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A high-end Nokia 9.3 PureView with Snapdragon 865 power is probably coming... someday

Sep 29, 2020, 8:52 AM

Adrian Diaconescu

Original Nokia 9 PureView

Even though we've lost count of all the Android-running Nokia smartphones released in the three years HMD Global has been in charge of the iconic mobile brand, it's really not that hard to keep track of the company's flagship lineup.

That's because the Nokia 9 PureView came out a full 24 months after HMD's rookie mid-range smartphone effort, and we've yet to see a direct sequel to the company's one and only true high-ender unveiled. Of course, rumors initially pointed to a Nokia 9.1 PureView announcement during Q4 2019, which didn't prove to be the case as the handset was reportedly delayed, then cancelled in favor of a more vastly improved 9.2 model.

Given the recent changes in Nokia's naming convention, materialized in the 1.3, 2.3, 5.3, and 8.3 announcements, it feels safe to assume we'll be getting a Nokia 9.3 after all rather than a 9.2. Unfortunately, that's unlikely to happen anytime soon, at least according to the folks over at NokiaPowerUser who claim the coronavirus pandemic will have a "big impact" on HMD's release schedule.

Due to supply chain issues, we may need to wait until mid or even "late H2 2020" to see a largely mysterious Nokia 9.3 PureView officially unveiled. That's a pretty wide range, essentially covering the entire period of time from late August to December. It's also a big delay from a previously speculated H1 timeframe, but better late than never, right?

That saying actually applies to the Nokia 9.3/9.2 quite perfectly, as a few recent whispers suggested the high-end phone was indefinitely shelved or even altogether cancelled. After all, the 5G-enabled Nokia 8.3 might be able to stand its ground against the likes of the Google Pixel 5 and whatever LG is preparing as a G9 ThinQ replacement thanks to a more than respectable Snapdragon 765G processor.

But despite the monumental failure of 2019's Nokia 9 PureView, HMD has reportedly not thrown in the flagship towel yet, working on an ultra-high-end device undoubtedly powered by a Snapdragon 865 SoC. It's hard to know if any of the other information rumored in the past in connection with the Nokia 9.1 or 9.2 is still current, so it's probably wiser to adopt the good old fashioned "wait and see" approach.