Nokia Plans China Comeback With Its First USD245 Android Smartphone

(YicaiGlobal) Jan. 9 — Finnish smartphone and tablet maker HMD Global released its first Android smartphone, the Nokia 6 at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the world’s biggest annual tech expo. The product has been developed for the Chinese market and priced at CNY1,699 (USD245).

The Nokia 6 will be produced by Foxconn Technology Group and will only be sold in the Chinese market on JD.com, HMD said.

Its decision to launch the first Android Nokia smartphone reflects HMD’s desire to meet the actual needs of consumers in different markets worldwide and China is a very important strategic market, the company said in a statement.

Nokia was a dominant mobile phone brand in the global market but it failed to grasp the opportunities arising from the market transition toward smartphones. In 2014, Microsoft officially acquired Nokia’s device and service businesses and started selling low-price basic phones and the Lumia smartphone series under the Nokia brand.

However, the US technology multinational carried out massive divestitures of these businesses in 2016.

In Dec. 2016, Nokia’s new owner, HMD Global, went into operation. It has taken over Nokia feature phones and has been granted the exclusive global license to use the Nokia brand on mobile phone and tablet products for the next 10 years, after signing a strategic authorization agreement with Nokia.

HMD will pay Nokia brand and patent royalties without receiving any direct investment from the company. Nokia currently specializes in telecommunication network equipment and technology patent businesses.

HMD will launch more products in the first half of 2017, the company said.