There's been a bit of second-wave Nokia 8 hype following the handset's initial launch, as FCC documents appeared to show a higher-end version with 128GB onboard storage and 6GB of RAM. The good news today is that this has now been officially confirmed by HMD Global.

According to a report from German tech publication winfuture, the handset will be released in the country from October 20, with a "slightly higher price" than the existing model. The news would appear to confirm the higher storage and RAM variant for European release as it's rare for a phone to launch in one of the major EU states without going Europe wide. We'd hope that will include the UK as well. In any case, it's good to see OEMs pushing the higher-tier storage and RAM models outside of Asia for a change.

The new version will only come in one color option - Polished Blue - that's a mirror finish from Nokia's existing colour range, and price wise it will have an RRP of €669, a €90 jump up from the existing model.

Q4 will be extremely competitive with the release of Google’s Pixel 2 handsets, the iPhone X and iPhone 8, LG’s V30, the Galaxy Note 8, and the arrival of the Essential Phone in the UK.

Competing in this market will be tough, and while Nokia does have a lot of brand pull, things will still be difficult for the company, as it competes with bigger, more established players like Apple and Samsung.

The company’s Android campaign so far has been pretty decent; it’s seems focussed on all the right aspects of its phone business, with decent update times and great specs and features.

At present HMD hasn't said anything on the subject of a wider release or one for North America, where the existing Nokia 8 model remains elusive. Naturally we'll be keeping an eye out for more details as they emerge.