A company set up by former Nokia employees called HMD Global has licensed the Nokia brand name from Microsoft, struck partnerships with device manufacturer Foxconn and intends to launch an Android smartphone in the early part of 2017.
The head of HMD Global, Arto Nummela, said: “Consumers may be carrying different smartphones now, but are they really in love and loyal to those brands?”
HMD Global will be looking to stir nostalgia in an effort to challenge the big and small players of the highly competitive smartphone market, dominated by Samsung and Apple, as well as Chinese brands such as Huawei.
Nummela said: “We want to be one of the key competitive players in the smartphone business.”
HMD Global has secured the rights to make phones under the Nokia brand for 10 years as reported by Android Central. Note that HMD is made up of ex-Nokia staff. The phones will be made by FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn. The first bunch of these devices is expected to arrive in the first half of 2017. Previously we had reported that phones will be launched towards the end of this year. Well, it seems things did not work out as expected hence the push to a timeline come early next year. As we had reported before, the new devices will run on Android operating system. You did not expect them to run back to the Windows platform after their short tenure there before Nokia disappeared from phones completely.
“Finish company HMD will bring a new generation of mobile phones to consumers, with the first smartphone products set to be launched in the first half of 2017, alongside the existing Nokia branded feature phone business.
The launch of HMD comes just six months after the company signed a strategic licensing agreement with Nokia, giving HMD exclusive use of the Nokia brand on mobile phones and tablets worldwide for the next 10 years.
HMD has developed a unique strategic partnership model that will see it working with some of the world’s leading technology companies including Nokia, FIH Mobile Limited (FIH) and Google. Future Nokia smartphones will utilise Google’s Android operating system, currently deployed on 86 [percent] of the world’s smartphones.
HMD is developing an exciting new consumer centric product range which will focus on innovation, quality and experience, alongside the iconic Nokia mobile phone attributes of design, robustness, and reliability.”
-HMD’s Statement
Microsoft sold Nokia to Foxconn subsidiary FIH mobile back in May for $350 million. That is exactly the same period rumours about Nokia’s comeback with Android powered devices initially surfaced.
Sources; The guardian
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