Nokia 8.1

Bluefoam

I'm thinking of picking one of these up... I always had the flagship HTC up to my current M10. Now I don't see the need to change phones as often, because they have reached useful speeds...

Considering the Nokia 8.1. I like:

• Simple UI & no bloatware
• Strong battery life
• Fairly solid body
• Price

Are there any other phones i should be looking at in the same price category?

Bluefoam

Any recommendations for a phone around the €300+/- price bracket?

ianob7

Bluefoam wrote:

Any recommendations for a phone around the €300+/- price bracket?

Pocophone but only if you don't need NFC

Bluefoam

ianob7 wrote: »

Pocophone but only if you don't need NFC

I 100% need NFC... It's the only useful development in phone technology since the Pebble (besides improved battery life).

ianob7

Bluefoam wrote:

I 100% need NFC... It's the only useful development in phone technology since the Pebble (besides improved battery life).

Wouldn't say only but I'm with you I definitely need it now going forward

ianob7

Honor 10 perhaps ? Should be in that price range on various different sites

_Whimsical_

Bluefoam wrote: »

I'm thinking of picking one of these up... I always had the flagship HTC up to my current M10. Now I don't see the need to change phones as often, because they have reached useful speeds...

Considering the Nokia 8.1. I like:

• Simple UI & no bloatware
• Strong battery life
• Fairly solid body
• Price

Are there any other phones i should be looking at in the same price category?

I know someone who has recently got this and hes very very happy with it. The camera is superb, the image stabilisation on videos is amazing if that's of any interest to you. Overall though he's finding it very fast and snappy and he really knows about these things so his thumbs up counts for a lot...with me anyway.

Bluefoam

Thanks,
looks like i'll go ahead with the 8.1... was bidding on a P20 Pro on eBay yesterday, but it was hitting money I'm not willing to spend.

marcbrophy

Was going to start a thread on this phone yesterday, thanks OP

I bought one yesterday from eglobal central.
€321.70 including delivery for the dual SIM blue version.
Price has gone up a little since, to €332 for the 3 colour variants before shipping, which is about €6.

I'm upgrading from the Nokia 7 Plus, which I bought from eglobal back in May, so I cant wait

sleepysniper

Mi8?

Bluefoam

Any opinions on the Huawei P20 Pro... It's beyond what i want to spend, but I have found one that seems to be going for less than the going rate:

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Huawei-P20-Pro-CLT-L09C-128GB-Black-Unlocked-Single-Sim/401691465923?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055359.m1431.l2648

GBX

P20 Pro is a cracking phone. But that seller has no feedback at all!! Be careful :

"Member since: 21 Jan, 2019"

Thats their first item for sale.

corks finest

GBX wrote: »

P20 Pro is a cracking phone. But that seller has no feedback at all!! Be careful :

"Member since: 21 Jan, 2019"

Thats their first item for sale.

"Let's be careful out there"

Bluefoam

... but PayPal

corks finest

Bluefoam wrote: »

... but PayPal

Always pay Pal always

GBX

Bluefoam wrote: »

... but PayPal

Yeah I know. But even still, if I'm buying on Ebay using PayPal, i'd rather have some sort of feedback on the seller first. I wouldn't be handing over €520 to somebody with a brand new account with no seller history.
At the end of the day, its up to you Bluefoam. Just my take on it

Mundo7976

Any carriers gonna be carrying the 8.1 in Ireland, cant find any info

Bluefoam

Put an order in with eGlobal for the 4gb, grey colour... Looking forward to getting it... But in the meantime I'll head over to the eGlobal thread to complain about their shipping times, lack of communication, unreliable tracking etc. As is the norm with them.

corks finest

Bluefoam wrote: »

Put an order in with eGlobal for the 4gb, grey colour... Looking forward to getting it... But in the meantime I'll head over to the eGlobal thread to complain about their shipping times, lack of communication, unreliable tracking etc. As is the norm with them.

If u think eglobal are bad don't go neat half the others

marcbrophy

Eglobal's 2 weeks is so much better than Ali- You may see it in 2 months, if you don't it's your fault -express

Bluefoam

marcbrophy wrote: »

Was going to start a thread on this phone yesterday, thanks OP

I bought one yesterday from eglobal central.
€321.70 including delivery for the dual SIM blue version.
Price has gone up a little since, to €332 for the 3 colour variants before shipping, which is about €6.

I'm upgrading from the Nokia 7 Plus, which I bought from eglobal back in May, so I cant wait

Let me know how you get on... I just had a moment of panic... While the specs state that it has NFC, it doesn't say so anywhere on the eGlobal site... & knowing that they bring them from Asia, I'm very concerned it won't be included... If so, it'll have to go back

marcbrophy

Bluefoam wrote: »

Let me know how you get on... I just had a moment of panic... While the specs state that it has NFC, it doesn't say so anywhere on the eGlobal site... & knowing that they bring them from Asia, I'm very concerned it won't be included... If so, it'll have to go back

I would be happy enough that the phone will have NFC if it's in the official specs. I will let you know once it arrives though.

You can easily enough RMA goods with eglobal anyway, so you should be fine either way!

marcbrophy

Bluefoam, I can confirm that the device has NFC

Just got my device about 12 and currently going through the setup, but I'm liking it so far

breeno

Am I right in saying you had a Nokia 7 Plus previously? I'd be interested to hear how the camera on the 8.1 holds up against the 7 plus and if its a big improvement.

Also if you're able to install Google cam mod for the extra features.

Bluefoam

marcbrophy wrote: »

Bluefoam, I can confirm that the device has NFC

Just got my device about 12 and currently going through the setup, but I'm liking it so far

Yes, it has NFC. Mine is with the courier, I should have it today or tomorrow...

breeno wrote: »

Am I right in saying you had a Nokia 7 Plus previously? I'd be interested to hear how the camera on the 8.1 holds up against the 7 plus and if its a big improvement.

Also if you're able to install Google cam mod for the extra features.

Is this a question for me or marcbrophy? I'm coming from a HTC M10

breeno

Sorry, that question was for Marc!
I have a Huawei P20 Pro at the moment which on paper is superior to this but there's just something about it that I don't quite like and the Android One software on the 8.1 appeals. I'm interested to hear real-world experience of the camera quality.

marcbrophy

breeno wrote: »

Am I right in saying you had a Nokia 7 Plus previously? I'd be interested to hear how the camera on the 8.1 holds up against the 7 plus and if its a big improvement.

Also if you're able to install Google cam mod for the extra features.

Yep, I have a 7 plus also

You are able to use gcam for the phone according to the below link.

https://nokiapoweruser.com/google-camera-apk-download-for-nokia-smartphones/

breeno wrote: »

Sorry, that question was for Marc!
I have a Huawei P20 Pro at the moment which on paper is superior to this but there's just something about it that I don't quite like and the Android One software on the 8.1 appeals. I'm interested to hear real-world experience of the camera quality.

Sorry for this answer now, but I am not a heavy camera user at all!
Not even a medium camera user, I take about 1 pic a week on average and they are mostly indoors

I can take a photo or 2 on both the 7 plus and 8.1 and throw them up for comparison, if that's of any use to you?

Personally, I am in agreement with what you say. The camera setup on the P20 pro is definitely better, but the Android One in the Nokia's is appealing also.

jgc115

marcbrophy wrote: »

Bluefoam, I can confirm that the device has NFC

Just got my device about 12 and currently going through the setup, but I'm liking it so far

Hi,
Does the Nokia 8.1 have an FM Radio and does it support LDAC and aptx HD codecs in Bluetooth?

Thanks in advance!

corks finest

jgc115 wrote: »

marcbrophy wrote: »

Bluefoam, I can confirm that the device has NFC

Just got my device about 12 and currently going through the setup, but I'm liking it so far

Hi,
Does the Nokia 8.1 have an FM Radio and does it support LDAC and aptx HD codecs in Bluetooth?

Thanks in advance!

AFAIK no FM radio

marcbrophy

jgc115 wrote: »

Hi,
Does the Nokia 8.1 have an FM Radio and does it support LDAC and aptx HD codecs in Bluetooth?

Thanks in advance!

Bad news I'm afraid.

There's no FM radio on the device and according to the link below, neither LDAC or APTx support either.

https://www.tspn1.com/2018/12/nokia-81-vs-xiaomi-mi-mix-3-comparisons.html

To update the above:
I was only going by the specs on GSM arena when I was talking about FM earlier.
But in a surprise twist, there actually is FM radio on this phone

Also, according to these links, LDAC and AptX are indeed supported!

Last line before the specs:
https://www.androidauthority.com/nokia-8-1-931780/

Post number 3:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/nokia-8-1/help/nokia-8-1-support-ldac-using-sony-wh-t3878674

breeno

marcbrophy wrote: »

Sorry for this answer now, but I am not a heavy camera user at all!

Not even a medium camera user, I take about 1 pic a week on average and they are mostly indoors

I can take a photo or 2 on both the 7 plus and 8.1 and throw them up for comparison, if that's of any use to you?

Personally, I am in agreement with what you say. The camera setup on the P20 pro is definitely better, but the Android One in the Nokia's is appealing also.

Yea a photo comparison would be great if you had a chance but don't go out of your way! I had the 7 Plus and it was generally rock solid but the camera let it down a bit. The reviews seems to be suggesting it's much improved on the 8.1 (for the price range at least) and I'm getting tempted!

marcbrophy

breeno wrote: »

Yea a photo comparison would be great if you had a chance but don't go out of your way! I had the 7 Plus and it was generally rock solid but the camera let it down a bit. The reviews seems to be suggesting it's much improved on the 8.1 (for the price range at least) and I'm getting tempted!

I'll see what I can do! The 7 Plus is at home now, and I'll be cleaning it up and factory resetting it later to sell it on, so I should be able to snap something!!

jgc115

marcbrophy wrote: »

Bad news I'm afraid.

There's no FM radio on the device and according to the link below, neither LDAC or APTx support either.

https://www.tspn1.com/2018/12/nokia-81-vs-xiaomi-mi-mix-3-comparisons.html

To update the above:
I was only going by the specs on GSM arena when I was talking about FM earlier.
But in a surprise twist, there actually is FM radio on this phone

Also, according to these links, LDAC and AptX are indeed supported!

Last line before the specs:
https://www.androidauthority.com/nokia-8-1-931780/

Post number 3:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/nokia-8-1/help/nokia-8-1-support-ldac-using-sony-wh-t3878674

Great news and thanks a mil for the links - This phone is becoming a very interesting prospect to buy!

Bluefoam

Got the phone at 7 this evening, fully set up now (OCD)... So far so good, user experience is fluid, form factor is better than I expected. Grey colour looks better than expected. User interface is a big step compared to my three year old phone. Notch would be less annoying if they colour coordinated it with the app below (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). Feels very lightweight compared to the M10 (not a positive). Qualcomm quickcharger not working with it. But I do have a spare Anker fast charger that I'll try. FM radio only works with headphones.

... I have activated the black background to hide the notch. I actually liked the idea of the notch, but prefer how it looks with the black bar at the top. Unfortunately it also adds a black bar at the bottom in some apps.

marcbrophy

All FM radio apps need a headset plugged in to work.
The headset acts as an antenna for the signal

corks finest

Bluefoam wrote: »

Got the phone at 7 this evening, fully set up now (OCD)... So far so good, user experience is fluid, form factor is better than I expected. Grey colour looks better than expected. User interface is a big step compared to my three year old phone. Notch would be less annoying if they colour coordinated it with the app below (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). Feels very lightweight compared to the M10 (not a positive). Qualcomm quickcharger not working with it. But I do have a spare Anker fast charger that I'll try. FM radio only works with headphones.

... I have activated the black background to hide the notch. I actually liked the idea of the notch, but prefer how it looks with the black bar at the top. Unfortunately it also adds a black bar at the bottom in some apps.

Tnx 4 the information

Bluefoam

Update. I'm really happy with the phone so far... I won't go into what I like about it, just to say that I am very satisfied with the purchase.

My comments are:
Speaker placement, it's too easy to cover the speaker with your thumb.
Screen size is too big... I'd be happy with a 5.5" screen
It's a bit slippy slidey in your hand... Exaggerated by the size.
Here's the big issue... My sennheiser headphones dont work very well with it. They work with every other phone I've had, but with this one the volume is too low and more importantly, the microphone quality is ****... It is too low, crackelly, traffic noise is audible above my voice... So I have to unplug my headphones to speak on a call. This is a massive problem for me, and is really activating me right now.

Tazzimus

Whats the battery life like compared to the 7 plus Marc?

I have absolutely no reason to upgrade as the 7 plus has been very hassle free... But new phone..

marcbrophy

Tazzimus wrote: »

Whats the battery life like compared to the 7 plus Marc?

I have absolutely no reason to upgrade as the 7 plus has been very hassle free... But new phone..

This is probably where I am most disappointed in the upgrade.

It's a loss of 8% in the overall size from 3,800 to 3,500 but it somehow seems like more in everyday use.

Perhaps I'm just oversensitive to it, as it now shows 23 hours since last charge, with 46% left on the indicator.

But they should have stuck with the same battery, if not bigger, IMO

AlmightyCushion

marcbrophy wrote: »

This is probably where I am most disappointed in the upgrade.

It's a loss of 8% in the overall size from 3,800 to 3,500 but it somehow seems like more in everyday use.

Perhaps I'm just oversensitive to it, as it now shows 23 hours since last charge, with 46% left on the indicator.

But they should have stuck with the same battery, if not bigger, IMO

How much screen on time?

Bluefoam

I get through about 16 hours and still have 20% (ish battery) left. I consider myself a demanding user, except I don't play games.

Yesterday I had 13h 33minutes screen on time... thats actually quites scary... I still had battery at the end of the day.

Tazzimus

marcbrophy wrote: »

This is probably where I am most disappointed in the upgrade.

It's a loss of 8% in the overall size from 3,800 to 3,500 but it somehow seems like more in everyday use.

Perhaps I'm just oversensitive to it, as it now shows 23 hours since last charge, with 46% left on the indicator.

But they should have stuck with the same battery, if not bigger, IMO

That's a pity. It's slightly smaller than the 7 plus, isn't it? Bigger screen but smaller body.

I'm still tempted, mind.

marcbrophy

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

How much screen on time?

Just 3

Tazzimus wrote: »

That's a pity. It's slightly smaller than the 7 plus, isn't it? Bigger screen but smaller body.

I'm still tempted, mind.

Yeah it's slightly smaller, almost unnoticeable.
I've had no other issues, and the better processor and bigger, brighter screen is an improvement for sure.

I'm not unhappy with the change, i just might need to charge a bit more often

corks finest

marcbrophy wrote: »

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

How much screen on time?

Just 3

Tazzimus wrote: »

That's a pity. It's slightly smaller than the 7 plus, isn't it? Bigger screen but smaller body.

I'm still tempted, mind.

Yeah it's slightly smaller, almost unnoticeable.
I've had no other issues, and the better processor and bigger, brighter screen is an improvement for sure.

I'm not unhappy with the change, i just might need to charge a bit more often

Is it much brighter, smallie has 7 plus and personally think it's far too dark

marcbrophy

corks finest wrote: »

Is it much brighter, smallie has 7 plus and personally think it's far too dark

It struck me as being a nice bit brighter when I had the 2 side by side. I checked the brightness settings and they were similar to each other. I'm used to it now and it's still nice and sharp looking

corks finest

marcbrophy wrote: »

corks finest wrote: »

Is it much brighter, smallie has 7 plus and personally think it's far too dark

It struck me as being a nice bit brighter when I had the 2 side by side. I checked the brightness settings and they were similar to each other. I'm used to it now and it's still nice and sharp looking

Thanks

CatInABox

Ordered one of these today, looking forward to having a fingerprint scanner that actually works again

marcbrophy

CatInABox wrote: »

Ordered one of these today, looking forward to having a fingerprint scanner that actually works again

Where did you purchase from CIAB?

CatInABox

marcbrophy wrote: »

Where did you purchase from CIAB?

Went with Eglobal as well, the €70 odd price difference was too great to turn down, particularly as I wasn't in too much of a rush with it.

marcbrophy

Anyone who has one of these getting repeat notification?
The phone beeps again 2 minutes later, if you don't check the initial notification.
And every 2 minutes after that, until you look at the fooking thing.
I have had no luck getting to the bottom of it.
Google suggest a certain setting that doesn't exist on my phone.
Very annoying

AlmightyCushion

marcbrophy wrote: »

Anyone who has one of these getting repeat notification?
The phone beeps again 2 minutes later, if you don't check the initial notification.
And every 2 minutes after that, until you look at the fooking thing.
I have had no luck getting to the bottom of it.
Google suggest a certain setting that doesn't exist on my phone.
Very annoying

I've noticed that on my Nokia 7 Plus recently too.