Nokia officially confirms return of new Android smartphones in early 2017
Earlier this year, Nokiaโs CEO confirmed its return to the smartphone business by formally announcing a partnership with Finnish firm HMD Global, which will manufacture smartphones running Android as well as feature phones under the Nokia brand as part of a ten-year licensing deal.
Today, Nokiaย announcedย that its agreement with HMD has officially “come into force” with the first batch of Android smartphones bearing the Nokia name making their debut in the first half of 2017.
With immediate effect, HMD Global will own the existingย Nokiaย branded feature phone business and continue to market them as part of an integrated portfolio. They will also be leading the new range of smartphones and tablets launched in near future.
“Under the agreement,ย Nokiaย will receive royalty payments from HMD for sales of everyย Nokiaย branded mobile phone and tablet, covering both brand and intellectual property rights. Moreover,ย Nokiaย is not an investor or shareholder in HMD” and “HMD has developed a unique strategic partnership model that will see it working with some of the world’s leading technology companies includingย Nokia, FIH Mobile Limited (FIH) and Google. Futureย Nokiaย smartphones will utilise Google’s Android operating system”, the company said in a press note.
With the announcement, one can see theย Nokiaย branded phones listed on theย Nokiaย official website. Nokia in the website states that the company is โunlocking new and extraordinary possibilities for billions of people.โ However, only the existing range of Nokia feature phones is available as of now – many of which were actuallyย launched by Microsoftย on the site. You can now findย support information for each of themย onย Nokia.comย too along with details of those devices.
HMD Globalโs CEO,ย Arto Nummela, who was previously theย Vice President for Microsoftโs Mobile Devices business for Greater Asia, Middle East, and Africa stated:
โToday marks a happy and important day for HMD. Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognisable phone brands globally for decades. The excitement of re-introducing this much-loved, well-known and trusted brand to smartphone consumers is a responsibility and an ambition that everyone at HMD shares.
Driven by the extremely positive reception we have received since HMD was announced earlier this year, we are excited about building the next chapter for Nokia phones. We see this as a brilliant opportunity to solve real life consumer problems and to deliver on the quality and designs that the Nokia brand has been always known for. Our talented and passionate team is uniquely placed in this modern setup to deliver our promise of reliable, beautifully crafted and fun Nokia phones for consumers across the globe.โ
Brad Rodrigues, Interim President ofย Nokiaย Technologies, said, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown around the world for the return of theย Nokiaย brand to smartphones. Theย HMD Global team has the ambition, talent and resources to bring a new generation ofย Nokiaย branded phones to market, and we wish them every success. I’m sure our millions ofย Nokiaย fans will be excited to see their new products!”
There are already hints of what we can expect next year. The site says Nokia is, โbusy working on smartphones running Android,โ and that itโs, โjust getting started, with new smartphones coming in 2017.โ