Nokia 8.1 vs Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Nokia 8.1 and the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018), taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Price | $89 | $199 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 3,500 mAh | 3,300 mAh |
| Wired charging | 18W | — |
| RAM (max) | 6 GB | 6 GB |
| Storage (max) | 400 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.18 in | 6 in |
| Main camera | 13 MP | 24 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 178 g | 168 g |
| Released | Dec 2018 | Oct 2018 |
Summary: Nokia 8.1 is ahead on our rating, battery, screen size. Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) is ahead on storage (max), main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Nokia 8.1 is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Type | IPS LCD, HDR10 | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 6.18 inches | 6.0 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2280 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~408 ppi density) | 1080 x 2220 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~411 ppi density) |
| Protection | NEG (some sources mention Corning Gorilla Glass 3) | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Features | PureDisplay, 500 nits brightness, 96% NTSC Color gamut, DCI-P3, 1500:1 Contrast ratio | — |
Platform
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 11, Android One | Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM710 Snapdragon 710 (10 nm) | Exynos 7885 Octa (14 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (2x 2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x 1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver) | Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 6x1.6 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU | Adreno 616 | Mali-G71 MP2 |
Memory
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC, up to 400GB (uses shared SIM slot) | microSDXC (dedicated slot) up to 512GB |
| Internal | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Dual | 12 MP, f/1.8, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS (Zeiss optics) + 13 MP, f/2.2 (depth sensor) | — |
| Features | Zeiss optics, OIS, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, AI scene detection, AI portrait mode | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Video | 2160p@30fps (4K) | 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS) |
| Triple | — | 24 MP, f/1.7, 27mm (wide), PDAF; 8 MP, f/2.4, 18mm (ultrawide), 120˚; 5 MP, f/2.2, (depth) |
Selfie Camera
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Single | 20 MP, f/2.0 | 24 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide) |
| Features | Pixel binding (4-in-1 pixel binning for 1.8µm large pixels), AI beauty, AI portrait Mode, 6 AI studio lights, AI expressions, dual-view mode | HDR |
| Video | 1080p (assumed, not explicitly stated in snippets) | 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Type | Li-Po 3500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 3300 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 18W fast charging | — |
Body
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Dimensions | 154.8 x 75.76 x 7.97 mm | 159.8 x 76.8 x 7.5 mm |
| Weight | 178 g | 168 g |
| Build | Glass front, glass back, 6000-series aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), glass back, plastic frame |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
Comms
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS (BeiDou) | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes (market dependent) |
| Radio | FM Radio (headset required) | FM radio |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go | microUSB 2.0 |
| GPS | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
Launch
| Nokia 8.1 | Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) |
|---|
| Announced | 2018, December 5 | September 2018 |
| Status | Available. Released 2018, December 21 (initial rollout mid-December, Europe January 2019) | Discontinued |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Nokia 8.1 or Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)?
Nokia 8.1 — 3,500 mAh for the Nokia 8.1 versus 3,300 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018).
Which is lighter, Nokia 8.1 or Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)?
Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) — 178 g for the Nokia 8.1 versus 168 g for the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018).
Which is newer, Nokia 8.1 or Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)?
Nokia 8.1 — Dec 2018 for the Nokia 8.1 versus Oct 2018 for the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018).
Is the Nokia 8.1 or the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) rated higher?
We rate the Nokia 8.1 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) 7/10.
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