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HMD's first phone with its own branding sure looks like a Nokia
Our first unofficial look at the phone and we can't say that we're excited
The partnership has been sweet so far, but it was only a matter of time before HMD started heading in its own direction to build its identity and deliver to market devices of its own. Although we've seen leaks of these handsets as early as January, we are now getting an even better look, with a new set of renders that shows off the upcoming HMD device dubbed as the Pulse Pro.
Nokia phones have stood the test of time in not just the public consciousness, but also literally. They’re historically built like tanks, and after its first death in the phone industry, the brand gained a new life when internet meme culture took on its first legs. On the corporate side, the licensing of the Nokia name and phone line was sold in 2014 to Microsoft before being dumped again to Human Mobile Devices (HMD Global) in 2016. Since then, HMD has sold Android smartphones utilizing the Nokia name and even helped introduce the wild idea of user-repairable smartphones to the US, but that’s set to change going forward.
HMD Global branches out with a brand-new identity separate from Nokia
Co-founder reveals plans to introduce an independent line of smartphones
The smartphone industry is in a constant state of flux, characterized by cutthroat competition and shifting market trends. Within this intricate tapestry, HMD Global has carved a niche for itself, especially known for reviving the iconic Nokia brand for modern audiences. As time moves forward, there are whispers that this company is on the cusp of a monumental transformation.
HMD's newest user-repairable Nokia smartphone is coming to the US
Phone broke? Order new parts online and install them yourself
With smartphones as critical to our daily lives as they are, it's no wonder we want to get back up and running as soon as possible when something goes wrong. Recently, the movement towards giving smartphone owners the tools, components, and instructions they need to repair their own phones has been gaining a lot of ground. Earlier this year, we saw HMD Global introduce its own affordable and user-repairable Nokia smartphones, with a focus on Europe. Now we're getting ready to see if US smartphone shoppers are interested, too, with the launch of a new easy-to-repair Nokia model for T-Mobile.
Nokia’s new Circular phone subscription is built with sustainability in mind
Circular is an environmentally friendly way to buy a new phone
HMD Global, the brand behind recent Nokia phones, has used IFA 2022 to announce a variety of new gadgets and a new subscription service for some of them that focuses on sustainability. Nokia Circular is a new service designed to cut down on e-waste by leasing you a handset for a period of time and recycling the product at the end of its lifecycle. The scheme is first launching in the United Kingdom and Germany, but HMD Global intends to bring it to other markets soon.
New Nokia phones won’t feature Zeiss cameras
The partnership ended in 2021, but nobody seemed to notice
Future Nokia phones won't come with the Zeiss brand as they have done for over five years. HMD Global, the company that makes Nokia branded phones, has confirmed that its partnership with Zeiss optics has ended. In fact, the relationship between the two brands ended in 2021, but the company has now officially confirmed the news after NokiaMob noticed the branding had been removed from the Zeiss website.
Nokia's newest Android Go phones have removable batteries and other 2014 specs
Let's party like it's the 2010s again
As an Android brand, Nokia has found its own rhythm with phones — make them cheap without looking or feeling so, make them easy to maintain, and then (try to) maintain them. It's a strategy that has helped its parent company, HMD Global, achieve its first profitable year in 2021. And it hopes to continue that winning streak with a second batch of aggressively budget-minded products for 2022.
Nokia sales seemingly dry up across Europe in wake of German patent dispute
Including its home market of Finland
If you live in Europe, and you've tried to buy a Nokia phone recently, you might have run into a few problems finding one for sale. Granted, Europe is one of the main markets for Nokia devices, but it's not like demand for these HMD-made phones grew exponentially overnight. Instead, we appear to be seeing fallout stemming from a legal battle in Germany that ultimately forced the company to pull its phones from the nation.
The mobile landscape went under a pandemic-accelerated overhaul in the past couple of years. Huawei is no longer the foreign juggernaut it used to be, Honor is with new ownership, Oppo and OnePlus are in slow-motion homogenization, and LG is a complete non-factor in 2022. You'd think these developments would suck all the air out of Mobile World Congress, which is being held on-time this year as opposed to in last year's sweaty Iberian summer. Well, prepare for your breath to be taken away.
Nokia set for major US expansion with five new budget phones and two new wireless partners
HMD Global announces new partnerships with Dish Wireless and Consumer Cellular
HMD Global's news for the doomed CES 2022 show concerns what is its biggest US expansion since it started making Nokia-branded phones back in 2016. Not only is the Finnish company releasing five brand-new smartphones — all budget devices under $250 — but it's also announcing two major new wireless partnerships with Dish and Consumer Cellular. These phones may not be the most exciting products around, but the intent is clear. HMD sees an opportunity to grow its US business and it's going all out in 2022.
This Nokia mid-ranger is getting Android 12 before your phone
Quiet, you lucky Pixel and Galaxy fans
It came about as one model in an alphabet soup of releases this spring. Surprisingly, it was also set to be the first in its portfolio to receive Android 12. And in just a few days time, the Nokia X20 will indeed get it.
The Nokia 9 PureView won't be getting its second guaranteed OS upgrade, producer HMD Global has announced. The company has confirmed that the device will continue to receive security patches for the time being and is giving owners up to a half-off discount on a new device.
Get to know Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon chips that may end up powering your next phone
Nokia, Oppo, and Xiaomi have specific plans for some of these new SoCs
We might be in a chip shortage, but Qualcomm isn't afraid of pumping new product down the line. Four new Snapdragon chipsets have been announced and we know which smartphone manufacturers will be getting them.
The Nokia T20 might just be the one Android tablet you give (or get) for Christmas
Samsung and Lenovo definitely have things to say to that, but it's a good fight brewing
The Nokia name may never have left phones, but the brand has only been on a handful of tablets to date — just one of them running Android. But that changes today as HMD Global debuts the Nokia T20.
Nokia set to launch its second Android tablet ever on October 6
We hope it won't come with an Intel Atom CPU
You've come to know Nokia for its solid, modern feature phones and its cookie-cutter Android phones that get consistent updates. But will you come to love the company for its upcoming tablet?
Nokia's latest budget phone has a monstrous screen and two-day battery life
It's the Finnish company's cheapest 5G phone and the largest at this price point
HMD Global just keeps on pumping out reasonably-priced Android phones, with its latest model being the Nokia G50. It's immediately clear which niche this handset is targetting — it's the company's cheapest 5G phone yet, and with an HD+ display measuring 6.82 inches diagonally, it's the largest of its kind in this budget price range.
Since reviving Nokia's mobile handset business, HMD Global has been a good overall steward of it — especially in making consumers aware of its phones which are almost exclusively found online. Well, the company is now about to send four types of earbuds to American shores.
Nokia has managed to ruggedize a phone without making it look like complete crap
Durable XR20 announced alongside budget Nokia C30 and a bunch of audio accessories
After an uncharacteristic foray into the world of smart lighting, HMD Global just got back to business with the introduction of several new Nokia phones and accessories. The headline new piece of hardware is the XR20, a "don't call it rugged" phone that has some serious durability credentials while still looking like something you'd want to carry around. Also in tow is the C30 entry-level handset, a new feature phone, and far too many new sets of earbuds.
Nokia's newest phone costs less than a year of 4K Netflix
The G20 does not, however, have a 4K screen
After making a play with Android smartphones at all points of the price spectrum, Nokia Mobile pre-announced a slew of low-cost phones for the 2021 summer season. We now know when U.S. customers can expect to buy one of them and for how much.
Nokia's latest phone lands in the US with three years of updates for $150
A value proposition that's hard to beat
Nokia has pretty much stepped away from making premium phones at this point, mostly focusing on the budget market in the past few years. The brand launched a slew of affordable phones for the European market last month, and it's now bringing one of those phones to the US.