'Nokia 8.1 Plus': Upgrades you may expect from Nokia 8 'successor'

As the Mobile World Congress draws near, rumours of a new flagship Nokia phone, titled the Nokia 9 PureView have surfaced all over the Internet. However, India may see a successor to the Nokia 8 by the end of February. The rumoured Nokia 8.1 Plus will target consumers in the higher-mid range space.

The Nokia 8.1 is an excellent, feature-rich mid-range smartphone that performs surprisingly well but still could improve in some areas. Here are things one would expect from the rumoured Nokia 8.1 Plus –

Display
The 8.1 featured a 6.18-inch LCD panel with a Full HD+ resolution and a very ugly notch. Considering the current trend of notch-less phones, you could expect to see a punch-hole display on the new 8.1 Plus smartphone, along with an AMOLED screen.

Camera
While the camera on the 8.1 is pretty decent for a higher mid-tier phone, it could use few improvements. There are several rumours about the Nokia 9 PureView phone’s Penta-camera setup, so expecting a triple camera set up on the 8.1 Plus. Whether it’s software or hardware, all improvements to the 8.1 rear camera would be welcomed.

Battery
The 3500 mAh battery on the Nokia 8.1 failed to deliver all-day usage on a single charge, a change that could be expected on the rumoured 8.1 Plus. Whether Nokia improves battery life through software or a bigger battery remains to be seen, but all-day battery life is an absolute necessity in a higher mid-range smartphone.

Water-resistance
Water-resistant is a feature primarily seen on today’s generation of smartphones, and the new Nokia 8.1 Plus could feature an IP 67 or 68 rating.

Wireless charging
The 8.1 also didn’t feature support for wireless charging, despite the glass back, adding it to the rumoured Nokia 8.1 Plus could increase the “WOW” factor.

The Nokia 8.1 was as close to perfect as a mid-range smartphone could come, delivering above-average performance in all areas, an updated version of this mid-range smartphone could give it the boost it needs to compete with the top-dogs in the high-end mid-range space.