HMD Global eyes US market with Verizon-exclusive Nokia 8 V 5G UW

HMD Global has launched Nokia 8 V 5G UW, a premium Android phone exclusive to Verizon network.

Nokia 8.3 5G smartphone. (Nokia)

HMD Global is looking to expand its presence in the US with a new premium phone and partnership with local telco Verizon. The company on Monday announced the launch of Nokia 8 V 5G UW. Priced at $700 ( ₹51,000 approximately), Nokia 8 V 5G UW will support Verizon's mmWave 5G network.

Nokia 8 V 5G UW is said to be a rebranded version of the Nokia 8.3 5G. The smartphone comes with a 20:9 6.81-inch full HD+ PureDisplay. Running on Android 10, it runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor coupled with 6GB of RAM and 64GB built-in storage. The phone also supports microSD card for expandable storage.

Nokia 8 V 5G UW runs on a 4,500mAh battery. Connectivity options include 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C, and Bluetooth 5.0. The phone comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

It packs a quad-rear camera setup that consists of a 64-megapixel sensor, 12-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide lens, 2-megapixel depth sensor, and 2-megapixel sensor with a macro lens. As expected, it has Zeiss Optics. On the front, it has a 24-megapixel selfie camera.

That said, HMD Global's new partnership comes days after reports of the company planning to double down in a few markets. A leaked internal document had revealed the company has plans to aggressively push the Nokia brand in markets such as India, China, Russia, Indonesia, UK, Germany, South Africa, Mexico and the US.

HMD Global's revamped strategy is backed by Google, which invested $230 million in the Finland company. Apart from handsets, HMD Global is also aiming to expand its “digital-first offerings.”