back to article HMD Global pokes head out of quarantine to show off 3 new Nokia mobiles

The cancellation of Mobile World Congress might have derailed HMD Global's launch plans, but the Espoo-based licensor of the iconic Nokia marque has nonetheless unveiled three new smartphones. Arguably the most exciting is the Nokia 8.3 5G. The 8.3 uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 756G platform, replete with Qualy's RF antenna …

  1. Ryan 7

    Shipping a new device with MicroUSB?

    FFS, Nokia.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Shipping a new device with MicroUSB?

      Go back, read the article, note which model it is, realise it is aimed at parts of the world where micro USB is the current technology.

      1. _andrew

        Re: Shipping a new device with MicroUSB?

        Never mind the power connector: look at the 28-day standby rating! That's back to what phones used to achieve, before they became "smart" and needed to be charged every night. If true, that's a major achievement, and almost worth giving up 5G and a 64MPixel camera for ;-)

        1. doublelayer Silver badge

          Re: Shipping a new device with MicroUSB?

          While four weeks is a little higher, you might be surprised how long your modern phone lasts if you leave it on a table and never use it. I have one here that's been going at least twelve days so far and is still pinging on occasion when it gets a notification. It's when you turn it on and all two million pixels (or worse the GPS chip) start drawing from the battery that the level starts dropping like a stone in water. After a while of this, the battery has been aged so much by the fast draw that it becomes old and holds less charge. What I wonder is how long the battery lasts if you're reading emails, listening to audio, or using satnav.

      2. Philippe

        Re: Shipping a new device with MicroUSB?

        The Nokia 1.3 is not "aimed at parts of the world where micro USB is the current technology".

        it's an entry level smartphone available everywhere just like the Nokia1 and Nokia 1 Plus before it.

        micro-USB needs to die.

        1. gigabitethernet

          Re: Shipping a new device with MicroUSB?

          Actually it works good, more reliable and more practical. Unlike type C with microusb I can charge from most PC USB ports at near AC charger speeds and the AC themselves use far less power than type C reducing risk of PowerPoint overloading. Also means root hubs on PC's don't overload anywhere near as often frequently with type C can prevent file transfer and smartphone internet tethering from working properly. The only thing I miss out on is fast charge but honestly with the 4000 mah battery in my phone I don't need to bother with this. I just let it charge overnight.

  2. werdsmith Silver badge

    Nice phones, shame about the OS.

    Can they not get Jolla to inject something more interesting?

    1. GioCiampa

      "Can they not get Jolla to inject something more interesting?"

      Is Sailfish still Sony Xperia only?

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Virtually, for best support it's Xperia XA2 if you want to run Android apps.

        There are a few more, including Planet Gemini which I use. No Android app support on there though, which I don't need though it bothers some.

        1. Lomax
          Thumb Up

          Writing this on an XA2 Dual SIM - the small one, not an "Ultra" or a "Plus" - running Sailfish 3.2 without the spyware Android layer. Great performance in a pocket friendly size, and the dual SIM slots prove incredibly useful now that I'm under CV lock-down in a foreign country. Only complaint would be somewhat sluggish JS performance on some websites (I'm looking at you Indy) - but El Reg flies along :)

  3. Rockets

    SD Card & Headphone Jack?

    Huh the 8.3 & 5.3 ship with Android One, SD Card expansion slot and 3.5mm headphone jack. If I was in need of a new phone these would be top of my short list.

    1. gv

      Re: SD Card & Headphone Jack?

      Absolutely this. Bought Nokias for the kids (one to the utter disdain of the Carphone Warehouse guy who had to fetch it from the stock room): solid, cruft-free phones with regular updates.

    2. cdrcat

      Re: SD Card & Headphone Jack?

      Do they have dual SIM? Very useful when travelling and past models had it.

  4. JDPower Bronze badge

    You tell us it's not the priciest phone, but don't actually tell us the price!

    1. Martin an gof Silver badge

      I don't think they've been specific, but GSM Arena reckons around €600 so out of my league.

      Been looking for a new phone for my wife, a first (smart)phone for my 16 year-old and a replacement phone for me. Certainly under £200 and preferably closer to £150. We all have different requirements but I've narrowed it down to Nokia or Motorola purely because of the lack of cruft.

      I was looking at a Moto G7 Power for the wife who hates having to charge phones up all the time, but now they've launched the G8 Power the G7 is very difficult to find and the G8 Power is just a little too expensive at the moment.

      The 16 year-old may well get a Nokia 5.3 if it is genuinely under £200 (though the screen is a bit huge for my liking) or possibly the (slightly older) 2.3 which is hovering around £110, but it seems a bit daft these days not to include 5GHz WiFi and the 2.3 also suffers from 5W only charging and a slightly measly (though not unworkable) 2GB RAM.

      Myself, no idea. Going to have to put up with my 6 year-old Moto G with screen crack for a little longer methinks.

      M.

  5. PM.

    ROM ?

    Am I the only one to be appalled by use of ROM acronym meaning storage ?

    When I was younger ROM stood for Read-Only Memory .

    Did it change in the meantime ?

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: ROM ?

      I believe it is a word where the erroneous use has become commonplace. They’re are many out their. Who’d of thought it. Don’t loose sleep over it.

    2. Palebushman
      Paris Hilton

      Re: ROM ?

      Rough Order of Magnitude?

    3. tony72

      Re: ROM ?

      Flash memory is technically "Flash EEPROM", i.e. it is technically a form of ROM. However nobody refers to it as ROM, so doing so is indeed liable to be confusing.

      I find that less annoying than the use of the term "memory" by many non-technical types to refer to mass storage. Also technically accurate, at least as far as SSDs are concerned, but not the convention, or at least I've certainly grown up using "memory" to refer to the random access type.

    4. dajames

      Re: ROM ?

      When I was younger ROM stood for Read-Only Memory .

      Flash memory is read-only in the sense that while it can be read byte-by-byte in the same way that RAM can it isn't writable in the same way. You have to first erase a bank of memory and then write a whole block (usually smaller than a whole bank) at once.

      So, yes, calling the flash in a phone "ROM" to distinguish it from "RAM" is a convenience that's not wholly inaccurate.

    5. doublelayer Silver badge

      Re: ROM ?

      It's used incorrectly so often that we're going to have to get used to it. My suggestion is that we think of something new for it to stand for. My best so far* is "Remains On Machine [when machine is powered off]", but I'll be the first to admit that's somewhat sad. Any other ideas?

      *And in case you want more sadness, my not the best so far include "Retains Owner's Media", "Read Or Modify", and "Resources of OS and More". I give up. The replies are going to have to think up acronyms-in-reverse that aren't laughable.

  6. Greybearded old scrote Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    JJ Abrams style lens flare

    Cinematographically pleasing, really?

    The more evidence of cameras he puts into his shots the more he trashes my suspension of disbelief. Shame, because he is very good at telling the story otherwise.

    When I read of him working with James Cameron (was it Star Wars?) I had a nasty vision of Cameron doing the story -- as badly as with Avatar -- and Abrams doing the shooting.

    Not quite on topic I know, I guess you hit a hot button.

  7. mark l 2 Silver badge

    "At 6.55 inches, the display is fairly big, but it's only HD+, with a resolution of 1600x700."

    Do you really need to have a high resolution display on a 6.5 inch phone screen than that? My laptop has a 15 inch screen at a similar resolution and it does look pixellated or lack screen space for running programs. Higher resolution display like 4K screens make sense on bigger displays like TVs but on a phone its just an unneeded expense that drains you battery quicker.

  8. Blackjack Silver badge

    My next phone will probably be a Nokia

    I am happy with my New Nokia 1 that I use as my travel phone after all.

    1. Covid-20/21

      Re: My next phone will probably be a Nokia

      Me also, I have a Nokia 7 Plus - 2 day battery, wonderful machine - will be replaced with more Nokia goodness when it dies. Incredible value for money and no bloatware.

  9. APK Downloader

    Mobile application

    Nokia has always been a strong brand in the mobile phone market and has its own steps.

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