Nokia 8 review

Verdict

The Nokia 8 isn’t the best phone on the market right now, but it offers a lot of the features you expect from a great device in a well designed package with a retro name.

You’re paying a lot for the Nokia brand here considering it’s a bit more expensive than alternatives such as the Honor 9 and OnePlus 5, but if you’re okay with that this is worth the money you’re paying.

There’s a good camera setup, some fun features such as the #Bothie mode and the phone is well designed with a gorgeous QHD display on the front of the handset.

Who’s it for?

If you remember the Nokia brand fondly, it’s likely the Nokia 8 is designed just for you.

Everything you want from a modern smartphone is available here, but a few missing features and a super-high price tag let it down. If you like the design and want a QHD display, though, you’ll want to go for this phone.

Should you buy it?

Alternatives such as the OnePlus 5 and the Honor 9 offer very similar features and designs for less money. But if you want to use the Nokia brand as your daily phone and like what’s on offer here, you’ll want to go for the Nokia 8.

It’s not the best phone of the year, but it offers a lot of the features we like to see in the best phones out there.

The competition

Here are the competing handsets you should take a look at before buying the Nokia 8.

Samsung Galaxy S8 

The Galaxy S8 is our favorite phone at the time of writing this and there’s a reason for that. It’s powerful, comes with great battery life and despite not packing a dual-lens camera it takes as good if not better photos than the Nokia 8.

The price is a touch more for some markets, but if you’re after a phone without bezels, a gorgeous design and all the top end features that the Nokia 8 doesn’t offer you may want to opt for the Galaxy S8 instead.

• Read our Samsung Galaxy S8 review

OnePlus 5T

Like the Nokia 8, the OnePlus 5T comes with a dual-sensor rear camera, but we much prefer the camera on this phone over the Nokia’s. It makes for a much more compelling photography experience, and we love the power that’s inside the OnePlus 5 too.

The true highlight though is the lower price compared to the Nokia 8. If you want to spend less and get very similar results, both out of your photography and in terms of power, this phone from OnePlus is a real winner.

• Read our OnePlus 5T review

Honor 9

This is another very powerful phone packing a top-of-the-range chipset, but again the price is super-low, showing up the Nokia 8 for value from the off

If you’re after a shiny-backed phone the Honor 9 is an attractive proposition, but you’ll lose out on the QHD display, as it only packs a 5.1-inch Full HD screen. It does do everything the Nokia can for a lot less though, so it’s well worth keeping  in mind.

• Read our Honor 9 review

First reviewed: August 2017