Nokia’s new flagship, the Nokia P1, will be unveiled at MWC 2017, with the international expo taking place at the end of February. This is expected to be a landmark handset, Nokia’s triumphant return to the smartphone space with a flagship device running the latest version of Google’s Android software.

A lot of people, myself included, are hugely excited by the prospect of Nokia returning to the fray with a high-end handset running a proper operating system.

Nokia has excellent design pedigree, a great brand appeal (still) and will almost certainly win over a lot of floating Android voters in 2017 with its high-end Nokia P1.

There have been plenty of leaks to date about this device, as well as Nokia’s other Android phones, but this is the one that we’ve all been waiting for.

The specs and hardware sound incredible. Combine this with Nokia’s eye for classic, unique design and we could be looking at one of the biggest comebacks in the history of consumer technology.

The Nokia 6 sold out almost instantly in China when it got a release there a month or so ago, so we’re expecting BIG things for Nokia’s P1 in the US and Europe inside the coming year.

Here are five things you should know about the Nokia P1 ahead of its launch.

Nokia P1 Design & Display: It'll Be Premium Metal & Glass

In terms of the aesthetic, very little is known about the Nokia P1, however, we have already seen the Nokia 6 unveiled with a design language that does look familiar to fans of Nokia’s early Windows Phone days; clean, minimalist, quasi-industrial with a fairly squared-off shape.

It’s expected that the Nokia P1 will look similar to keep things “on brand,” so to speak, though of course it should be more refined as a higher-end model. Helping with this “premium” aesthetic will be a metal unibody build, according to rumours and leaks, topped with Gorilla Glass 5 reinforcement to the 5.3in display panel; as per the Nokia 6, the display bezels will likely be very narrow and the phone will probably feature a high screen-to-body ratio.

This is what I am most interested in – Nokia’s iconic design. Will the company still have what it takes to take on the big players in the space? I miss the days of the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Nokia Lumia 1520. I genuinely hope Nokia can bring something new to the table in this regard. Something different, unique and typically “Nokia”.

Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global said: “We have set ourselves a mission to deliver the best possible smartphone experience, with a beautiful premium design touch, to everyone, at every price point. By building on true Nokia phone hallmarks of leading design and materials, an obsessive focus on the latest technology and solving real-life issues, we believe we have a unique proposition for consumers. The Nokia 6 marks the first step on our journey, with more to come in 2017.”

Nokia P1 Camera: Nokia's Photography Expertise Revived

Back in the day, Nokia was known for its camera prowess; it produced some of the best smartphone imaging hardware available on the market. A key component of that was its cooperation with Carl Zeiss for optics components, and that’s something that is set to continue on the Nokia P1.

It will allegedly pack a 23MP primary camera featuring Carl Zeiss hardware.

Nokia P1 Battery: Big Cell, Better Optimisation, Longer Life

So far, we only know that the Nokia P1 will have a large 3,500mAh battery cell, which due to the unibody design is unlikely to be removable.

Aside from this it’s believe the battery optimisation features on Android Nougat will help give the handset some pretty impressive stamina.

Nokia P1 Hardware Specs: Qualcomm Snapdragon And More

There have been a lot of rumours surrounding the Nokia flagship but we do know it’ll pack a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. The most likely candidate is the Snapdragon 835 as the lead model at the moment, and there have been a few leaks which support this idea. The one spanner in the works is the rumour that Samsung has hogged all the supply of S835 chips, a situation that isn’t expected to change until after April, but if the Nokia P1 doesn’t hit the market until after that month it may not be an issue.

In terms of other hardware, it’s rumoured the Nokia P1 will feature a physical Home key below the display, fitted with an integrated fingerprint scanner for biometric security and payment applications.

Nokia P1 Software: It WILL Run The Latest Android Nougat Build

We know Nokia has fully embraced Google’s Android operating system for all its forthcoming phones, so it’s a given that the Nokia P1 will use this OS. Persistent rumours have strongly suggested it will run the “latest” build of Android, which is the current Nougat build.

We don’t know if that means version 7.0 as the base version, or one of the subsequent updates (7.1.1 or the current in-testing update 7.1.2, which may be ready by the time the phone arrives). Either way it will enjoy a host of brand new Android features, including advanced support for split-screen, multi-window multitasking, better performance optimisations, MUCH better battery life thanks to Google’s further development of Doze and the like, and a bunch of new security features.

All of Android Nougat’s New Features

Performance

• JIT compiler: The new JIT compiler improves runtime device performance, reduces the amount of storage space required for apps and makes app and system updates much faster.
• VR mode: With VR mode, Android Nougat is ready to transport you to new worlds. Coming soon with Daydream and Daydream-ready phones.
• Vulkan™ API: Vulkan API is a real game changer with high-performance 3D graphics. See apps spring to life with sharper graphics and eye candy effects.

Battery & Data

• Doze: Doze is now dozier, with your device going into lower power usage when you’re on the move. That means your Android device will conserve battery even when it’s jostling around in your pocket.
• Data saver: Limit how much data your device uses with Data Saver. When Data Saver is turned on, apps in the background won't be able to access mobile data.

Productivity

• Split-screen mode: Now you can multitask with ease. Run two apps side by side in split-screen mode – watch a movie while texting, or read a recipe with your timer open.
• Picture-in-picture mode: On Android TV, you can continue watching your current video while browsing or changing settings.
• Quick switch: Double tap the Overview button to switch between your two most recently used apps.

Notifications

• Bundled notifications: See what’s new at a glance with bundled notifications from individual apps. Simply tap to view each alert.
• Direct reply: Direct reply lets you quickly reply to a message, directly from within the notification shade. So, you no longer need to launch the app to send a quick response.
• Notification controls: When a notification pops up, just press and hold to toggle the settings. For instance, you can silence future alerts from an app in the notification itself.

System Improvements

• Customisable Quick Settings: Rearrange your Quick Setting tiles so you can get to what you want faster.
• Quick Settings bar: Quick Settings has been redesigned so that you can get faster access to top Quick Settings tiles directly in the notification shade.
• Improved Settings navigation: Find the right setting faster with an updated navigation menu in Settings.
• Settings suggestions: Within Settings, get suggestions for how to get even more out of your device.
• 'Clear all' in Overview: Instantly close all of your apps running in the background by tapping 'clear all' in Overview.
• Emergency information: Emergency Information lets you add information such as name, blood type, allergies and an emergency contact so that emergency responders can view this information through your device's lock screen.
• Lockscreen wallpaper: You can now have different wallpapers on your device's homescreen and lockscreen.

Privacy & Security

• Direct boot: When restarting your device, Direct Boot helps it start up faster and ensures that important communications still run. So before you even put in your password, you'll still get that important text message and hear your alarm clock ring.
• Seamless software updates: On select, new devices running Android Nougat, OS updates can download in the background, so you can go on with your day while your device syncs with the latest OS.
• File-based encryption: Building on top of our security platform, Android Nougat introduces file-based encryption. By encrypting at the file level instead of the block level, Android can better isolate and protect files for individual users on your device.
• Scoped folder access: Apps can request access to specific folders that you can allow or deny access to (just like app runtime permissions). This is a reduced-scope version of the Storage permission for Apps that only need access to certain folders. It can also allow Apps to request direct access to removable media (on devices with that hardware).
• Trusted face: Trusted face, a part of Smart Lock, makes unlocking even easier thanks to a new face recogniser. The new recogniser is less sensitive to conditions like lighting, facial decorations (eyewear, facial hair, etc.), and how you hold your phone. Available on selected devices.