Nokia N8 to hit UK on 22 October

Long-awaited Nokia smartphone finally gets a shipping date

SIM-free N8's are likely to retail for about £430

Nokia has finally unveiled an official shipping date for its long-awaited N8 handset, which will come to the UK on 22 October.

The firm had already announced that it was expecting to start shipping the handsets this month, but today firmed up its plans by giving an actual date.

From 22 October, shoppers will be able to pick up the handset from stores including the Carphone Warehouse, O2, Phones4u, Three, Tesco, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone.

Contracts are expected to start at £30 per month, or as an alternative, SIM-free models should come in at about £430.

“The Nokia N8 is one of the most innovative phones of 2010, packed with market-leading features, including the best picture and video capability available on a smartphone," said Sami Lehtinen, group manager for Nokia in the UK.

“The reaction to the Nokia N8 continues to be phenomenal and, after all the build up, it is great to be getting it into the hands of customers.”

The reaction, or pent-up user demand, may be the result of the many apparent delays suffered by the N8, which as recently as September was said to be delayed again.

At the end of September, Nokia said that it was the record numbers of pre-orders that were behind the delay, and not technical or hardware problems.

Those customers who have pre-ordered are likely to be the first to get the handsets, according to Nokia.