Nokia phone maker HMD to launch smartphones under own brand by mid-2024

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HMD Global, the licensor of Nokia phones, said it will introduce its own brand of smartphones by mid-year under its new brand strategy.

"We have plans to do so much more as we introduce the world to the new HMD. We want to be a catalyst for positive and profitable change by embracing a multi-brand strategy: crafting new HMD original devices, creating Nokia phones, and collaborating with well-known global partners," Jean-Francois Baril, HMD Co-founder, Chairman and CEO said.

Under the new strategy, which is coming into effect this year, the company will launch smartphones only under its brand name, HMD. The new smartphones will be focused on sustainability and repairability.

According to Counterpoint Research, HMD has about one percent market share in India but considers the South Asian nation its most critical one. The company will likely launch the HMD-branded devices first in India, a priority market. Ravi Kunwar, Vice President - India & APAC at HMD, said that the company is confident about a strong, smart 5G portfolio for India and other markets, which it plans to launch soon.

The Nokia brand, for which HMD has the license until the end of 2026, will be limited to feature phones. It will launch a new feature phone by May this year. HMD has also partnered with Mattel to bring a Barbie flip phone, which will be introduced globally by July.

The company has also announced HMD Fusion, which is a new smartphone-style device, running on Android with an unlocked bootloader that will allow users to program their own hardware accessories to suit their needs. The smartphone form-factor will come with a built-in screen and battery and an array of six pogo pins on the back of the device, which are designed to allow the attachment of hardware accessories.

Currently, HMD Global makes almost all of its smartphone and feature phone models in India through contract manufacturing partnerships with Foxconn, Dixon Technologies, and Lava International. It recently started exports of the Nokia 105 featurephone, the first one to cost below Rs 1,000, to a few African markets since August last year.

(The reporter is in Barcelona to cover the Mobile World Congress at the invitation of Xiaomi)