Scurrying back to the smartphone race is Nokia, after a somewhat strained stint under the ownership of Microsoft. That deal spewed competition-ready Lumia phones, but when that didn't become as profitable as Microsoft would've liked, it sold Nokia's mobile assets to HMD Global, a Finnish company founded specifically to reinvigorate the Nokia brand.
Now, HMD Global has announced the Nokia 6, the first smartphone to be released carrying the brand since its purchase of the company. The handset, however, is targeted mainly for users in China.
Nokia 6 Design
"The Nokia 6 is a result of listening to our consumers who desire a beautifully crafted handset with exceptional durability, entertainment and display features," said Arto Nummela, HMD Global's CEO.
The Nokia 6 features an all-aluminum design, and HMD Global says that the phone undergoes an anodizing process that takes over 10 hours to complete, resulting in an "aluminium unibody with the highest level of visual and structural quality."
Nokia 6 Specs
The Nokia 6 is the first Nokia smartphone made by HMD to ever come with Android, and the latest version at that, having been confirmed to ship with Nougat. Unlike previous Windows-powered Lumia smartphones, the Nokia 6 can readily tap into the expansive ecosystem offered by Android, which translates to a platform filled to the brim with apps.
Looking at the specs, it's pretty clear that the smartphone is poised to be a mid-range offering. There's a 5.5-inch screen at 1080p that's layered by 2.5D Gorilla Glass protection. On the back is a 16-megapixel camera, and on the front shooter is an 8-megapixel camera.
The phone has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 with X6 LTE modem which HMD says is designed for excellent battery life and graphics performance.
These specs surely don't suggest a phone that's housing powerhouse internals, although the handset should fare well against similarly priced mid-range entries in the Chinese market.
Pricing And Availability
The Nokia 6 will retail for CNY 1,699, around $245. It starts shipping in China early this year through online retailer JD.com.
Nokia had once dominated the smartphone market back when it wasn't too saturated with field players. As the arena became more competitive, it slowly lost a firm foothold in the business. It tried to regain some footing with the Lumia handsets, but those didn't catch on.
After Microsoft abandoned Nokia's smartphone business, HMD took over. In December, the company struck a licensing deal that gave it sole use of the Nokia branding on all future phones and tablets it'll manufacture. HMD is paying Nokia for the brand and patents, although the eponymous phone maker isn't directly involved with HMD, according to Reuters. Nokia is now more focused on its network equipment business.
HMD launched basic Nokia phones in December. The company says that it plans to launch more products on the first half of the year.
What do you think of the Nokia 6? Is its exclusive Chinese release a wise choice for the brand's early kickoff? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
