Nokia is not just the name of a company, but it is an emotion for many of us. The name and the iconic ringtone make us nostalgic and give us goosebumps. The dream run for the Nokia mobile division started in the early 1990s during which it manufactured world’s first mass-produced GSM phone, Nokia 1011.
In 1994, with Nokia 2110, the first phone that can send and receive messages, the company had taken the world by storm with its sleek design and then unique features like listing missed, dialed, and received calls. In 2002, by releasing Nokia 7650, world’s first phone to feature an in-built camera and first phone to run a sophisticated Symbian OS, it took the innovation to the next level and set the bar high. Henceforth, the growth of Nokia was skyrocketing until the advent of the first iPhone in 2007, and the release of the first Android-powered phone in 2008.
Nokia had to regroup its priorities to face the new competition and come up with innovative products to sustain in the market. By that time, Nokia had already mastered the manufacturing and assembly of smartphones and using then superior hardware in its phones. It had to either revamp its
Symbian OS or adapt feature rich Android to regain its falling market share. Unfortunately, the company failed in accomplishing either of the options available and eventually flattered. If anyone would have remained Nokia about the maxim: ‘a bird (Android) in the hand is equivalent to two in the bush ( revamping Symbian and Meego OS)’, Nokia would have avoided the apocalypse.
In 2011, as a move to resurrect the business, it started using Windows OS on their smartphones. Sadly, iOS and Android stores were soaring with thousands of apps by then, which had left no space for the development of Windows. In 2013, Microsoft bought the falling Nokia Mobile division to foray into the booming smartphone industry. Under the contractual agreement, Nokia shouldn’t sell the smartphones under its brand for a duration of thirty months.
During this thirty months, any company would have easily gone into the state of oblivion, but it is not the case with Nokia. Smartphone lovers across the world have been eagerly waiting for the come bank of the company. Eying on this craze, a fledgling Finnish company called HMD Global partnered with Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn to re-establish the brand. When the news came out, people went berserk and started waiting to keep their hands on a Nokia phone one more time.
The relaunch of Nokia
Now, the stage is set at MWC 2017 in Barcelona for the grand relaunch of Nokia. As per the recent leaks, HMD Global is going to announce three smartphones that run on Android namely Nokia 6,5,3 and a feature phone, which is a modern avatar of quintessential Nokia 3310. Before you get excited, you need to look on another side of the coin.
The smartphone industry has come a long way since the departure of Nokia. Tier one companies like Samsung, Apple, LG, HTC, etc., have been investing billions of dollars in R&D to produce the best in class smartphones. On the other hand, Chinese OEMs have streamlined and optimized their processes to manufacture phones that are high on specs and low on price.
The future looks murky
In an already jam-packed industry, to be successful, a new entrant should pull off a brilliant technology that can disrupt the industry.
However, it is highly unlikely that it would happen. HMD Global that will be developing and marketing Nokia phones is a nascent organization started in May 2016, so expecting them to perform maneuvers, atleast in 2017, is being over optimistic. On the other hand, Foxconn who is doing R&D and manufacturing has no expertise in mobile development.
Nokia 6 that has already been retailing China substantiates our claims. The phone is mediocre at best. It neither excels in any of the departments nor possesses any standalone features. It comes with a standard design, an ordinary camera, sub-par hardware, and an average battery. This phone is not even upto the standards of the Chinese phones in the same price bracket.
In a nutshell, if you are expecting Nokia phones to be out of the box or refreshing, then you need to brace yourselves to be disappointed. Also, we are highly skeptical about the after sales service as many of its service centers are not operational. Nevertheless, as a tech enthusiast, we are hoping HMD Global to turn around the fortunes and continue the legacy of Nokia.
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