Last week, speculation started swirling about a Verizon variant of the Nokia 8.3 5G. HMD Global, maker of Nokia-branded Android devices, later released a teaser about a special product launch. Now the phone is official, carrying the distinction of being the first Nokia flagship phone on a major US carrier since the Windows Phone days.
The Nokia 8 V is almost identical to the existing Nokia 8.3 5G, with two key differences — this model includes support for millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G, and it's exclusive to Verizon. The internal hardware includes a Snapdragon 765G chipset, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage (with microSD expansion). There's also a massive 6.81-inch IPS screen, four rear cameras, and a dedicated Assistant button.
Unfortunately, the Nokia 8 V appears to be a poor value, at least on paper. The Pixel 5 is the same price, but has twice the internal storage, 2GB more RAM, IP68 water protection, a smoother 90Hz screen (though it is smaller), and wireless charging. Nokia's device looks even worse against the Galaxy S20 FE, which has a faster chipset and a 120Hz AMOLED screen, and has gone as low as $550 in the past.
HMD Global also advertises the Nokia 8 V as coming with "two cycles" of Android OS updates, and 24 months of security updates. However, the company is counting the incoming Android 11 update as one of those cycles, which means Android 12 will be the last significant update this phone receives. That's not great, especially considering Samsung now provides three Android updates with most of its devices, and Google Pixel phones get three years of OS upgrades and security patches.
You'll be able to purchase the Nokia 8 V starting on November 12th, either in physical Verizon stores or on the carrier's website.
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