HMD Global has just unleashed the Nokia 8, and now we will be comparing it with the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro, which has a similar price.
The Nokia 8 is HMD Global’s flagship smartphone that packs a punch. It has a 5.3“ QHD IPS display with 2560 x 1440 resolution, a Snapdragon 835 chipset, 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage, 4GB/6GB RAM, 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 3,090mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro was released last year, and boasts its RAM power. It has a 6.0” Full HD Super AMOLED display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, a Snapdragon 653 chipset, 64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM, a 16MP PDAF rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, a 16MP front camera, and a 4,000mAh battery.
Here are their detailed specs:
| Nokia 8 | Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro |
|---|---|
| 5.3-inch QHD IPS display @ 2560 x 1440 resolution | 6-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display @ 1920 x 1080 resolution |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 2.5D glass | Corning Gorilla Glass |
| 2.5GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 | 1.95GHz Snapdragon 653 octa-core |
| Adreno 540 GPU | Adreno 510 GPU |
| 64GB, 128GB (Glossy Blue) UFS 2.1 internal storage | 64GB internal storage |
| 4GB, 6GB (Glossy Blue) RAM | 6GB RAM |
| expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2 slot) | Expandable to 256GB via microSD card |
| 13 MP (Color + OIS) + 13 MP (Mono) rear cameras: 1.12um f/2.0, 76.9deg., PDAF, IR range finder, dual tone flash | 16MP PDAF rear camera with f/1.9 aperture and dual-tone LED flash |
| 13 MP PDAF front cameraL 1.12um, f/2.0, 78.4 deg., display flash | 16MP front camera with f/1.9 aperture |
| Dual-SIM (nano-hybrid), Dual Standby | Dual-SIM (Nano) |
| LTE Cat. 9, 3CA, 450Mbps DL/50Mbps UL | 4G LTE |
| WiFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (MIMO) | Wi-Fi 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS | GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
| USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| Nokia OZO spatial 360° audio | Cirrus Hi-Fi audio codec |
| NFC | NFC |
| Fingerprint Scanner | Fingerprint Scanner |
| IP54 dust and splash resistance | - |
| Android 7.1.1 Nougat | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
| 3090mAh non-removable battery | 4,000mAh non-removable battery |
| 142 x 71.8 x 8.9mm | 162.9 x 80.7 x 6.9mm |
| 160 grams | 189 grams |
Here are the advantages of each smartphone
Nokia 8
+ Higher screen resolution
+ Better performing CPU
+ Better performing GPU
+ UFS 2.1
+ Dual rear cameras with 76.9-degree field-of-view
+ LTE Cat. 9
+ Bluetooth 5.0
+ IP54 resistance
+Android 7.1.1 out of the box
Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro
+ Larger screen size
+ Higher front camera resolution
+ Higher rear camera resolution
+ Larger battery
We have yet to benchmark the Nokia 8 so for now, we will have look at the specs purely on paper.
In terms of display, the Nokia 8 has the upper hand with its Quad HD display, compared to the C9 Pro’s Full HD display. The latter’s screen size has the upper hand, however, since the former is slightly smaller at only 5.3-inches.
In terms of performance, the Nokia 8 definitely outperforms the C9 Pro since the former carries the Snapdragon 835 flagship chipset that carries an Adreno 540 GPU. The C9 Pro only carries a Snapdragon 653 with an Adreno 510 GPU. Due to this, the Nokia 8’s benchmark scores will surely be higher than the C9 Pro’s. In terms of overall performance, the Nokia 8 is the winner.
For memory, we should notice that both smartphones have large capacities of internal storage and RAM. The Nokia 8 has 64GB/128GB internal storage and 4GB/6GB RAM variants while the C9 Pro has 64GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM. One advantage for the Nokia 8 is it has UFS 2.1 storage, which allows for faster transfer speeds.
In the camera department, the C9 Pro has a higher camera resolution for the rear and front camera, however, it does not have dual rear cameras like the Nokia 8. The Nokia 8 has a feature called “Bothfie” where users can use both rear and front camera at the same time, which could be useful for live streaming. You can check out some sample photos we took with the Nokia 8 here. As for the C9 Pro, you can check out its sample photos and videos here. In the end, it’s up to you which phone has better camera quality.
For the battery, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro wins on this aspect on paper since it has a 4,000mAh battery compared with the Nokia 8’s 3,090mAh. For its battery life, we cannot be sure which one lasts longer since we haven’t been able to fully test the Nokia 8’s battery performance.
Lastly, we should also note that the Nokia 8 has an IP54 splash and dust resistance which is good for users traveling to harsher than usual environments
The Nokia 8 is priced at Php29,990 (see article here) while the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is priced at Php27,990 (see price listing here)
The Nokia 8 seems to have the upper hand over the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro, but not in all aspects. What do you think?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
I sort of don’t get this comparison. Firstly, it’s a flagship vs mid-range. Secondly, camera tech is diff. Third, processors used are different. I would have understood comparing the Nokia 8 vs the Huwaei P10.
Color me confused.
1.) If you noticed, both smartphones have a close price range. For the same price range, which would you think would win?
2.) if we go by what you said, The P10 also has a different processor (Kirin vs Snapdragon) and camera tech (Leica vs Carl Zeiss), do note that camera tech (Carl Zeiss, Leica, Sony, etc) is different from camera setup (dual cam, single cam)