The new Nokia X20 smartphone from HMD Global.
Ryan Browne | CNBC
LONDON – The company behind the Nokia mobile phone brand on Thursday updated its range of smartphones with a number of new budget models as it struggles to compete with established players such as Samsung and Apple.
Finnish start-up HMD Global has been licensed to design and sell Nokia phones since it bought the mobile phone division of the telecommunications group from Microsoft in 2016. Since then, the firm has launched several smartphones and “phones mute “, including revamped versions of nostalgic devices like the 8110” banana phone “and the 2720 flip phone.
On Thursday, the company announced six new smartphones. They are divided into three different series: X, which is at the top of the range in terms of prices and specifications; G, which is a little more affordable than X; and C, which is the cheapest in the group. Prices start at 75 euros ($ 89) for the Nokia C10, while the Nokia X20 is the most prominent device of all six, retailing at 349 euros, or about $ 415.
For that price, you’ll get a 6.67-inch screen, four cameras on the back with a 64-megapixel main lens, and the ability to connect to super-fast 5G internet. The X20 and X10, cheaper, priced at 309 euros, run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 480 5G chipset, run on Google’s Android operating system and include three years of security updates, in addition to three years of warranty, one more year than that offered by the G and C series.
The X20 also has a “dual view” feature that allows you to use two cameras on your phone at the same time to capture different angles of a shot.
Using the dual view camera feature of the Nokia X20.
Ryan Browne | CNBC
It will not include a charger in the box for sustainability reasons, coming with a fully compostable case. The phone will ship to Europe next month, while U.S. availability has not yet been revealed.
Fierce competition
Nokia has struggled to gain strength in the smartphone market, due to fierce competition from Apple, Samsung and Chinese players like Huawei and Xiaomi. This is a problem that haunts manufacturers like Sony and LG. The latter, which was one of the best Android brands, said it would leave the smartphone market earlier this week.
“I think it will continue to be very difficult for (Nokia) to be able to compete in the highest portfolios of the market, so they are now targeted at lower price ranges,” said Francisco Jerónimo, associate vice president of European market research devices. the IDC firm told CNBC.
“On the other hand, they’ve been working hard to penetrate the B2B (business-to-business) market, which is a really good opportunity for them because there aren’t many players offering an attractive portfolio.”
Nokia-branded smartphones accounted for just 0.6% of the market last year, according to IDC data, which shipped fewer handsets than LG and China’s Honor. However, HMD has performed well on feature phones (also known as “mute phones”), with a 16% share of this market by 2020.
HMD expects to rely on business sales and new services to find other sources of revenue. The company, which has the financial backing of Nokia, Google and other large investors, last year launched a worldwide data roaming SIM card called HMD Connect. It achieved its balance after prioritizing online sales of the coronavirus pandemic.
HMD is also launching a new mobile network in the UK called HMD Mobile. It will operate as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, which means you have to rely on the network infrastructure of another telecommunications company. Packages will start at GBP 6.50 (USD 9) per month. It will not be launched with 5G immediately, but the firm said it is working on preparing the “5G” service.