At one point Nokia (News - Alert) was the leading mobile phone manufacturer in the world, but when the smartphone was introduced, the company wasn't able to capitalize on the technology. This eventually led the company selling its mobile division to Microsoft (News - Alert), which was finalized in 2014. And now, the Nokia brand will come back alive after it entered into an exclusive 10-year brand licensing agreement with HMD Global to create new generation of Nokia branded mobile phones. According to reports, HMD will be releasing seven new Nokia Android phones in 2017 across different price points.
Information just leaked at CES 2017 revealed the Nokia E1 will be a low cost smartphone which could be priced at around $150. This price tag (News - Alert) will have some pretty impressive features, including a 5.2- or 5.3-inch display with HD (720p) resolution, 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, an Adreno 308 graphics processor and 2GB of RAM. The E1 will be shipping with Android (News - Alert) 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
The portfolio of HMD phones is going to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February. It is reported the company will release its entire line of Android phones in the second quarter of 2017, which will include the budget D1C, the mid-range C1 and the flagship P1.
When HMD entered into the agreement with Nokia, it allowed the company to own the existing Nokia branded feature phone business. This has given HMD an immediate global presence with a product line that still has a large customer base in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, India and China. “We believe that the time is right for renewal in the mobile industry. The market is fatigued and flooded with undifferentiated products. Consumers are looking for technology with clear purpose that is useful, exciting and with a brand they can trust, so our approach will focus on true, core user experiences and a dedication to quality,” said Florian Seiche, President of HMD Global.
According to Arto Nummela, CEO of HMD Global, Nokia is a brand with a 95 percent worldwide awareness; when you add the Android OS, which currently has managed to capture a record 88 percent of the global market as of the fourth quarter of 2016, it positions HMD to have an accelerated start.
Although all the pieces are in the right place for HMD, the smartphone market is flooded with products across all price points. We will have to wait until MWC 2017 to see how the Android phones from Nokia will differentiate themselves and compete.
Edited by Alicia Young