Nokia 8.1 Spotted in List of ARCore Supported Devices, Launch Appears Imminent

While HMD Global is yet to reveal any details about Nokia 8.1, the unannounced model has now been featured in Google's ARCore supported devices list. The fresh revelation comes weeks after a report suggesting the global debut of the Nokia X7 as the Nokia 8.1 surfaced online. A Geekbench listing of the new Nokia phone also recently hinted at the presence of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 and 4GB of RAM. The smartphone is also expected to run Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box.

As per the updated supported devices list, the Nokia 8.1 is one of the few models from HMD Global that will support Google's ARCore to deliver advanced augmented reality (AR) experiences. The mentioning of the new Nokia model, which was live at the time of filing this story, was first reported by NokiaPowerUser.

The supported devices list of ARCore doesn't reveal any specifications of the Nokia 8.1. However, the Geekbench listing that emerged on the Web last month highlighted a Snapdragon 710 and 4GB of RAM on the new Nokia phone. The benchmark listing also mentioned Android 9.0 Pie.

A recent report pointed out that while the Nokia X7 that was launched in China last month was initially supposed to arrive in global markets as the Nokia 7.1 Plus, HMD Global's Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas had changed his mind and decided to bring the new smartphone to global markets as the Nokia 8.1. The new model could arrive sometime next year, but it is not speculated to come before the Mobile World Congress (MWC).

Unlike its moniker, the Nokia 8.1 isn't likely to be in line with the premium Nokia 8 and Nokia 8 Sirocco when it comes to the specifications. The high-end smartphone models are powered by the Snapdragon 835 SoC, while the Nokia 8.1 is so far found to have a Snapdragon 710 SoC. Nevertheless, the new model is likely to help the Finnish giant make the competition tougher for Samsung and Xiaomi that are majorly dominating the mid-range smartphone market.

HMD Global brought the Nokia X7 in China last month with a price tag of CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs. 17,800) for the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage model. The smartphone also has a variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage at CNY 1,999 (about Rs. 20,900) and the top-end 6GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage model at CNY 2,499 (approximately Rs. 26,100).