New Nokia 6 Gets CPU Boost; To Arrive in United States
HMD Global presented an array of new Android-powered smartphones at the recent Mobile World Congress that included a Nokia 6 refresh with a chipset boost. It has also been confirmed that the device will be released in the United States.
A year after its same name predecessor device was launched, HMD Global presented the 2018 version of the Nokia 6. While the two smartphones have similarities in several areas, there was one upgrade that was noticed the most.
The 2017-released Nokia 6 carried a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset clocked at 1.4 gigahertz while the new handset is powered by a Snapdragon 630 chipset that almost doubles the processing speed at 2.2 GHz.
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With the new CPU also comes an upgrade in its graphics processing unit from an Adreno 505 to Adreno 508. Qualcomm has stated that the latter was "engineered to support lifelike visuals, efficient rendering for 3D graphics, and an up-to 30 percent improvement in performance" compared to older versions in the platform.
The new Nokia 6 will also come out of the box with the latest Android platform, the Oreo.
At first glance, there are also visible improvements in the smartphone's design. Though not entirely dropping the bezels, HMD Global evidently provided the 2018 smartphone with a better screen-to-body ratio, making way for more viewing space.
HMD's new hardware is also a beneficiary of one of Google's innovations for smartphones, the Android One. This features a "streamlined, easy to use interface" as well as regular security patches and operating system updates for two years. HMD Global said this makes it possible for the new Nokia 6 to stay "optimized" for Google Assistant.
CNET earlier reported that all of the smartphones HMD Global introduced at MWC 2018 would not be released in the United States. However, the same article has been updated to clarify that the company was set to bring the new Nokia 6 into the U.S. market sometime in May.
It is likely though that the device will only be offered in unlocked versions via other retailers since the same report said they would not be sold through carriers in the United States.
The new Nokia 6 is expected to cost somewhere between $279 to $299.
