Nokia 6 release date, specs, price news: first Android-powered smartphone launched in China

Nokia has finally returned to the mobile phone market with the introduction of the Nokia 6, the first Android-powered device from the Finnish company. HMD Global, who secured exclusive licensing rights to Nokia, announced that the device will only be released in China for the time being. Nevertheless, Nokia 6's arrival does a good job of previewing the slate of new devices that will be coming in the first half of 2017.

According to HMD Global, the Nokia 6 is the first step in their goal to set a new standard in the competitive smartphone segment. Their philosophy is to deliver the iconic Nokia experience via devices that have premium specs and appropriate price points. The Nokia 6's launch in China also demonstrates their desire to meet the needs of consumers in different markets around the world.

In terms of technical specifications, the Nokia 6 features a 5.5-inch in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal display (LCD) display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and a brightness of 450 nits. In terms of dimensions, it is 154 x 75.8 x 7.85 mm. The unibody is made from aluminum alloy and the screen has 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for added protection.

The midrange device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with 4 GB of random-access memory (RAM). There is also 64 GB of built-in storage which can be expanded up to 128 GB via a microSD card.

The recently announced smartphone is also equipped with a 16-megapixel (MP) rear camera with phase detection autofocus and dual-tone light-emitting diode (LED) flash, as well as an 8 MP wide-angle lens in the front for selfies and video calls.

The Nokia 6 runs the Android 7.0 Nougat operating system out of the box and comes with features such as Android Doze for battery efficiency. Furthermore, a fingerprint sensor allows the device to be secure.

To provide power, there is a 3,000 mAh battery that lasts up to 32 days in standby and provides about 18 hours of talk time.

The Nokia 6 will arrive in China in early 2017. It can be purchased via JD.com for CNY 1,699 which is about $245.