HMD Global, the manufacturer of Nokia-branded smartphones, is betting on the budget phone market as the company continues to face tough competition in the mid-to-premium segment from Chinese handset makers. The Finland-based company unveiled six new smartphones under new branding on Thursday, claiming that the change would help simplify its phone line-up.
The new smartphone line-up consists of three series: X, G, and C, each with two phones. The Nokia X20 and Nokia X10 have a battery life of up to two days, three years of monthly security updates, and three years of OS extended warranty. The G series, which includes the G10 and G20 smartphones, aims to include three days of battery life, three years of monthly security updates, and two years of OS updates. Meanwhile, the C series is positioned as the market entry-level.
Despite the fact that the X series is not targeted at the high-end market, both phones have 5G support, thanks to the Snapdragon 480 processor. The devices have a large 6.67-inch FHD+ punch-hole display and are powered by Android 11. Both smartphones are also equipped with Zeiss optics.
In 2008, Nokia was the world’s top mobile phone company. It delivered 468 million handsets, 60 million of which were smartphones. It had a whopping 41% share of the smartphone market back then, compared to the current leader, Samsung, which only had a 19% share in 2016. Nokia lost its leadership spot to Samsung in 2011, and sold its company to Microsoft for $7.2 billion in 2014.
Despite the Nokia brand name, HMD Global has had a difficult time making an impact in India. According to experts, Nokia-branded smartphones are less common in the world’s second-largest smartphone market due to a lack of marketing clout and an unwillingness to compete in terms of specifications and features with players such as Xiaomi and Oppo. HMD Global, on the other hand, claims that its phones will still have a competitive advantage due to Google’s Android One programme, an unadulterated version of the operating system (OS) that promises three years of security updates and Nordic design.
HMD claims a solid business case for feature phones, a market of 1.3 billion units. According to Counterpoint Research, “close to 60 million 4G capable feature phones could ship this year globally, up from nearly a million units last year, with India potentially contributing nearly half of that this year.” HMD Global’s chief marketing officer, Pekka Rantala, said. “We are not embarking on a nostalgia tour. We are looking forward to the future, even though we sometimes look back in time, take some classic ones, and modernise them.”
The Nokia X20 will be available in selected markets beginning in May, while the Nokia X10 will be available in selected markets worldwide beginning in June. The G20 and G10 will be available in May and June, with prices starting at $ 189.2 and $ 154.7, respectively. Meanwhile, the C20 will be available in stores in June. The company has yet to confirm a release date or price for the C10.
