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HMD Global has confirmed that the Nokia 8 will not be receiving a launch in the US. The company’s Nokia 8 was officially announced back in August, where HMD confirmed its international availability, leading many to assume that a US launch was set for the future. Now, though, the company has confirmed through an email that the device will not be launched in the States due to the different antenna band frequencies.
The Nokia 8 appears to have been designed with other antenna frequencies in mind, hence the compatibility issues with the US market. Despite this, a 6GB of RAM variant of the device did make a recent appearance at FCC, signaling that a launch was initially planned by the manufacturer. To further back up the rumored initial launch plans, the Nokia 8 is the only other device listed alongside the Nokia 6 on the company’s US website. For those unaware, the Nokia 8 is a high-end smartphone, sporting a quad-HD 5.3-inch display. On the inside, the device feature’s Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 alongside either 6 or 8GB of RAM, depending on the storage option chosen. Speaking of storage, at 64GB variant is available alongside a 128GB model. On the rear of the device, dual 13-megapixel sensors are featured alongside a dual-LED flash. As well as this, a 13-megapixel selfie sensor sits above the display on the front. Lastly, in terms of software, the Nokia 8 comes running Android 7.1.1 Nougat straight out of the box, but an upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo and Android P has been promised by the manufacturer. Despite the lack of a US launch, not all is bad news for American consumers, though, with HMD confirming in the process that an expanded US Nokia lineup is planned for the future, possibly hinting at a launch of the upcoming Nokia 9 in the region, as well as other lower-end devices.
The company is yet to confirm a timeline for the expanded product line, but many rumors point towards a number of devices launching in Q1 of 2018 such as the Nokia 2 and 7, as well as the previously mentioned Nokia 9, therefore meaning the lineup may not be too far away. Nonetheless, while the US will not see the Nokia 8, the device is currently launching across Europe, further expanding HMD’s presence across the continent, where the company also offers the Nokia 3, 5 and 6.