back to article Nokia 8: As pure as the driven Android - it's a classy return

HMD's efforts to put the Nokia brand over what we call the "Shenzhen generics" formula haven't exactly set the world on fire yet. But in all honesty, you'll struggle to find anything better for £399, the revised price of the Nokia 8. China's supply chains and market maturation have caused a great levelling in the phone …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I do like my Nokia 6. I can't justify spending £400 for an 8, but £200 for a 6 is great value.

    I am curious what the next versions are going to be called - the 4B / 8B? 16 / 18?

    1. caffeine addict

      Somehow I missed the release of the Nokia 6. If you can get it from someone other than Carphone Warehouse, it might be the successor to my much loved WileyFox.

      (How anacronistic does Carphone Warehouse sound? Most of their customers probably have no idea what a carphone even is...)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        You can buy it from various places, but when I bought mine ( sim free ), Carphone Warehouse had the best price / delivery terms / whatever it was.

        ( My current car, built in 1998, had an option for a carphone - the storage compartment under the armrest optionally housed one apparently ).

        1. J. R. Hartley
      2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

        Are you suggesting they should change their name to say, "Phone Shop"?

        After all, they've not warehouses either.

        Or maybe they're actually ahead of the game. Now that many cars come with slots for your SIM card, they could be the warehouse that sells you cars, which also happen to be phones.

        1. Dan 55 Silver badge

          It's called The Phone House on the continent.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      So much like the Windows Mobile version except with 100 times the security vulnerabilities and 100 times the apps...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Windows mobile has plenty of security vulrabilities, way more than android, but being closed source and zero users, Microsoft never disclosed and hackers didn't look...

        1. aks

          Claiming that there are plenty of security vunerabilities seems to be a contention without evidence.

          Windows 10 Mobile is updated frequently (at least monthly).

          Having a device that hackers are not interested in sounds good to me.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "Windows mobile has plenty of security vulrabilities"

          That's not what the expert hackers that have tried have said. There are numerous articles by companies like Kaspersky that say that Windows Mobile has far better security than android and IOS.

    3. J. R. Hartley

      Nokia doesn't exist. They're the Sevco of the telecommunications world.

      1. DJO Silver badge

        Nokia doesn't exist.

        That's rubbish. Nokia exist and are doing very well in the high margin network infrastructure market having abandoned the low margin (but high profile) handset market.

        https://networks.nokia.com/

    4. Deej

      Nokia 6 - does it work ok?

      I have a Nokia 6 too, but sometimes the screen and fingerprint sensor just don't respond properly. It's driving me crazy.

      I've been through Nokia support who didn't really help very much, and I went back to Carphone Warehouse who were frankly no help at all.

      I'm thinking of getting a new digitiser and trying to fix it myself, but my question is whether - as a Nokia 6 user - this affects you too or whether I just have a defective model..

      1. RDW

        Re: Nokia 6 - does it work ok?

        "I have a Nokia 6 too, but sometimes the screen and fingerprint sensor just don't respond properly. It's driving me crazy."

        A couple of times I've noticed a lack of response at the top of the screen, but it has worked perfectly after a reboot, so I assumed a transient software issue rather than a hardware problem.

        I find the fingerprint sensor works best if (a) I make sure the narrow sensor learns a broad area of my fingerprint when calibrating by pressing different parts of my finger to it, and (b) I press it firmly and keep pressing until the screen visibly unlocks (which is just after the haptic vibration) - it needs a firmer and longer touch than the main screen.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Nokia 6 - does it work ok?

        I've never had a problem with either the screen or the fingerprint sensor.

        It had a bit of trouble going slow requiring reboots for a while, but I fixed that by reducing the unnecessary animations.

  2. Bob Vistakin
    Holmes

    It's fantastic to see such a great start

    Well done clawing back from the dead, Nokia. Keep up this momentum and don't just throw it away for no reason. I mean - what kind of idiots would do that?

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: It's fantastic to see such a great start

      It's not Nokia. Even says so in the article.

      Nokia are just leasing them the brand name for a bit.

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: It's fantastic to see such a great start

        And it doesn't matter how nice the phone hardware is, it's still Android.

        Deal breaker.

        1. Dr Mantis Toboggan
          FAIL

          Re: It's fantastic to see such a great start

          Because of what apple told you? Because of what the internet told you?

          Do you want to buy some magic beans?????

          1. JLV
            Flame

            Re: It's fantastic to see such a great start

            >Because of what apple told you? Because of what the internet told you?

            nah. I've had both iphones and BB10s and (one) Android myself.

            don't like Androids much - 18 months of Nexus 5 means I went the distance. Not only did I never like the OS (the hardware's quite nice except for battery life) the phone went off even security patches after only 2 yrs of ownership. I was happy when its headphone jack died, to be honest.

            At one point, when I had to replace a Z10 which I dropped in a pool (it almost worked afterwards - only the wifi died) I almost considered getting MS Lumias, though I generally dislike MS, rather than going back to $$$ iphones. But I did not reconsider Android. I bought my son a 640 Lumia, Win8, then 10.

            Currently an iPhone SE (6) from Craigslist. $300 Cad, and I figure Apple will keep it patched for a while, unlike Google's Nexus/Pixel line up, which isn't that cheap anymore in any case. Keeping it on iOS 10 and off iOS 11.x until Apple gets their digits out of their rectums on 11. How well an SE 6 would run on 11 is also an open question - I expect slow-ish, but doable with most background stuff turned off.

            if you want to call my dislike of Androids as straight-out Apple a**-kissing , go right ahead ;-)

            Reading this review, I wish I had a better feel for Android, because it looks like a decent phone. And not $1500 CAD, like a loaded iPhone X. which is ... stupid, IMHO.

  3. Pen-y-gors

    Sounds nice

    Does what it needs to do. The days of the sub-£300 generic (like the 1+One) have gone down the plug'ole along with the value of the pound, so £399 for a serious bit ol kit is just about bearable. I shall watch with interest.

    But WTF is a live bokeh?

    1. Nik 2

      Live Bokeh

      Bokeh is the effect seen on very out of focus items, particularly light sources. For cameras with mechanical shutters, the shape of this reflects the symmetry of the shutter - often hexagonal.

      With software, you can change the shape of this in real time. From Android N you can use a pre-loaded range of animal silhouettes, including a gecko and a grasshopper. Hence, Live Bokeh.

      1. BebopWeBop
        Thumb Up

        Re: Live Bokeh

        Live and learn (although I did go and look it up just before replying (pays to check occasionally)

      2. Ed_UK
        Headmaster

        Re: Live Bokeh

        " For cameras with mechanical shutters, the shape of this reflects the symmetry of the shutter - often hexagonal."

        No, you're thinking of the flare from bright lights, which is usually polygonal due to the shape of the mutlibladed iris. The shutter doesn't come into it.

        Bokeh is the 'pleasingness' of the out-of-focus parts of the image. The shape of the iris can affect this, as can the type of optical arrangement.

    2. Xyra

      Re: Sounds nice

      You can get an Huawei Honor 9 for 299. Gets pretty fantastic reviews from what I've seen. Very tempted by one myself.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sounds nice

        Just done exactly the same weighing up between this and the Honor 9 - plumped for the Honor in the end and been very pleased with it so far.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sounds nice

      The days of the sub-£300 generic (like the 1+One) have gone down the plug'ole along with the value of the pound

      Not for grey imports. Buy from a UK importer via Ebay, pay by Paypal using a credit card, and if it goes wrong you've got first recourse against the vendor; If they aren't around or won't help, you've got the Ebay and Paypal guarantees, if they won't cough up you can go to the credit card provider under Section 75. Buying from a UK vendor, you've got no import duty liability, and no long wait for delivery. The importer I bought from has been around for a while and promises they'll honour a one-year warranty, but you never know.

      But, if despite all that it all goes shit shaped for me, and my lovely Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X goes titsup, and I can't get it resolved, or a refund, I've only ponied up less than £160.

      1. linkbox8

        PayPal vs. Credit card

        you've got the Ebay and Paypal guarantees, if they won't cough up you can go to the credit card provider under Section 75.

        Section 75 doesn't apply if you pay via PayPal, only if you use the credit card directly with the supplier. PayPal is an intermediary, so the usual credit card protection doesn't apply.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sounds nice

      >the days of the sub-£300 generic (like the 1+One)

      geekbuying.com (other sites are available) is full of them.

    5. Rob Foster 1

      Re: Sounds nice

      I think they call "Bokeh effect" depth of field on proper cameras.

      1. Francis Boyle Silver badge

        Re: Sounds nice

        "I think they call "Bokeh effect" depth of field on proper cameras."

        No bokeh is the quality of the out of focus areas. Some lenses have a pleasing bokeh and are therefore suited for shallow depth of field shots where you want an attractive but non-distracting background. Others, not so much. Calling a fake depth of field effect, 'bokeh' is hopelessly confused.

  4. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge

    Screen resolution

    The number of pixels on that display is very impressive, but I wonder what the increase is in battery usage to manage all of those pixels versus a lesser resolution.

    I know that more pixels equals better image quality, but given that the phone has a better resolution than my 32" HD telly, I can't help but wonder how noticeable that benefit is on something with a screen a fraction of the size of a domestic TV.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Screen resolution

      " but given that the phone has a better resolution than my 32" HD telly, "

      Chances are a £100 phone has a better resolution than your telly and some people do occasionally, look at photos on other medium than the phone screen.

      1. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge

        Re: Screen resolution

        people do occasionally, look at photos on other medium than the phone screen.

        Fair comment, but what does that have to do with the resolution of the screen of the phone?

    2. eldakka

      Re: Screen resolution

      I know that more pixels equals better image quality, but given that the phone has a better resolution than my 32" HD telly, I can't help but wonder how noticeable that benefit is on something with a screen a fraction of the size of a domestic TV.

      But I bet you don't tend to watch your 32" telly from 12" away.

      The benefits (or drawbacks) of resolution depend on 3 things,

      1) the resolution;

      2) the size of the surface over which that resolution is displayed on (the diagonal screen size);

      3) the distance from that surface it is being viewed from.

      (of course, the quality of the manufacturing, backlight and so on also do matter, but let's assume we are talking screens of equivalent display quality)

      For example, using this TV viewing distance calculator, for a 5.3" display:

      1.8 Feet Maximum Viewing Distance for NTSC/PAL(720x480/720x576)

      0.7 Feet Maximum Viewing Distance for HDTV(Fully resolved 1080i; 1920 x 1080)

      For a 32" display:

      11.2 Feet Maximum Viewing Distance for NTSC/PAL(720x480/720x576)

      4.2 Feet Maximum Viewing Distance for HDTV(Fully resolved 1080i; 1920 x 1080)

      So to get the full effect of 1080 resolution, you cannot view from more than 4.2 feet away a 32" screen or, if you shrink that down to a phones 5.3" screen, you can't view it from more than 0.7 feet away to get the same apparent visual clarity.

  5. kaiserb_uk

    Just a minor correction - you can in fact change the bokeh on photos after the fact. It did take me a while to figure out how though...

  6. ldm

    Pretty good actually

    I have been after a new device for a good while, as my ageing Note 4 is now chomping through batteries at a frightening rate (new battery, phone turns off after nine hours, from a full charge, even if left mostly idle), destroying microSD cards, and still running Android 6. No device exists that ticks all my boxes (regardless of price), but this is the closest I've found. I've had it for a couple of weeks now, and the antenna placement (on the top and bottom, as opposed to the sides) makes a noticeable difference for me - in places where the voice signal would drop out, it now functions adequately (no longer lose the call), if not perfectly. There are some minor annoyances though, such as no notification LED, and no removable battery - though teardowns of the device show that it's not completely terrible to take apart, it's not something I need to worry about for a while as I had 40% battery left at the end of a day with medium to high usage.

    Infuriatingly, my biggest problem with it is I can't get an answer to "what LTE bands does it support" - the Nokia "full specs" don't mention it, Nokia on Twitter are ignoring the question, as is the author of an Arstechnica article that lists the bands (I asked for a source for that information, none was forthcoming). Are the bands region limited depending where you buy it? Who knows! This is mostly of interest for when I'm in the US - I'm trying to determine if I'm better off buying a portable hotspot, or if the phone will natively work on the carriers I can roam with.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Pretty good actually

      I was also looking for the supported LTE Bands as I wanted to know the difference between the two Dual SIM models they offer, I requested through Nokia Support and got this answer;

      In regards to your questions about LTE band in Nokia 8, it is good to know that both phones support the same LTE Bands. Those bands are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They didn't get the CE marking right, did they?

    From the picture, the C seems really too close to the E.

    https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/ce-marking_en

    Why does it matter? ElReg explained it previously:

    https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/13/ee_power_bar_wrong_ce_marking/

    Okay, I'll get my coat and go nitpick somewhere else :)

  8. Franco

    Quite like the look of these, I'm hoping the 7 will come to the UK before too long (China only at present) seeing as it's in the midrange but still has USB type-c, virtually stock Android and one of them new fangled 3.5mm jacks.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What a stupid name

    1. TheVogon

      "What a stupid name"

      Presumably why you posted as anonymous...

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fallls into the pot of Good Android devices. Google Pixel, LG, Sony and now Nokia.

    Sadly, iPhone owners will be to the shite Android phones to solidify their Apple purchase.

  11. Lysenko

    Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

    ... yes, it's a WinPhone and stuck on V8, but there's damn little I care about that won't run on it and it still stuffs everything else on battery life and signal strength. The rest of the time I use a WileyFox. North of £500 for a phone isn't happening - period.

    Well, not quite. I do have an iPhone, because sometimes I need to check software on the thing, but that's a business expense. It lives in a drawer, gathering dust along with the Blackberry Curves and assorted other junk (which reminds me - it hasn't been powered on since August - it probably needs an OS update or seven).

    1. AMBxx Silver badge

      Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

      I miss my Windows Nokia (Lumia 950XL). It died, now I wish I'd just picked up one secondhand. Android is nowhere near as good. Only bonus is the native SIP client (not sure if that's just BB).

      1. Salestard

        Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

        925 remains my favourite.The 950 sat next to me now, however - I would tell it to go die in a hole somewhere, but it's already done that. Hardware is fine, the software is broken now;

        *Currently restarting randomly and repeatedly

        *turns off for no reason at all

        *sometimes requires restart for Bluetooth to work

        *camera will not autofocus under any circumstances

        *APIs no longer working for Facebook or LinkedIn, meaning the people hub is now just a phone book

        *Groove music switched off at the end of this month

        Four months left on the payment plan, and I can't get rid of it soon enough. 20 months ago it was a great device, now I regard it with the same disdain as my works iPhone.

        1. Franco

          Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

          Funnily enough I've been thinking about the 7, as I mentioned above, to replace my 925 which is starting to show it's age.

          Had a 950 which I won from Windows Central but sold it as it was a bit too big for me. The 925 is getting a bit stroppy and looks pretty bad around the edges which are scratch magnets no matter how careful you are. Mine is also running W10M rather than 8 and I've modded it to put the wireless charging coil inside as the charge cover broke and I wasn't buying another. Still a great phone, even after 4.5 years, but the battery is getting worse and I'm running in to more and more websites that won't play nicely with Edge.

        2. This post has been deleted by its author

          1. Salestard

            Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

            Well, I'll try the SIM thing - that might explain why after some restarts it demands the A1B2C3 thing because I've entered my password too often, even though I've not touched the phone except to yank the battery.

            The main problem seems to be the screen crashing - the Bluetooth remains connected, even though the phone is totally unresponsive and requires off and on-ing again

            1. jeremylloyd

              Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

              I've had the same problem on two 950's with the screen not coming alive. Personally, I suspect the proximity sensor thinking the phone is still held to your face.

          2. coolcity

            Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

            None of those problems with my 950 either. In fact two years on it's the only phone I've ever had that I enjoy using as much now as I did when I bought it.

            The only problem I have is self inflicted, the autofocus doesn't always work after I dropped it for the umpteenth time but I'm going to change the camera module, £25 fix and it should be good as new.

            Does everything I need and is far more enjoyable to use than Android, don't care what anybody else thinks so don't bother...

        3. cambsukguy

          Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

          Much of that sounds like hardware issues, possibly just one, since mine (and my better half's) 950s do not suffer these issues.

          Obviously, Groove switching off is a service issue.

          By FB and Li APIs, I assume you mean the clever people stuff they had with WP7/8. That was removed ages ago I thought.

          The people 'hub' stills collates Phone, SMS, Skype and email communications and is streets ahead of anything else - because they are just phone books.

          And Skype looking after SMSs as well keeps the messaging stuff (that I use at least) together. It would have been great if they all could have been collated, FB, Skype, WhatsApp etc.

          But they weren't so I dropped FB and almost never use WhatsApp.

          One pointer though, if you are bothered:

          When I first got my 950, 3 years ago, I noticed it restarted if I put it down too hard or knocked it.

          I discovered that slightly tensioning the contact springs on the battery fixed it.

          I recalled the memory because I just put a brand new Original replacement battery in it last week and the same issue happened.

          1. Salestard

            Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

            The LinkedIn API dropped off ages ago, the Facebook one during the summer. I've always found Skype to be a massive ballache on it, and nobody I know uses it anyway, so it's usually sat neglected.

            Shonky hardware and abandonware OS aside, I will miss the elegance of the design - it peaked in 8.1, but even with Microsoft's best efforts in WP/WM10, the tiles flipping with actual info makes the droid and Apple efforts look prehistoric.

            I have fallen out of love with the platform now though, so difficult to really find anything positive with it.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

      The 925 is a security vulnerability nightmare, thankfully for you, nobody cares, not even hackers.

      Interesting that Microsoft get a free pass for not updating their old devices given nobody else gets that luxury... That should be a clue where the FUD is spewing from...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Nokia 925 is still my favourite phone

        "The 925 is a security vulnerability nightmare,"

        All the hackers that tried have confirmed that Windows Mobile is far more secure than Android or IOS!

  12. DocD

    A Serious Contender

    I very much like the look of this and would consider it for my next phone. I still have a Samsung Galaxy S5 because every high end Android phone released since I got it has decidedly underwhelmed either in value or specification, usually both, and I don't want to move to Apple (though I have seriously considered doing so on more than one occasion). I hate the messing around that the likes of Samsung do to Android and the bloatware that both manufacturers and carriers put on phones so I want to buy a phone outright (ie: not on contract) with as close a stock Android experience as possible that has decent specs and will be properly supported with updates etc. long term. Shenzen Generics are a better proposition in terms of cost and for a less bloated OS of course but I don't want a phone from a company from a country that is subject to laws that have caused the likes of WhatsApp and Skype to either pull out of, or dilute their product's privacy 'to comply with local laws'. So what the reviewer sees as negatives (no gallery app, raw 'butt ugly' Android etc), I see as positives when coupled with a much more reasonable price tag than Google's Pixel. So what if stock Android isn't as pretty if it works and is going to be supported long after a carrier or hardware manufacturer gets bored with supporting my device? £399 is a price I'd be prepared to pay to bypass my a carrier for a device that should work well and that I could keep for two or three years if I had to.

    1. Tim Seventh

      Re: A Serious Contender

      I want to buy a phone outright (ie: not on contract) with as close a stock Android experience as possible that has decent specs and will be properly supported with updates etc. long term. Shenzen Generics are a better proposition in terms of cost and for a less bloated OS of course but I don't want a phone from a company from a country that is subject to laws that have caused the likes of

      You have your point, but do keep the facts intact. Shenzen Generics phone you buy (should you buy) often come in at least two versions, one for china, one for international. Where the china version is the one subject to china laws (no google) while the other isn't. However neither one of them comes with less bloated OS, just like most Android-based device. Nokia here frankly is an exception (no bloat, stock Android, stock gapps, maybe some updates?, sd card, headphone jack).

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: A Serious Contender

      but I don't want a phone from a company from a country that is subject to laws that have caused the likes of WhatsApp and Skype to either pull out of, or dilute their product's privacy 'to comply with local laws'.

      I wouldn't get to hung up on this. You already know the vast majority of phones are made in China, regardless of the badge on the front, the handful made outside of China use a lot of China sourced components (and you'd have a very restricted choice), and if doubt you think that (regardless of what they say) Western code and hardware design aren't very accommodating to their local security services.

  13. Gordon861

    Xiaomi Mi A1

    I just replaced my old HTC M8 with a Xiaomi Mi A1 and very impressed, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, all for around £200. It's on the Android One programme too so it get the latest updates.

  14. acid andy
    Meh

    A thin slurping rounded rectangle

    Yet another stupidly thin, rounded rectangle complete with data mining OS. Oh for the glorious days of the Nokia Communicator. Bring back the clam shell. Bring back QWERTY. Bring back innovation.

    If it keeps them alive I suppose it's a baby step in the right direction.

    1. James 51

      Re: A thin slurping rounded rectangle

      N900 would be a better template with the keyboard and stylus.

    2. DJO Silver badge

      Re: A thin slurping rounded rectangle

      Oh for the glorious days of the Nokia Communicator. Bring back the clam shell. Bring back QWERTY. Bring back innovation.

      I assume you are aware of the Gemini PDA, a crowdfunded revisit of the Psion 5. Should be arriving on backers doorsteps in 6 weeks or so if the producers are to be believed.

  15. Fursty Ferret

    but this is a false economy: if you make phones, you need your own Gallery app to show off your imaging smarts.

    Must disagree. One of the most annoying thing about Android phones is the pointless app duplication insisted on by manufacturers when Google does perfectly reasonable ones already. Out of the box on most you get two calendar apps, two music apps, two gallery apps etc etc.

    This is the right way to go, IMHO.

    1. Bassey

      Absolutely. If I want a "better" camera app I'll go to the play store, download half a dozen, play around with them, pick my favourite and uninstall the rest. That's why we have app stores.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        The camera used to occasionally be the app you actually want OEM customised, if it exposes hardware features the standard API does not. Sometimes the sound system as well.

        Sometimes they cocked it up enough to replace anyway!

    2. SquidEmperor

      Agreed

      Totally agree. After having to move from Samsung to LG (v20) because of the whole Note fiasco I suddenly realised what a bloated cow the Samsung Os was. While not quite stock the LG Os is much closer to pure Android - but still with it's own Gallery App, Email and a few others. What's the point? I never use them - I just use the chocolate box versions.

    3. lsces

      But google insist!

      When we can configure an android device with the same preferred applications we use elsewhere and NOT be forced down googles choice because you can't remove them ... but then it would be nice if say Firefox ran on android device without crashing when one ends up on a google search page. Lets have a clean 'no-google' option out of the box.

      But then I still have my N900 on the desk here even if I can't use it on the move.

      1. Dan 55 Silver badge

        Re: But google insist!

        There'll never be a clean "no Google" option out of the box. Play Store terms and conditions don't give OEMs (or end customers) a choice.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: But google insist!

        Press cancel during sign up on a pure android device. That really is all you need to do.

      3. Tim Seventh

        Re: But google insist!

        "When we can configure an android device with the same preferred applications we use elsewhere and NOT be forced down googles choice because you can't remove them ... but then it would be nice if say Firefox ran on android device without crashing when one ends up on a google search page"

        Yes there are a lot apps that needed google play services and some cannot finish loading up without google stuff, but Firefox isn't one. Firefox for android works without google services, and works searching with google. May I suggest you to reinstall Firefox? if not please do file a crash report.

    4. Dan 55 Silver badge

      I do hope it's not the Google Gallery app which is always bugging you to upload your photos for places you've just been to.

      What's worse than it existing is that people actually do what it tells them to do.

  16. ukgnome
    Gimp

    it is this sort of development that might tempt me away from Apple and back into the Android sphere

  17. Chika
    Mushroom

    If it wasn't for the fact that my current Huawei, nearly 3 years old, still really performs well for me, I might have considered this. Suffice to say that buying a replacement Huawei is a no-no for me because of the EMUI (aka "I want my Android to look like any phone other than an Android") interface, the only downer here (yet again) is the sodding sealed battery!

    1. Tim Seventh

      "If it wasn't for the fact that my current Huawei, nearly 3 years old, still really performs well for me, I might have considered this. Suffice to say that buying a replacement Huawei is a no-no for me because of the EMUI (aka "Hi! I'm an iPhone!") interface, the only downer here (yet again) is the sodding sealed battery!"

      ftfy.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      buying a replacement Huawei is a no-no for me because of the EMUI (aka "I want my Android to look like any phone other than an Android") interface,

      That Apple-wannabe look is fairly common on Chinese brand phones, but hardly reason not to buy, when there's plenty of really good launchers that will give you any number of appearances. My Xioami comes with the makers MIUI skin (which is pretty good if you don't mind the look) but I use Nova Launcher instead If you don't like Nova, there's easily another twenty really good launchers to choose from.

  18. wyatt

    I am tempted. Currently working off a Galaxy S4 mini having lost my Jolla Sailfish 1. It is slow as anything, I can't see it lasting another year.

  19. JDX Gold badge

    So is this a OnePlus-beater?

    The 1+3 was a great feature/cost trade-off but now 1+ has gone higher-price. I'd love to see a direct comparison review between the 1+5 and the N8.

  20. jeffdyer

    I'd be tempted to get a new phone, but it would have to be water resistant and ideally have/support noise cancelling headphones. So that means Sony AFAICT

  21. Novex

    I have one of these. I like it :)

    My main niggles are that the sim card and sdcard slot are combined, there is only one speaker (as far as I can tell) and there's no notification LED.

    Apart from that, it's working fine, battery lasts ages if lightly used as I do, but I would imagine could hold up for a day of medium-heavy use.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Are there any Sleeping Screen/Glance options, like the Symbian and Lumia Nokias had?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Yes, there's a little notification on the sleep screen showing the number of calls, SMSs and emails you've received since it went to bed. They only work when it is charging and only with the default apps, so usefulness might be limited.

  22. Hubert Thrunge Jr.

    Signal strength

    -110dBA is silence.

    -110dBm is a weak RF signal.

  23. Triumphantape

    Stock image?

    This phone comes with the stock Android image from Google? Additionally can I add the stock image to it?

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Does the writer even know Android 8.0?

    Just one homescreen?...

    Ok, so there's just one homescreen before you start customisation but dragging any icon (from the main homescreen or from the app draw) to the right of any homescreen adds more homescreens as you need them. You've just got to have at least one icon on each screen.

    Sparse quick settings?

    Notice the "pencil" icon at the bottom of the expanded quick settings menu? Tap it and you can add or remove quick settings icon as you need.

    Dude, learn the OS before you make summary judgements! I'm glad the author likes the HW though. I bought a Nokia 6 for my son a month ago and he loves it.

    BTW, is the charge port still a micro-USB? I don't recall that it was mentioned.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Does the writer even know Android 8.0?

      USB-C charge - but Nokia still provide a earphone jack!

  25. darklord

    fail

    Its not a 6310I not interested,

    Like the phone not the new operating system visuals.

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Liking the 8

    I took the plunge into Android when I saw the prices of the new iPhones and the Nokia 8 came in at the right price. So far, I can't complain - as Andrew says the phone is built like a tank with a responsive, clear screen. And stripped down Android is fast and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

    The only thing I don't like right now is the default camera app which is a bit sluggish and not a patch on the one Nokia shipped with the Lumias. Can we have that one back please?

  27. Alex Walsh

    My network agnostic Nokia 8 doesn't believe you on the Android 8 update, it's still telling me it's up to date on 7.1.1

  28. Soham@1

    Nokia 10

    Nokia 10 Full Phone Specifications leaked https://techrubik.com/nokia-10-full-phone-specifications-release-date-price/

    -TechRubik

  29. eleanor86

    Display

    i really dont like the display and design of nokia 8

    <a href=" http://latestphonesreview.com/nokia-8-full-specification-reviews-features-camera-price-release-date/"> Display Nokia 8</a>

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