HMD’s Nokia 8.1 is just not about beauty, it has got the stuff inside that makes the device capable enough and also makes it easy to recommend anyone who is looking for a clean Android at a budget around Rs. 27,000. And then there is Nokia 8 who is price wise very similar to the 8.1 but performance wise, well there is a lot to discuss.
Nokia 8.1 vs Nokia 8: Price
Nokia 8 is currently priced at Rs. 28,999 on Official Nokia website and recently announced Nokia 8.1 is just available for Rs. 26,999. The effective price of the 8.1 also goes down with up to 1TB of data, 10 percent extra discount from HDFC bank, and of course, it takes care of your screen if damaged within the first six months from the date of your purchase, thanks so Servify and HMD partnership. The Nokia 8 does not enjoy the above privileges.
You can enjoy up to 1TB of data only if you choose Airtel as your career. Read the terms and conditions here.
Nokia 8.1 vs Nokia 8: Display and Design
Nokia 8.1 is the second smartphone after the 7.1 that comes with the PureDisplay feature. Mimicking the Lumia Color Profile which was one of the signature display feature found in Lumia Windows Phone back in the days, the 8.1 does produce great results and if we talk about details, better results than the Nokia 8. However, display quality-wise, barely anything noticeable catches your attention. This makes the Nokia 8 display as appealing as the Nokia 8.1 if you minus the PureDisplay effect from the equation.
If you are not too much into media consumption then the Nokia 8 is as good as good as the Nokia 8.1 depending upon the preference of the users. You can also check out our video comparison below.
Nokia 8.1 vs Nokia 8: Camera
Nokia 8.1 captures better images than the 8. Nokia 8.1 in fact has better camera than Nokia 7 Plus and 8 Sirocco, which in turn has better camera than Nokia 8. The Nokia 8.1 at the front side has 20MP for selfies and at the backside, you find a dual set up with 12MP + 13MP backed by Zeiss optics EIS, OIS.
Nokia 8 camera also comes with all the above technology such as OIS and EIS and of course Zeiss optics is also there. But it lag in the quality of images. It has 13MP at the front for selfies and a dual set up of 13MP+13MP at the backside.
Nokia 8.1 vs Nokia 8: Performance and battery
The Nokia 8 is powered by a once flagship processor Snapdragon 835. And the fact that it has the SD835, does full justice to the performance of the device. Nokia 8.1 even though powered by the SD710 does handle heavy tasks with ease.
When you purchase a device that costs close to Rs. 30,000, a decent gaming experience from it is not too much expectation. The Nokia 8 does a better job than the 8.1 when it comes to launching or resuming a game. But again it is so minimal that hardly matters to anyone. Giving a fillip to the axiom that a flagship SOC alone cannot be the X-factor when it comes to performance, Nokia 8.1 even with SD710 gives tough competition to the powerful Nokia 8. You barely notice any lag in the 8.1 compared to the 8.
Otherwise, The Nokia 8.1 has a battery source of 3500 mAh while the Nokia 8 manages only 3090 mAh. So, you can expect a decent battery life from both of them.
Nokia 8.1 vs Nokia 8: Price, specifications, features compared
| Nokia 8.1 | Nokia 8 | |
| Price | Rs.26,999 | Rs. 28,999 |
| Connectivity | GPRS: Yes, Edge: Yes, WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/ac/g/n, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth: v5.0, A2DP, LE, USB: USB Type-C, GPS Facility: with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Browser: HTML5, 3G Speed: HSPA, LTE NETWORK SUPPORT, 2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, 4G: Dual VoLTE
| GPRS: Yes, Edge: Yes, WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/ac/g/n, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth: v5.0, A2DP, LE USB: USB Type-C, v3.1 GPS Facility: with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS Browser: HTML5, 3G Speed: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz, 2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, 4G: VoLTE
|
| Design | 154.8 x 75.76 x 7.97 mm | 151.5 x 73.7 x 7.9 mm |
| Display | 6.18 inches, Touch, 1080x 2246-pixels, Capacitive Touchscreen, IPS LCD (Corning Gorilla Glass 3) | 5.3 inches, Touch, 1440x 2560-pixels, Capacitive Touchscreen, IPS QHD (Corning Gorilla Glass 3) |
| Colour Variants | Blue/Silver, Iron/Steel | Tempered Blue, Polished Blue, Steel, Polished Copper |
| Platform | Android OS, v9.0 (Pie) (Android One) | Android OS, v7.1.1 (Nougat) |
| Selfie Camera | 20MP | 13MP |
| Primary Camera | 12MP (f/1.8) + 13MP (f/2.2) Dual camera with LED Flash | 13MP (f/2.0) + 13MP (f/2.0) Dual camera with LED Flash |
| Processor | Chipset: Snapdragon 710 CPU: Octa Core (Dual GHz + Hexa 1.7 GHz) Kyro 360 GPU: Adreno 616 | Chipset: Snapdragon 835 CPU: Octa Core (4 x2.45 GHz Kyro & 4 x1.9 GHz Kyro) GPU: Adreno 540 |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Inbuilt Storage | 64GB | 64GB |
| Sensors | Fingerprint Sensors, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, E-compass, Ambient light sensor | Fingerprint Sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer, NFC |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3500 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3090 mAh battery |
