HMD Global will launch the Nokia 8.1, formerly known as the Nokia X7, in the Philippines. It sports the premium mid-range Snapdragon 710 chipset and unlike the original Nokia 8, it’s not a flagship smartphone. Today in specs comparison, I’ll put it beside the Realme 3 Pro as one of its rivals in the Philippine market. Let’s begin!
Here are their detailed specs:
| Nokia 8.1 | Realme 3 Pro |
|---|---|
| 6.18-inch FHD+ 18.7:9 IPS display | 6.3-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) 19.5:9 IPS display, 409ppi |
| NEG Dinorex | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 (10nm) 2.2GHz octa-core CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 (10nm) 2.2GHz octa-core CPU |
| Adreno 616 GPU | Adreno 616 GPU |
| 4GB, 6GB RAM | 4GB, 6GB RAM |
| 64GB, 128GB storage | 64GB, 128GB storage |
| microSD up to 256GB (hybrid) | microSD up to 256GB (dedicated slot) |
| 12MP F1.8 + 13MP dual rear cameras ZEISS optics | 16MP F1.7 Sony IMX 519 + 5MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras |
| 20MP F2.0 | 25MP F2.0 front camera |
| Dual-SIM (nano, hybrid) | Dual-SIM (nano) |
| 4G VoLTE | 4G LTE |
| WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac | WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP, LE, aptX HD | Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| Fingerprint scanner (rear) | Fingerprint scanner (rear) |
| Face Unlock | Face Unlock |
| NFC | n/a |
| 3.5mm audio port | 3.5mm audio port |
| Nokia OZO surround sound | n/a |
| USB 2.0 Type-C | microUSB 2.0 |
| Android 9 Pie | ColorOS 6.0 (Android 9 Pie) |
| 3,500mAh battery w/ 18W Fast Charge | 4,045mAh battery w/ 20W VOOC 3.0 flash charge |
| 154.8 x 75.76 x 7.97 mm | 156.8 x 74.2 x 8.3 mm |
| 180 g | 172 g |
Here are their benchmark scores:
| Nokia 8.1 | Realme 3 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu | 170,565 | 154,400 |
| Geekbench 4 | 1,816 (Single-Core) | 1,475 (Single-Core) |
| 5,506 (Multi-core) | 5,816 (Multi-Core) | |
| PC Mark | 7,458 (Work 2.0) | 5,408 (Work 2.0) |
| 3D Mark | 1,843 (SSE – OpenGL ES 3.1) | 1,810 (SSE - OpenGL ES 3.1) |
| 1,747 (Single-Core) | 1,735 (SSE - Vulkan) | |
| Androbench | 290.32 MB/s (Read) 245.29 MB/s (Write) | 284.86 MB/s (Read) 190.2 MB/s (Write) |
Here are the advantages of each smartphone:
Nokia 8.1
- Better CPU performance (single-core)
- Faster writing speed
- Higher secondary rear camera resolution
- NFC
- Nokia OZO surround sound
- USB Type-C
- Stock Android
- Larger screen size
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Dedicated microSD card slot
- Higher main rear camera resolution
- Higher front camera resolution
- Larger battery capacity
Starting with the display, the Realme 3 Pro takes the cake in terms of the viewing experience. Its 6.3-inch screen will get people, who are fond of watching movies, more immersed as it also has a significantly smaller notch than the Nokia 8.1. Not only that, but the former also comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 while the latter has NEG Dinorex which is somewhat unusual to see in phones.
For performance, both devices may have the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset and RAM variants; however, the Nokia 8.1 scores higher than the Realme 3 Pro. In various synthetic benchmark tests seen above, the former has better single-core CPU score and has faster storage writing speed. From this, you can tell that the latter is at a disadvantage if people are looking for a faster performing phone.
For cameras, Nokia is known to equip the ZEISS optics to its select smartphones. The Nokia 8.1 is one of them, and while the Realme 3 Pro has higher camera resolutions, it’s not all about the number of megapixels. We’ll test both devices’ camera quality in the coming days so stay tuned for that.
In terms of features, the Nokia 8.1 has more advantages than the Realme 3 Pro. You can virtually pay thanks to its support for NFC while audio quality will be way better than the latter thanks to the Nokia OZO surround sound technology. Some people will also be happy since it comes with USB Type-C along with a Stock Android experience.
It’s not looking bad for the Realme 3 Pro as well as the dedicated microSD slot is present on the phone. Nokia 8.1 uses a hybrid setup so you will be choosing either a SIM card or a microSD card to fill the slot.
For battery, the Realme 3 Pro carries a 4,045mAh battery with 20W VOOC 3.0 flash charge while the Nokia 8.1 has a smaller 3,500mAh battery with 18W fast charging. We don’t know yet which one wins when it comes to the battery life race; but, we’ll get results very soon enough, so stay tuned for that.
Here are the prices of each variant:
- Nokia 8.1 4GB + 64GB – CNY 1,700 (~PHP 13,300)
- Nokia 8.1Â 6GB + 64GB CNY 2,000 (~PHP 15,600)
- Nokia 8.1Â 6GB + 128GB – CNY 2,500 (~PHP 19,500).
- Realme 3 Pro 4GB + 64GB –Â PHP 12,990
- Realme 3 Pro 6GB + 128GB –Â PHP 14,990
Overall, you can get the Nokia 8.1 if you want faster CPU performance, an existing NFC, better audio quality, Stock Android experience, and USB Type-C. Realme 3 Pro, on the other hand, is a good choice as it has a larger display, Gorilla Glass 5 protection, dedicated microSD card slot, and larger battery capacity with a higher wattage for charging.
What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
This is unbelievable, I’m the only person who placed a comment? This site is a waste of time because no one read or comment on important issues! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Any comments on for my question? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Thank you very much for the comparison from the 2 models. I’m particularly interested in the Realme 3 Pro, and there is one important issue for me concerning Bluetooth 5. How do I get APTX HD on that phone and how do I access the developers menu to change the codecs (APTX, APTX HD, SBC, AAC etc.?
I would be very grateful if you can explain to me, because the website from Realme (Oppo) doesn’t give me any information.
Respectfully,
Dutchie