Nokia 8 V 5G UW Could Be HMD Global's First US 5G Phone

For all the marketing that network operators and smartphone makers do around 5G, the one thing they leave for consumers to discover in the fine print is the availability of 5G networks around the world. It is growing, indeed, but at a rather slow rate and, just like 4G, the different bands used by different carriers mean different variants for different networks. Last March, HMD Global launched what it billed as the world's first truly global 5G phone, which might only be arriving in the US next week and from only a single carrier.

The Nokia 8.3 5G, which happens to also be the only 5G Nokia phone, makes the "truly global 5G" claim thanks to its ability to support all the 5G bands in use, at least those in the sub-6GHz category. That means it can be used on almost any 5G network around the world, presuming the phone is available there.

Despite the term "global", the Nokia 8.3 5G s ironically absent in the US. And now that it might be arriving in that market, it will somewhat ironically support only one band that its global counterparts don't and only on one US carrier.

Before the YouTube video was taken down, Android Police caught sight of a countdown timer to an event on November 9. It was for a Nokia 8 V 5G UW, which pretty much earmarks it as a Verizon exclusive. The "UW" is the marketing term the carrier uses for its 6GHz mmWave 5G network. That much is probably no longer a mystery.

What remains to be seen is whether this variant will be exactly the same as HMD Global's only other 5G phone, the Nokia 8.3 5G. If so, Verizon subscribers can expect an extremely affordable 5G device with a 6.8-inch FHD+ screen, a large 4,500 mAh battery, and a rather eye-catching circular camera bump.