A special Nokia 8 may be heading to the US and China
Nokia's highest-end phone might come to these important markets after all.
The high-end Nokia 8 might come to the US and China after all, according to a report by Nokiapoweruser.
Up until now, it's been reported that HMD Global, the company that licenses the Nokia phone brand, had no plans to release its new flagship phone in these two countries. But now, it's suggested that the company could instead launch a "custom" Nokia 8 variant specially for the US and China.
The Nokia 8 -- unveiled just last week -- is the brand's first truly premium Android phone. HMD Global picked up the Nokia name from Microsoft last year and pivoted the operating system from Windows Phone to Android. Earlier this year we saw the release of the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 -- which are all affordable or midrange Android devices. The Nokia 8's premium status puts it in competition with other flagship Android devices such as the Galaxy S8, LG G6 and Google Pixel. But the Nokia brand could miss a huge competitivie opportunity by skipping the US or China, two of the biggest global phone markets.
The Nokia 8 may release with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in China, says Nokiapoweruser's sources. The current Nokia 8 has 4GB of RAM. This is similar to how HMD first launched the Nokia 6 as a Chinese exclusive in January, months before the Nokia 6's global rollout. China's version of the Nokia 6 also had more RAM than the global Nokia 6.
The report also suggests the US could get a Nokia 8 with more RAM than its global counterpart. But it's still not clear when this would come. The report adds that China may take priority over the US in getting the phone, so US customers would have to be patient.
The Nokia 8 packs in premium features like a Snapdragon 835 processor, Zeiss optics dual camera and quick-charge capabilities. The phone is expected to roll out throughout September at a price of 599 euros, which converts to $705 or AU$890. It's expected to cost £599 in the UK.
HMD Global did not respond to a request for comment.
