Nokia’s return to the smartphone realm in the U.S. is almost upon us, with news that the Nokia 6 Android phone is touching down in July.
We already knew that a bunch of Nokia-branded devices were coming, after the Finnish company established a new business vehicle called HMD Global to ensure Nokia’s brand lives on in the smartphone realm through a licensing arrangement.
HMD Global had already brought some Nokia devices to market, including a feature phone. And at Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year HMD Global revealed that three new Android smartphones were coming to market: the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6. The Nokia 6, a fairly average mid-range phone, was launched in China earlier this year and has since made it to a number of additional Asian markets. While we already knew that the device was slated for a global launch, we now have firm launch details for the U.S.
Above: Nokia 6
The Nokia 6 will be made available exclusively through Amazon for $229 in “early July,” with only two color variants available at first — black and silver. It will also be made available in blue and copper later in the year.
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There is nothing particularly standout about the device: It ships with Android Nougat and sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset, dual-SIM, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage — expandable up to 128GB via the MicroSD slot. It also has a 5.5″ IPS LCD screen (full HD at 1920 x 1080), a 16MP rear-facing camera, 8MP front-shooter, and a 3,000 mAh battery.
HMD Global does, however, tout its premium design, which has a unibody “crafted from a single block of 6000-series aluminium,” according to a statement issued by the company.
“It brings us great pleasure to introduce a new generation of U.S. fans to Nokia phones, while offering existing fans the same unparalleled and high quality Nokia phone experience they have come to love over the years,” explained HMD Global vice president for the Americas, Maurizio Angelone, in a press release. “The Nokia 6 exemplifies our commitment to best-in-class performance, design, and craftsmanship, and we are proud to offer American consumers a smartphone option that will not require them to sacrifice quality for cost.”
Though the Nokia 6 isn’t a game-changer in the smartphone world, it does mark a milestone moment for a brand once synonymous with high-tech mobile communications. It could also mark the first of many new Android phones to arrive with the Nokia name — a recent leak suggests that Nokia is working on at least two high-end smartphones.
Today’s news comes just a few days after the Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 were launched on preorder through Amazon in the U.K., but there is no word yet on whether these devices will be landing in the U.S. too. A spokesperson told VentureBeat: “We can’t comment on any future releases.”
