Nokia 9 release date and price rumours: Leaked promo details five-camera setup and PureView branding

It’s been well over a year since Nokia truly returned to the flagship smartphone game in October 2017 with the Nokia 8. Prior to this release, we were underwhelmed by the Finnish giant’s forays into the market following a lengthy hiatus from all things phone, which eventually ended in early 2017. However, the 8 took us by surprise, and seemed to put the titans of old-school handsets firmly back on the right course.

It only makes sense that Nokia should look to keep this good run of form going. A high-end Nokia 9 is due for release this year, but will it genuinely be able to compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Apple’s iPhone Xs at the top of the smartphone tree? Here we’ve analysed all the latest leaks and rumours to see how the company’s prospects look.

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The latest rumour to hit the scene comes from MySmartPrice (via Android Central). It comes in the form of a textbook flagship smartphone teaser ad – think punchy music and flashy visuals with specs outlined on top. The video (below), confirms some details we already thought to be true, as well as revealing some previously unknown information about the upcoming handset.

Here are the headlines. As previously rumoured, the Nokia 9 will come with an unprecedented five-camera setup with ZEISS optics on the rear. This should vastly improve low-light shots (supposedly capturing “10x more light” per photo) and will allow for shot refocussing after the event using Google Photos.

PureView, previously one of Nokia’s marquee features back in the Windows days, is also making an unexpected return. Devices such as the Lumia 1020 offered a 41-megapixel sensor long before Nokia’s rivals caught on, so it will be interesting to see what the Finnish giant comes up with on this front this time around.

Elsewhere, you’ll find a full edge-to-edge 5.99″ 2K HDR 10 PureDisplay. This is a similar setup to that found on the Nokia 8.1 and Nokia 7.1, but with higher resolution. The device will run on the Snapdragon 845 chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage.

Nokia is also touting additional features such as under screen fingerprint technology, Google Assistant software and Qi wireless charging.

So, it seems as though we now know almost every possible detail about the upcoming Nokia 9. But, as always, leaks like these should be taken with a pinch of salt, since nothing has been officially confirmed.

Read on to find out everything else we know about the Nokia 9.

Nokia 9: Everything you need to know

WinFuture reported way back in June 2018 that a new Nokia phone was coming, with the codename of A1 Plus or A1 Plus Euro. Within Nokia, the new handset is referred to as the “A1 Plus or “A1P”, closely aligning it with the Nokia 8 Sirocco, which had the codename “A1N”. Although unconfirmed, this is a good sign that one or two new handsets are on the way.

Nokia 9 release date: When will you be able to buy one?

There has been a lot of noise surrounding the Nokia 9 recently, which in itself suggests the release date could be sooner rather than later. We thought the new handset could be arriving on 21 August, since Nokia itself was teasing a big release for that date. Instead, it revealed the mid-range Nokia 6 Plus and the lower-end Nokia 5.1 Plus, much to the dismay of tech journalists everywhere.

Although new Nokia brand owner HMD Global has gone wild with handset releases this year, there was no luck at IFA 2018, either.

Officially we don’t have much to go on, other than one HMD Global representative stating that the Nokia 8’s successor will have a larger screen “to meet the needs of absolutely all users.” Our money is on an official announcement within the next couple of months.

(Above: The Nokia 8)

Nokia 9 price: What will it cost?

The latest pricing rumour from MyDrivers is that the 9 will cost 3,699 yuan (around $560 or £415) for a 64GB model and 4,199 yuan (£635 or £470) for the upgraded 128GB version. Both of these are expected to come with 6GB of RAM.

The Nokia 8 started at £500 upon release. This may seem reasonable for a flagship smartphone, but is steep when you consider that the Nokia 6, just one step down, retails at £200. These days you can find the Nokia 8 on eBay for a mere £210, but you should expect the 9 to debut at a price closer to the 8’s original RRP.

Nokia 9 features: What can we expect to see?

Battery

First of all, we’d love to see the Nokia 9’s battery life replicate, and possibly take even further, that of its predecessor. Battery life was the 8’s raison d’être, reaching a monumental 18hrs 46mins on a single charge during our continuous video playback test. The 3,050mAh battery outlasted rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium and the iPhone 7.

The Nokia 9 could replicate the 3,300mAh of the OnePlus 6 or even the 4,000mAh battery found inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Design

Another positive aspect of the 8 was its sleek design – Nokia really pushed the boat out in this respect. Whilst previous handsets failed to inspire, Nokia drew upon the design cues of the iconic Lumia to produce a stunning unibody design. It was wonderfully slim, at only 7.3mm thick, and was crafted from just a single block of aluminium. The curved edges made it easy to hold, and the fingerprint scanner was well-positioned for easy access.

For these reasons, we think that Nokia shouldn’t stray too far from their winning formula. An under screen fingerprint scanner would allow for a bigger display and thinner bezels, but apart from that, we’d like to see the design remain largely similar.

(Above: The Nokia 8)

Display

Corning’s Gorilla Glass 6 would be a welcome addition to the Nokia 9. Corning claims that smartphones equipped with their technology can withstand 15 drops of up to one metre. If you drop your brand new Nokia and more than this, you probably don’t deserve to have one.

Chipset

Inside, the Nokia 8 (as well as the 8 Sirocco) came equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip. At the time, this was a top-tier chipset, but has since been eclipsed by Qualcomm’s upgraded Snapdragon 845. The Nokia 9, as outlined in the introduction, is expected to sport the latter, as it is also found inside illustrious rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and OnePlus 6, amongst others.

If Nokia is to keep pace with its rivals, then you should expect to see the Snapdragon 845 in the upcoming 9.

(Above: The Nokia 8)

Camera

The forum pages of Chinese tech website ITHome (via XDA) pre-empted the Nokia 9’s five-camera setup way back in September.

“Why on earth would anyone ever need five entirely separate cameras?” I hear you ask – it’s a reasonable question. Secondary cameras are commonplace on smartphones nowadays, and in March 2018 the Huawei P20 Pro became the first mainstream smartphone to sport a three-camera setup. Would five cameras really be out of the question? Based on this evidence, we’re not so sure.

This setup could offer as many as 52 megapixels and 5x optical zoom – unprecedented stats within the smartphone genre. Such an array would blow the P20 Pro’s three-lens camera out of the water. Could it be the development to return Nokia to the very top of the smartphone game? We’ll have to wait and see.

Perhaps Nokia has taken inspiration from the technology utilised by the Light L16 camera. The L16 has 16 cameras and is capable of capturing 52-megapixel skills. It does this by taking ten 13-megapixel pictures in quick succession as soon as you press the shutter. The images are then stitched together, overlaying them on top of each other to create 52-megapixel quality. The cost? A mere £1,850.

For the benefit of smartphone lovers everywhere, we really hope the price of the Nokia 9 doesn’t reach such stratospheric heights. Hopefully, it will still be able to replicate the L16’s technology, just on a smaller scale.

Make sure you stay tuned to this page for all the latest news and updates on the upcoming Nokia 9.