Nokia 9 & Nokia 8 (2018) Launching January 19: Rumor

HMD Global is planning its next product even in early 2018 and will simultaneously announce the Nokia 9 and Nokia 8 (2018) come January 19th, according to recent reports from China. While the first bezel-free smartphone from the Finnish company has already been the subject of many rumors in recent months, a follow-up to the Nokia 8 hasn’t been discussed until now and the claim that one is set to debut so soon after the original flagship still appears to be somewhat dubious. According to the latest report, the Nokia 8 (2018) may be a tentative name but the device is set to be localized for China as HMD is presumably seeking to seize a more significant portion of the world’s largest smartphone market. The Nokia 9 is also said to be targeted at the Far Eastern country, yet at least one of the two Android flagships will be made available on a global level, insiders claim.

The two handsets will reportedly be powered by the Qualcomm-made Snapdragon 835 SoC and boast IP67-certified resistance to dust particles and water which would be an improvement on the IP54 rating of the first Nokia 8 which was only designed to resist splashes and not submersion. Neither device will sport a 3.5mm headphone jack, sources claim, without elaborating on the reasoning behind that supposed decision. If recent industry trends are any indication, HMD may have opted for the exclusion of the conventional audio port in order to make the phones even thinner than the 7.9mm thick Nokia 8. The new Nokia 8 and Nokia 9 should both boast dual-camera setups supported by dual-LED flash units and designed by Carl Zeiss. The company’s supposed decision to go with the Snapdragon 835 instead of the Snapdragon 845 that’s expected to be announced this month was likely motivated by its ambition to commercialize its upcoming offerings before spring, i.e. before Samsung stops buying all chips Qualcomm can manufacture and leaves some stock for the rest of the industry.

If HMD is truly adamant to release two high-end Android devices as soon as January, it remains to be seen how the company is planning on differentiating them, especially since both should sport minimal bezels and 18:9 screens. HMD is also yet to bring the mid-range Nokia 7 to markets outside of China, so even if the company ends up launching new mobile offerings in the country next month, it may not be until spring that its devices start retailing around the world.