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HMD Global hails new era for Nokia by harking back to an old one.
If Nokia’s brief hiatus from the handset market wasn’t over before this year’s Mobile World Congress, it certainly is now.
The Finnish company – HMD Global, that is, which has the rights to use the Nokia brand – showed off three new Android phones on Sunday: the mid-range 6, and the more affordable 5 and 3. Anyone waiting for a Nokia 4 to come out will probably be disappointed: Nokia historically avoids using the number four in deference to Asian consumers, many of whom consider the number four to be unlucky.
The most interesting number in HMD’s announcement though, was 3310. As expected, the company has resurrected the name and taken design cues from one of its most successful handsets and applied them to a brand new feature phone priced at €50.
Somewhat ironically, HMD hailed the launch as a new era for Nokia’s handset brand, even though the new 3310 harks back to a former one.
"Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognisable phone brands globally for decades. In the short time since HMD was launched into the market, the positive reception we’ve had has been overwhelming," said Arto Nummela, CEO of HMD Global.
"Our efforts in bringing together world class manufacturers, operating systems and technology partners sees us proudly unveiling our first global portfolio of smartphones with a Nokia soul, delivering the very best experience to everyone," he said.
The 6 might well be the flagship, with its 5.5-inch screen, aluminium unibody, and €299 price tag, but the new 3310 is the talk of MWC. Like the first 3310, it comes in a range of bright colours, and its battery allows for 22 hours of talk time in a single charge. More importantly, the 3310 comes with a brand new, colour version of the legendary Snake game.
"We wanted to reward loyal Nokia phone fans and make a statement that rich heritage, innovation and modern design can go hand-in-hand," said Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer of HMD Global.
HMD is still working on actual launch dates for its new phones; it plans to announce local availability during the second quarter.
