Introduction
While the title might seem to be slightly pessimistic, it is what it is. What would have been the most important release for HMD Global, in 2021, their biggest collaboration and product feature, after the prototype of the Nokia 5800 showcased in The Dark Knight, the Nokia 8.3 5G was forgotten intentionally, leaving fans frustrated and disappointed.
But, this article is to remember the Nokia 8.3 5G, as it should be, and not how it was ended and neglected.
The Most Powerful Pureview
The Nokia 8.3 5G was meant to be the second shot by HMD Global, to honor the Nokia branding and to reinstate the Pureview branding where it should be. To be placed in one of the most successful movie franchises like Bond, the Nokia 8.3 5G was meant to show the ultimate device that the modern world needs.
The beautifully crafted glass body, the tank like build quality, the way the device curves at its edges, large and bold, with a slight weight to it is to make a statement. Durable, reliable and ready for action. Everything about the Nokia 8.3 5G was ‘almost’ perfect. A string of bad luck, from the nightmare pandemic, postponed release, being beaten by other brands to showcase the new processor at a much cheaper price and the eventual blurry product placement in No Time to Die made the Nokia 8.3 5G the least interesting device in the market when it was finally available.
But, far from that, the experience with the Nokia 8.3 5G was really good. I felt confident using it, it has unique and original design, the battery life was extraordinary, the large screen with Pure Display technology was beautiful and the camera setup was amazing. The large 64MP primary sensor was great, but what amazed me was the ultrawide sensor used here. The output was Lumia like which became an instant liking for me because for most of us, we wanted to be connected to how the great Lumia 950 series defined imaging back then. The Nokia 8.3 5G was also the first to showcase a proper night mode algorithm, which made low light imaging and videography something enjoyable again for a Nokia branded device. This device is also capable shooting a 4K stabilized video, something that no other Nokia branded device has managed to do, till today.
The Neglect
Unfortunately, the Nokia 8.3 5G was neglected as soon as it was available. At this point, this seems to be a common practice by whoever that runs HMD Global to simply bury the mistakes instead of rectifying them. This irresponsible behavior was apparent from the time of Nokia 9 Pureview and continued until the current management took over. The botched updates, the refusal to acknowledge the issues of the device, and the failure to utilize the hardware to its full potential is the reason many are not happy or eager to invest in Nokia branded device. The updates crippled the device further, causing random crashes, failure to save images, and the ever irritating OZO audio recording issues. For a device that was meant to be the most powerful Pureview, this neglects affects the user experience to utilize the only feature that made the device relevant.
Moving forward
It is unlikely that the current team would give the Nokia 8.3 5G what it truly deserves. The Camera 2.0 update. This would make the Nokia 8.3 5G become the most powerful Pureview device instantly. Such updates would reinstate the trusts that is slowly eroding among Nokia fans. But, what is stopping anyone giving this device what it truly deserves? The hardware is more than capable to handle a couple more Android updates, let alone just a camera update.
The current team seems to be having a much clearer understanding of the situation. They seem to take notice of what the customers want and need. They are listening to one of their largest fan base in the world, in India, where the Nokia G42 5G was released with the cheapest price in the world. And mind you, the Nokia G42 5G should have been what each device from HMD should have been since the release of Nokia 8. But the question remains, will they too burry their current device once the newer ones are released? I certainly hope that is not the case, as the X30, G60, XR 21 and the G42 are devices that defines the current aspiration.
The Nokia 8.3 5G, for all its intentions, shows what HMD is capable of achieving but also highlights their lack of commitment to give users what they ask for. For those curious to feel what this device can do, you can easily find many used ones for around USD100. Maybe someday, someone is crazy or kind enough to fix its issues and even bring the new Camera 2.0 algorithm to this device. But one thing for sure, the 8.3 5G deserves much more than how it was treated.
Follow me on X for more updates on the go https://twitter.com/theoriginal086
