HMD Global, the owner of the Nokia brand, announced the Nokia 8 V 5G UW, the company’s first flagship caliber smartphone under the Nokia name. If you can’t tell from the extraneous letters on the name, it’s a Verizon Wireless exclusive, and will launch with support for the carriers nationwide 5G network, along with 5G Ultra Wideband.
The 8 V 5G UW will go on sale Thursday, Nov. 12 for $699 through Verizon Wireless and at Best Buy.
It’s a big announcement, on a number of fronts. First, HMD is trying to once again establish the Nokia name in the US. Second, it really is a big phone, the display measures 6.81-inches.
Here’s a quick rundown of the specs:
- Operating System: Android 10, with the promise of an update to Android 11 and 24 months of security updates.
- Display: 6.81-inch FHD+
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
- Memory: 6GB
- Storage: 64GB with microSD support up to 1TB
- Rear camera: Quad camera setup. 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, 64-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel depth sensor, 2-megapixel macro lens
- Front camera: 24-megapixel f/2.0
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 5G (sub6 and mmWave)
- Sensor: Fingerprint sensor in the power button
- Battery: 4,500mAh
The headlining feature here is the quad-camera setup with Zeiss optics on the back of the phone. The main camera is 64-megapixels, with a second 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, both of which include a night mode to help with low light photos and video.
The base storage amount of 64GB is low, but you can add a microSD card to expand storage up to 1TB. At $699, the 8V 5G UW competes directly with the likes of the iPhone 12 Mini and Pixel 5.
The Nokia 8.3 5G is an unlocked version of the 8 V 5G UW, with support for T-Mobile’s 5G network, but not AT&T’s. So if you want the best of the new Nokia experience, you’ll need to be a Verizon customer, or at the very least, be willing to become one.
What do you think about the attempt to make the Nokia name relevant again? Are you interested in the 8 V 5G UW? Let us know in the comments below.
