The MWC has just begun and Nokia is the brand
in focus with their expected flagship, the Nokia 9
PureView. HMD Global Foundries has acquired
Nokia from Microsoft after it’s takedown.

With Android One as new base for the OS, the phone will have rudimentary functions while bloatware is kept outside. Nothing but raw functions are included and the customer has full control over what is installed and what he really needs. The time is over for bloated OS modifications like Samsung has with it’s adapted version of Android and custom frontend.

The aesthetics are generally nice to look at. A glossy shiny blue dominates the backside of the Nokia 9 and the Pentacam is for sure one thing that is clearly noticeable. With a 7dot-Array, there are 5 camera modules, one flashlight module and one unknown module (maybe IR?).

Usually the modules have different resolutions when used in a multi-array. To date, nothing detailed can be found online when searching for tech specs of the Nokia 9. however the resolution of the main camera is said to be around 20MP while the assisting camera modules come with a way less high resolution.

What sounds like a bummer is just consequent. Why use 5 identical camera modules where 4 of them are just used for brightness detection and/or depth perception. That doesn’t make much sense to waste high-quality camera modules here and increase the end-user price into sky-high spheres. So while the main module is handling all around sharpness and clear image quality the other modules take the exposure levels, white balance and depth perception. The rest then is done by the camera app that assembles the information to one real nice image.

We will see if Nokia’s concept of 5 cameras will finally take the Nokia 9 to the summit of all smartphone cameras. Currently Huawei keeps the crown and HTC has the second best camera. The iPhone XS is third place. After the MWC the cards may be shuffled again and there might be a change on the first and second place. We’re dazzled to see how the Nokia 9 will perform in real environment once it becomes available for sale.

Nokia itself has planned to release the Nokia 9 in Q2 2019. Maybe earlier. The market is broiling and people are expecting new devices soon. Especially as 5G is now launched earlier then expected in some countries (in Switzerland for example, the first provider is launching 5G in March 2019!).

So new devices can’t be too soon. Users of Apple devices will definitely have to wait till September this year when Apple is announcing new devices again. The rumored iPhone 11 might also feature 5G and a triple camera plus the revamped A13 Bionic chip that will outperform even thew fastest Snapdragin. But this has to be proven yet.

All in all the Nokia 9 has a solid appearance and the Pure Android might give the Nokia 9 a slight advantage over all other competitors as it doesn’t need to have vast amounts of RAM to process the UI. The Nokia 9 will have 6GB of RAM, 128GB of Storage and a 2880×1440 display which is fully sufficient for the form factor. while other smartphones are going bezelless, the Nokia will have the well-known chins at the top and bottom of the screen which might look ugly to some people but will definitely improve usage as you have a spot to hold the phone secure and thight.

The fingerprint sensor will be situated belogw the display which makes a fingerprint scanner on the back obsolete. This technique has been used previously but didn’t work at full reliability, so hopefully Nokia has ironed out all kinks to make the use of the under-screen-fingerprint sensor a delightful experience without any hassle.

Update 11:12am:

The price will be at 699 US$ and the sale start is planned for March. So not too long to wait for this beau. And the price is moderate