The first smartphone carrying the brand name of one of the most iconic mobile device makers in the world – Nokia – won’t be available anywhere except China when it launches.
Last month, we reported that HMD Global had acquired the rights to use the Nokia name on their smartphones. The first batch of phones was supposed to comprise one flagship model – the Nokia P – as well as two mid-range variants. Nokia P is believed to have some solid specs: 6 GB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and a 23 MP rear camera with a Carl Zeiss lens.
The latest news is that HMD will first be releasing a Nokia 6 “premium design” smartphone in China in partnership with e-commerce portal JD.com.
This will be their first foray into the smartphone market after a brief period of Windows Phones that never really took off in a big way. However, there are several loyal users of Windows Phone devices that Microsoft is still taking care of with updates.
We now know that the first smartphone from the Finnish phone maker will be called Nokia 6, and will be marketed exclusively in China in partnership with e-commerce portal JD.com. We know this because the company announced a “premium design” for the phone, saying that it was appeal to the local market.
Why China, one might ask. In a statement issued today, HMD said that the decision was “a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world. With over 552 million smartphone users in China in 2016, a figure that is predicted to grow to more than 593 million users by 2017, it is a strategically important market where premium design and quality is highly valued by consumers.”
Flattery will get you everywhere, HMD. Nice going!
The specs on the Nokia 6 will be very different from the Nokia P. The screen is a bigger “hybrid in-cell 5.5” screen” with full HD and covered in 2.5D Gorilla Glass. It will run the latest version of Android Nougat, and sports 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB memory. The Dolby Atmos system backed by dual amplifiers promises a rich audio experience, but the 16 MP / 8 MP camera configuration seems a little outdated for 2017.
The Nokia 6 is expected to be launched in early 2017 at a price of 1699 CNY, approximately $245.
This is a big announcement for HMD and the Nokia brand, but we’re a little disappointed that they’ve made the choice to launch in the Chinese market. The good news from all this is that the Nokia P is now still open for key markets like the United States and Europe. Hopefully, we’ll know more about that when the Mobile World Congress rolls around at the end of February.
For now, HMD has confirmed that there are “more to come in H1 2017.”
Stay tuned.
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