Nokia 8.3 is the first global phone with an integrated 5G modem

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  The Nokia 8.3 5G. [credit: HMD ]

Nokia is taking the wraps off its first 5G phone, the Nokia 8.3 5G. It's not quite a flagship (that would be the Nokia 9 Series), but it's pretty close, and it sports some interesting design decisions in Qualcomm's mandatory-5G world.

Instead of the Snapdragon 865 that most other 5G phones are shipping with, the Nokia 8.3 is one step down in Qualcomm's lineup and packing a Snapdragon 765G. This is a pretty new chip, and while several phones destined for China or India have already shipped with the 765G, this will be most countries' first taste of the chip.

Qualcomm's SoC lineup this year isn't as clearly segmented as it has been in years past. Despite being a cheaper chip, the 765G actually has some design advantages over the flagship 865. The 765G is Qualcomm's first chip with an integrated 5G modem, while the 865 offloads 5G (and 4G) to a separate chip. The integration of as many components as possible into a single SoC is the technical foundation of the modern smartphone, and usually, this approach uses less space and less power, generates less heat, and is cheaper. Next year, all of Qualcomm's 5G chips will probably be designed like the 765G, but this year, that chip is leading the way.

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