These days it seems like every phone maker is rolling out a line of wireless earbuds, as they try to replicate the success Apple's enjoyed with its AirPod accessories. Now, it's Nokia's turn, as HMD Global, which makes and markets Nokia's phones, has just introduced its own wireless earbuds.
There's at least one key difference between the new Nokia Power Earbuds and Apple's wireless offerings. While Apple's AirPods start at $159, the Nokia Power Earbuds will cost $99 when they become available on Amazon later this fall.
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Even with the lower price, HMD Global hasn't skimped on battery life, provided you keep the charging case close by. The electronics maker says the earbuds can provide up to 150 hours of play time when used with the charging case. AirPods last for up to 5 hours on their own, with playtime extending to around a day with their charging case.
The Nokia Power Earbuds don't have the dangling ends that characterize Apple's wireless earbuds. Instead, they look more like Samsung's Galaxy Buds Plus — earbuds you place within your ear using one of three different-sized ear tips. The Nokia earbuds carry an IPX7 rating, meaning they can easily withstand sweat or rain.
HMD Global promises big, clear sound from the 6mm graphene drivers on the Power Earbuds, which will be available in charcoal when they ship. That's meant to compliment the polar black color of the new Nokia 8.3 5G smartphone, which finally goes on presale in the U.S. tomorrow (Sept. 23) at Amazon, before arriving at Best Buy in the coming weeks.
New Nokia phones: Nokia 8.3 5G, Nokia 3.4, Nokia 2.4
The Nokia 8.3 5G is a Snapdragon 765G-powered phone with 5G compatibility that already debuted in other parts of the world earlier this year. The $699 phone features a 6.81-inch display, four rear cameras and a 4,500 mAh battery. It arrives in the U.S. at a time when the similarly priced Galaxy A71 5G, Motorola Edge and LG Velvet are already competing for smartphone shoppers who don't want to pay top dollar for 5G.
HMD Global is also bringing two other Nokia phones to the U.S., aimed squarely at the sub-$200 market. (As you might imagine, there's no 5G compatibility to be found here.) The Nokia 2.4 costs $139 and also begins pre-orders at Amazon on Sept. 23 before also arriving on Best Buy this fall. The $179 Nokia 3.4 arrives later this fall.
The most noteworthy thing about the Nokia 2.4 is its promised two day-battery life, courtesy of a 4,500 mAh battery. The 6.5-inch phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset along with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. You'll get a 13-megapixel main camera and a 2MP depth sensor on this phone.
As for the Nokia 3.4, it's also promising two days of battery life, powered by a 4,000 mAh battery. A Snapdragon 460 system-on-chip handles the phone's processor and graphics, and it includes a 13MP main camera, 5MP ultra wide lens and 2MP portrait sensor. At 6.39 inches, this phone's screen is more compact than what you get with the Nokia 2.4.
Think of both of these phones as lower-cost rivals to the Moto G Power, which at $249, costs anywhere from $70 to $110 more than these new Nokia handsets. But the Moto G Power also delivers the best phone battery life we've seen from a device in years, raising the bar high for any phones promising to last a long time on a charge.
