Announced alongside the Nokia 2.1 and Nokia 3.1 last month, it looks like the Nokia 5.1 could be ready to attack the US market.
As usual the ever-reliable FCC certification process is the source. NokiaPowerUser has the details:
Nokia 5.1 may also be headed to the US market, as it has passed FCC certification today. There are four variants of Nokia 5.1: TA-1088,TA-1081,TA-1075 & TA-1061 mentioned in the certification. The good news is that all four variants will come with RAM + Memory options of 2GB + 16GB and 3GB + 32GB.
Furthermore, TA-1088 and TA-1075 are the Dual-SIM and TA-1081 and TA-1061 Single-SIM variants. Also, only TA-1075 and TA-1061 support NFC.
A spokesperson for HMD Global said “we don’t comment on rumors and speculation.”
It appears that HMD Global is sidestepping the intense battle at the high-end of the smartphone market which arguable is faster and more furious fight between Samsung’s Galaxy S and Apple’s iPhone handsets than any other region on the planet. Given the highest-specced handset is currently the Nokia 8 Sirocco running the SnapDragon 835, HMD Global would struggle to match the big hitters.
During the early smartphone years, Nokia would general focus on the European and Asian markets, with US handsets tending to arrive later in the production run and with customized specifications at the request of carriers. The smartphone brand never managed to get the same leverage in North America as in the rest of the world.
Given HMD’s quiet reliance on nostalgia for the Nokia brand when launching its Android-powered handsets, it was understandable that it sidestepped the US market. The FCC certification suggests that US availability is happening.
I wonder if that means a partnership with a US carrier is forthcoming… although the 2018 version of the Nokia 6 announced at MWC was tagged as launching in US it would be on sale as an unlocked device direct to consumer. The Nokia 5.1 is much more budget focused and that, alongside the use of Google’s AndroidOne standard platform, may have tempted a carrier to come on board.
Now read more about HMD Global’s latest Nokia-branded handsets…
