautionary steps for your phone.

Norton 360 offers Wi-Fi security and alerts users when they’re joining unsecured networks, in addition to detecting and preventing users from visiting malicious sites.

It’ll even alert your device when it’s no longer running on the latest operating system — making sure your phones are updated is one of the ways to prevent hackers and similar parties from compromising your phones and the files in it.

Norton Safe Web & Password Manager

You can also download Norton Safe Web, an extension that works with Safari, Chrome and Mozilla FireFox. This security extension has managed to blocked webpages that are deemed potentially dangerous or harmful.

It’ll also rate the websites you visit, so you know whether those sites are safe, potentially harmful, or untested.

And if you’re someone who has a different password for every account and app login, you’d likely have a hard time remembering them.

Norton’s Password Manager is an extension you can get to track all your passwords; it uses AES encryption and TLS secure connections to protect your data, and you’ll need to have a vault password to gain access to your login details, credit card details, notes and addresses.

Verdict

The Norton 360 Premium offers most value among all its plan, but that’s if you’re not a Mac user as you will not be able to enjoy the full suite of features if you’re using a Mac.

It’s a premium plan that is great for those who have a family and tons of files they need to backup on your desktop/laptop, but they can always opt for the Norton 360 Deluxe if they don’t need 100GB of storage, or the Norton 360 Standard if they have no use for Parental Control and want to protect a single device.

At the price of RM219, you’re technically only spending RM18.25/month to keep your devices protected and it’ll give you a peace of mind knowing that your devices are virus-free and well-protected at all times.

norton
Norton 360 Premium


Norwegian high school introduces e-sports and gaming into its curriculum

290

Ever wanted to study video games at school? Well, a
public high school
 in Norway is doing just that as the school intends to implement an e-sports course into its curriculum starting in August.

According to the school, this new e-sports class will split students up into 2 groups of 15 people, one group will be performing 90 minutes of physical training which will focus on reflexes, strength and endurance; while the other group will be playing the games. In an interview with
Dotablast
, the head of the school’s science department, Petter Grahl Johnstad, says that students will be graded based on their game knowledge, skills, co-operation, communication and tactical ability.

To facilitate the program, the school will be providing gaming chairs and high-end gaming PCs with Nvidia GeForce GTX 980Ti graphics cards. While the school has yet to decide on which game the students will have to study, the choices that are up for consideration include Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter Strike : Global Offensive, and StarCraft II.

Source :
Ars Technica

classes
esports
norway
study