Specs Comparison: Nokia 8 vs Nokia 6 vs Nokia 5 vs Nokia 3

After the launch of HMD Global’s trio smartphones (Nokia 6, Nokia 5, Nokia 3), now comes the flagship smartphone, the Nokia 8, which has just been released yesterday.

As previously mentioned, the Nokia 8 is HMD Global’s newest flagship smartphone that was made official yesterday. It has a 5.3-inch Quad High Definition (QHD) IPS display with 2560 x 1440 resolution. It also has a top-tier Snapdragon 835 chipset, 64/128GB internal storage, 4/6GB RAM, a 13MP(Color + OIS) +13MP (Mono) dual rear cameras with dual tone flash, a 13MP Phase Detection Auto-Focus(PDAF) front camera with display flash, and a 3090mAh battery.

The Nokia 6 is the top-tier smartphone before the Nokia 8 outs into the public. It has a 5.5–inch IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, a Snapdragon 430 chipset, 64GB internal storage, 4GB RAM, 16MP PDAF rear camera with dual-tone flash, 8MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery with fast charging to power up the smartphone.

The Nokia 5 has a 5.2–inch IPS LCD display with 1280 x 720 resolution, a Snapdragon 430 chipset, 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM, a 13MP PDAF rear camera with dual tone flash, an 8MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery.

The Nokia 3 is the brand’s entry-level smartphone. It has a 5.0-inch IPS LCD display with 1280 x 720 resolution, a MediaTek MT6737 chipset, a 16GB internal storage, a 2GB RAM, an 8MP Auto-focus(AF) rear camera with LED flash, an 8MP AF front camera, and a 2650mAh battery to power up the smartphone.

Here are their detailed specs.

Nokia 8	Nokia 6	Nokia 5	Nokia 3
5.3-inch QHD IPS display @ 2560 x 1440 pixels, 554ppi	5.5-inch IPS LCD @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 401ppi	5.2-inch IPS LCD @ 1280 x 720 pixels, 282ppi	5.0-inch IPS LCD @ 1280 x 720 pixels, 294ppi
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5	2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3	2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass	2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass
2.5GHz Qualcomm octa-core Snapdragon 835	1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor	1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor	1.4GHz Mediatek MT6737 quad-core processor
Adreno 540	Adreno 505	Adreno 505	Mali-T720 MP2
4GB/6GB RAM	4GB RAM	2GB RAM	2GB RAM
64GB, 128GB internal storage	64GB internal storage	16GB internal storage	16GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2)	expandable via microSD, up to 128GB (Uses SIM 2)	expandable via microSD, up to 256 GB	expandable via microSD, up to 128 GB
13 MP (Color + OIS) + 13 MP (Mono) rear cameras w/ dual tone flash	16MP f/2.0 PDAF rear camera w/ dual-tone flash	13MP f/2.0 PDAF rear camera w/ dual tone flash	8MP f/2.0 autofocus rear camera w/ LED flash
13 MP f/2.0, PDAF front camera w/ display flash	8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera	8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera	8MP f/2.0 front-facing autofocus camera
LTE Cat. 9	LTE Cat. 4	LTE Cat. 4	LTE Cat. 4
Dual-SIM	Dual SIM	Single / Dual SIM	Single / Dual SIM
WiFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	WiFi 802.11ac	WiFi 802.11ac	WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 4.1	Bluetooth 4.1	Bluetooth 4.1
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS	GPS, A-GPS	GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner	Fingerprint scanner	Fingerprint scanner	-
NFC	NFC	NFC	NFC
Gyroscope sensor	Gyroscope sensor	Gyroscope sensor	Gyroscope sensor
TBD	USB OTG support	USB OTG support	USB OTG support
Nokia OZO spatial 360° audio	Stereo speakers w/ Dolby Atmos	Mono speaker	Mono speaker
3090mAh non-removable battery	3,000mAh Li-Ion battery (non-removable) w/ fast charging	3,000mAh Li-Ion battery (non-removable)	2650mAh Li-Ion battery (non-removable)
Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat
151.5 x 73.7 x 7.9 mm	154 x 75.8 x 7.85 mm	149.7 x 72.5 x 8.05 mm	143.4 x 71.4 x 8.48 mm
160 g	169 g	160 g	140 g
Polished Blue, Tempered Blue, Steel, Polished Copper	Arte Black, Matte Black, Tempered Blue, Silver, Copper	Tempered Blue, Silver, Matte Black, Copper	Silver White, Matte Black, Tempered Blue, Copper White
TBD	Php11,990	Php9,990	Php6,990

Here are each smartphone’s advantages from each other:

Nokia 8

+ Highest screen resolution

+ Best performing CPU

+ Best performing GPU

+ Has a 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant

+ Dual-rear cameras

+ Highest front camera megapixel value

+ Largest battery (but not much difference)

+ Nokia OZO speakers

Nokia 6

+ Highest screen size

+ Highest megapixel value of rear camera (in a single lens)

Nokia 5

= Has the same CPU, GPU, battery, and camera with the Nokia 6

Nokia 3

+ Cheapest Nokia smartphone among the four smartphones

Let us first talk about Nokia 6. As mentioned from our review on the Nokia 6, it sports a solid build design. Its Dolby Atmos stereo speakers make a big difference from the Mono speakers of the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 3. This smartphone also has the largest screen size among the four devices with its 5.5-inch IPS LCD display and has the highest resolution between the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 3. Its 4GB RAM and 64 internal storage are good enough for a top-tier smartphone to maintain its storage performance. For its camera, it has a 16MP rear camera which ranks higher than that of the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 3. The Nokia 6‘s price is justified by its build quality and specs.

The Nokia 5 is a somewhat mid-tier smartphone. Its specs are well-balanced, however, it falls a bit short for its price since a 16GB internal storage and a 2GB RAM is commonly seen on entry-level smartphones. It has a 720p resolution, which is the same with the Nokia 3. It has a Snapdragon 430 processor, just like the Nokia 6. The said processor is known for its battery optimization and efficiency in its performance. Its camera is also impressive with a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP camera which are good enough for its tier. As for its price, it is cheaper than the Nokia 6.

The Nokia 3 is HMD Global’s entry-level smartphone, but it packs a punch for its price. It has the same internal storage and RAM as the Nokia 5 which is pretty impressive for a budget smartphone. Its rear and front camera both have an 8MP which are decent for an entry-level smartphone. As for its price, the Nokia 3 is definitely the cheapest of them all and its price is pretty much justified for its specs and price.

Lastly, the Nokia 8. Apparently, the Nokia 8 outmatches all three smartphones in almost all aspects. This beast carries a Snapdragon 835 chipset, which is Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor. Aside from that, it has a 1440 x 2560 screen resolution resolution and a dual rear camera in which the other three smartphones lack. Its cameras are equipped with Zeiss optics which is known for producing one of the best lenses. As for its battery, it carries 3090mAh which is slightly higher than the Nokia 6’s and the Nokia 5’s 3000mAh battery. Its speakers are also notable since it comes with the Nokia OZO audio. Another feature to note is that this smartphone has an IP54 dust and splash resistance. From this, we can safely say that the Nokia 8 is on a different level compared with the three smartphones and we are hopeful to test this smartphone out soon. This is truly Nokia’s flagship smartphone. As for its price, you can expect that this will be more expensive than the Nokia 6.

All Nokia smartphones included in this list have a good and solid build quality since HMD Global, the new owner of the Nokia brand, has been firm with its quality construction in which Nokia phones are known for. All smartphones have a 2.5D Gorilla Glass protection so users won’t have to worry about its screen having cracks anytime soon. Also, these smartphones are already on Android 7.1.1 Nougat right out of their boxes.

If we rate these smartphones from highest to lowest in terms of overall performance, we would get Nokia 8 > Nokia 6 > Nokia 5 > Nokia 3 which is pretty much straightforward for Nokia’s naming scheme. As for the smartphones’ prices, it’s obvious that the Nokia 3 is cheapest of them all.

The Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3 are priced respectively at Php11,990USD 204INR 17,321EUR 195CNY 1,488 (see listing here), Php9,990USD 170INR 14,432EUR 162CNY 1,240 (see listing here), and Php6,990USD 119INR 10,098EUR 113CNY 867 (see listing here). Price and availability of the Nokia 8 are yet to be announced. So stay tuned!

Let us know your thoughts on these four Nokia smartphones in the comments section below.

Vaughn Chua

Vaughn is your go-to person when it comes to comparing gadgets especially smartphones. He's also a gamer by heart and the "Hackerman" of the team.

One Comment

imagi says:

7 years ago

I own a Nokia 6, bought the first week it became available in my province. masnauna pa ang 3310 kaysa sa mga smartphones at naging kilala ako sa cellphone store dahil tanong ako ng tanong kung meron na ang nokia 6.

anyway, ibang iba talaga ang solid na cellphone compared to oppo and lenovo, which are my previous smartphones. visually this nokia is an attention-grabber, “ang sexy ng cellphone”, “ang kinis ng itsura” among other comments.

three things stand out that are negatives on my phone:
1. The camera is slow. it is not as quick as my previous phones when taking pictures. after you snap a photo, it takes a while for the photo to be processed. maybe this will be resolved in an update?
2. as mentioned n the article, it comes in (basic) android 7. since the time I bought this phone it has updated itself 4 times (security and system updates). don’t get me wrong, I like updates but it gets kind of annoying to update it almost on a weekly basis.
3. it is not optimized for screen casting. we have a smart TV at home and it is difficult to cast my nokia 6 to the TV. I had to download multiple apps to connect it, unlike my previous phones that connected to the smart TV out of the box.
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