The next steps for HMD Global and Nokia

Nokia is a brand that can be considered well-loved in the Philippines. And HMD Global, the brand’s licensee, is still banking on that nostalgia to make sure consumers pay attention to its new products. As Shannon Mead, HMD Global’s country manager for the Philippines, said to us during a brief interview at the Nokia 7 plus and Nokia 1 launch, “I think what’s important to us is we need to take nostalgia and bring it into now. That’s why introducing smartphones, and introducing Android, and introducing Oreo is really important to be able to do that.”

And so, on top of the two new devices the brand is also bringing two more in the coming month that pays tribute to its past: the Nokia 6 and Nokia 8110 4G.
The Nokia 6 takes inspiration from the 6000 series with its aluminum unibody finished with two-tone anodization. Its 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display is protected by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass. It runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB internal storage. As an Android One device, you are promised to get the latest updates as soon as possible. It’s currently on Android 8.0 Oreo. The device also comes with a 3,000mAh battery, which supports USB Type-C fast charging.

It also comes with a 16-megapixel ZEISS rear camera with dual-tone flash and an 8-megapixel wide-angle front camera. This also comes with Dual-Sight technology, allowing you to take photos with the rear and front cameras simultaneously as well as broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube using these two cameras.
Whether you call it The Matrix phone or the banana phone, the Nokia 8110 4G pays tribute to that iconic feature phone. It runs on a Qualcomm 205 processor with what HMD Global calls “smart feature OS,” powered by KaiOS 2.5. It has 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage with expansion capabilities via MMC of up to 32GB, and a 1,500mAh battery. You get a 2.4-inch QVGA display with a curved screen and it has a 2-megapixel rear camera, which we’re guessing you won’t get much use out of. The phone does support FM radio and audio playback (AAC, AMR, MP3, MIDI, and Vorbis) if you want to bring your tunes with you. This device works both as a solid secondary device or main one if you’re thinking of getting a “dumb phone” and would probably make a good conversation starter for those who have lived long enough to have seen the original.

No word on pricing yet for both devices but we’ve been told they’re arriving next month. As for the Nokia 8 Sirocco, Mead told us, “The Nokia 8 Sirocco is an interesting proposition. It’s something we are assessing but there is no immediate plans to bring it to the market. When we’ve listened to what’s important to the Filipino consumer. It’s affordability and accessibility of technology. It’s a beautiful device but it may not be priced in the range that is affordable to everyone.” We might not see that Nokia flagship anytime soon then.