Last month, two new Nokia-branded feature phones - the 150 and 150 Dual SIM - were unveiled. The devices were the first products to be announced by HMD Global, a Finnish company that is developing new handsets licensing the Nokia brand, including a new family of Android smartphones.
HMD said in December that its first new smartphones would launch in 2017, although few details have so far been confirmed about its plans. But as NokiaPowerUser reports, it appears that HMD has plans to roll out a full range of devices before the end of the year.
The information emerged from a presentation recently held by Malaysia's Avaxx Corportation - a company that previously worked with Nokia, and more recently with Microsoft, to distribute their devices across the country. A photo taken at that event reveals some key information about what's on the way.
Behind the presenter, apparently in the same typeface as the Nokia logo, a sign claimed that "something amazing is coming". But more important is the information shown on the display above that, showing "what to expect in 2017".
Along with a logo for the Star Wars movie of the same name, declaring "the empire strikes back", the slide shown on the screen says that "HMD will launch Nokia Android Smartphones by Q2 2017". It's not clear if that refers to the local launch in Malaysia, or a global launch in multiple markets. However, HMD chief executive Arto Nummela said recently that its new Nokia-branded phone business will operate "globally from day one".
The slide also states that a "total of 6-7 models will be available by end 2017, [including] entry, mid and high end smartphones". Nummela said last month that HMD's Nokia devices will offer "premium execution in each and every price point... and we know how important our mid-to-low price point devices [are]".
The slide also confirmed that "HMD will continue to innovate and launch [a] series of attractive Nokia Feature Phones and maintain the market share".
Launching at least half a dozen Android phones within a year sounds like a very ambitious start for the company. HMD made it clear in December that its products are "going to be extremely competitive in terms of the specifications and price", but added that that it is "not going to be highlighting the megapixels or gigahertz" of its devices.
Source: NokiaPowerUser
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