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Nokia 8.1 becomes the brand's first phone to score official Android 10 update

By Adrian Diaconescu

Updated: Oct 09, 2019, 8:28 AM

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The heavyweight champion of the mobile world in terms of software support strikes again, delivering a swift Android 10 promotion for the upper mid-range Nokia 8.1 handset. Even though this is not the first non-Google device to receive an official update to the newest OS version, following in the footsteps of the Essential Phone, as well as the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro, its achievement is made remarkable by the Snapdragon 710 processor under the hood.

While reasonably fast by any standards, that's not a flagship SoC, and as you can imagine, the Nokia 8.1 becomes today the world's first phone powered by said mid-end chip to run Android 10, bringing a lot of cool stuff like a system-wide dark theme, quicker and more intuitive gesture navigation, and overall performance enhancements to the table.

Android 10 upgrade for Nokia 8.1 starts today! First on SD710 to bring new features such as Dark theme, Gesture Navigation and more. Staying the course to be the first across the portfolio! Nokia phones #Keepgettingbetter #nokiamobile pic.twitter.com/U9g1jZHtA6
— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) October 9, 2019

Today's announcement doesn't come as a surprise after exclusive global Nokia brand licensee HMD Global already confirmed before Android 10 was even released for Google's own Pixels that three of its phones would receive the stable over-the-air update by the end of the year. What might be a little unexpected for some people is that the Nokia 8.1 has managed to beat the high-end Nokia 9 PureView to the punch.

Then again, the brand's first flagship model in ages was kind of a dud, so we're fairly certain you're more excited to see Android 10 goodies rolled out this quarter to the Nokia 7.1 rather than the disappointing aforementioned high-ender. Keep in mind that both the 7.1 and 9 PureView are officially available in the US, at retail prices of $299 and $450 respectively, unlike the 8.1, which was "globally" released back in December 2018 after making its debut in China under the X7 name roughly a whole year ago.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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