New Nokia phone hits Bluetooth SIG, could be Nokia 7.1 Plus

HMD Global has launched Nokia smartphones at a speedy pace in 2018, and it looks like the company isn’t stopping just yet. A new HMD smartphone has popped up on the Bluetooth SIG website, suggesting we could see another release before the end of the year.

The listing reveals a phone with the model number TA-1136, along with Bluetooth 5.0 support. The latter suggests this isn’t a low-end smartphone, although MediaTek‘s entry-level Helio chipsets (A22 and P22) now support Bluetooth 5.0.

Otherwise, there isn’t much else to know about this new device, so what could it actually be? Our first guess is that we’re looking at a global version of the China-only Nokia X7. The company has previously brought the China-only Nokia X5 and X6 to the west as the Nokia 5.1 Plus and 6.1 Plus respectively. So it stands to reason that, if this is indeed a global version of the X7, it’ll launch as the Nokia 7.1 Plus.

The Nokia X7 serves up a Snapdragon 710 chipset, 4GB or 6GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage, and a 3,500mAh battery. Other specs include a 12MP+13MP dual camera pairing, a 20MP selfie camera, a 6.18-inch notched full HD+ screen, and a headphone jack.

The new phone should also be slightly more capable than the Nokia 7.1, which was launched last month. The 7.1 offers a Snapdragon 636 SoC, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of expandable storage, and a 3,060mAh battery. Nokia’s October release also sports an HDR-capable 5.84-inch notched display (full HD+), a 12MP+5MP rear camera pairing, and an 8MP selfie shooter.

Nokia fans on a budget clearly have plenty of options in 2018, but the same can’t be said for those on the hunt for a flagship Nokia device. The company hasn’t delivered a true flagship this year, with the Nokia 8 Sirocco packing last year’s flagship silicon rather than the Snapdragon 845 chipset. Hopefully, we see some high-end goodness sooner rather than later.

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