HMD Unveils Nokia 8.3 & other models, HMD Connect

HMD, the parent company behind the Nokia brand, took to an online streaming event to announces a number of new handsets, most important of which is the Nokia 8.3 5G. However, they also surprised us with a brand new upcoming service which is called ‘ HMD Connect’ .

Meet the Nokia 8.3 5G

There’s no doubt about it; the Nokia 8.3 was the center focus of the show, and for good reason. HMD has stuffed this new device with loads of new features and technologies, including the fact that this will be the company first 5G device. It may seem like HMD is a little late to the showing, seeing as other companies have already got their 5G devices out in the market. However, HMD has stated that this slight delay on their part has enabled them to create a device which is compatible with a much wider array of 5G bands. This is excellent news as it means that users should be able to connect to 5G services across the globe, regardless of whichever band the respective service providers use.

5G capability is not the only trick up the sleeve of the Nokia 8.3, as HMD made sure to let us all know if the immense effort put into the camera setup. The front features a rather impressive 24-megapixel shooter, but over on the rear things get completely bonkers.

We’ve seen more and more manufacturers adopt the multi-lens camera camera design, and in the case of the Nokia 8.3 we are treated to a total of 4 lenses on the rear. First and foremost is the 64-megapixel main camera which sits alongside a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and even a 2-megapixel macro lens. The latter is particularly interesting as this will allow you to capture some stunning detail up close.

Other specs include a 6.81-inch display, Snapdragon 765G processor, and a 4,500mAh battery. It will be sold starting in the Summer, and will be available in two different specification variants. The first will have 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage which will retail for € 599 (around $ 650 / £ 553), whereas the model featuring 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will come with a price-tag of € 649 ($ 695 / £ 595).

Other Mid-range Models

As mentioned, the Nokia 8.3 was certainly the star of the show, but HMD also announced the Nokia 5.3, Nokia 1.3, and a somewhat retro-reissue of the Nokia 5310 to join their ‘ Nokia Originals ‘ line.

The Nokia 5.3 is a somewhat more budget-friendly version of the Nokia 8.3, but of course with that comes a downgrade in terms of a few specs.
Like its more premium sibling, the Nokia 5.3 also sports a quad-camera setup, but this time around it’s comprised of a 13-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
Other downgrades include a step down to a 6.55-inch display, Snapdragon 665 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a 4,000mAh battery.
On the upside, the Nokia 5.3 will also be considerably more affordable than the Nokia 8.3 as HMD has stated that it will retail for € 189 ($ 205 / £ 177) and become available in April.

Next up is the Nokia 1.3 which is a new addition to HMD’s ‘ Android Go ‘ line-up. The 1.3 is powered by a Snapdragon 250 processor and offer a pretty impressive display-size of 5.71-inches, as well as a single 8-megapixel shooter on the back. Like the Nokia 5.3, the 1.3 is set to become available in April and will retail for € 95 ($ 103 / £ 89).

As far as the new devices are concerned, the final addition to HMD’s portfolio is the new 5310. It’s based on the XpressMusic range of yesteryear and is a fairly “basic” device. It runs on the Nokia Series 30+ software but is limited to just 2G connectivity.
HMD have stated that the 5310 should become available later in March in will be sold for € 39 ($ 42 / £ 36).

HMD Connect

And lastly, there is the new ‘ HMD Connect ‘ service which aims to simply your data connectivity needs when roaming. We’ve seen numerous services such as TravelSim and ChatSim which offer this service, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless to see a smartphone manufacturer offer this too. Currently, HMD Connect is supported in over 120 countries which includes more than 600 networks in total, and the connection speed seems to be limited to 30Mbps.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this will be quite as affordable as one might hope. The pricing structure is based around purchasing data packages, but there are also specific ‘ zones ‘ to consider.
An upgrade package will cost you € 5.00 ($ 5.50 / £ 4.50) and this will get you 1GB of data, but only if you use it in Zone 1. If you use it in Zone 2 it will only get you 500MB of data, whereas Using it in Zone 3 will allow you only 250MB of data. What’s even more strange is that practically each time you travel your initial cost to activate the service will cost you € 9.95 ($ 10.50 / £ 9.00), which will get you 1GB of data and be valid for only 14 days. If you run out of data within those 14 days and you purchase an upgrade package it does not extend the period. The initial cost of getting the Starter Kit will also set you back € 19.95 ($ 21.50 / £ 18.50) which gives you 1GB of data, and this is apparently after a 40% introductory price discount.
However, there also doesn’t seem to be any indication of whether that initial 1GB allowance is a given regardless of which zone you travel to, or if it too would be subject to the same limitations as the upgrade packages.

It’ll be interesting to see how this service pans out and how many people opt to use it. You can head on over to the HMD Connect site and place your order for a SIM card which is set to start getting shipped out on 30 March 2020.