Nokia Phones Might Disappear for Good as HMD Strengthens its Own Brand

The Nokia name might soon be retired from the smartphone market once again, as current licence-holder HMD Global appears set to transition to its own brand for new smartphones. It could launch its first models as soon as this month, at the upcoming MWC 2024 exhibition. At least one HMD-branded smartphone has already been leaked. As of February 1, the company has renamed its social media accounts and is redirecting visitors from the Nokia website to www.hmd.com.

Leaks appearing over the past weeks seem to confirm that an HMD-branded phone, with the model designation N159V, will be one of the first to launch. It will reportedly be an affordable smartphone with a plastic body and dual rear cameras, though no specifications have yet been confirmed. Another leak, caught by Finnish website Suomimobili, apparently showed a promotional image for an upcoming model with a strikingly modern look and “108 MP OIS” printed on its camera module, indicating a 108-megapixel resolution with optical image stabilisation. One image published on HMD’s new website also shows a different phone, this time with rounded sides and a flat bevelled top and bottom, reminiscent of past Nokia Lumia models, though this might just be a design mockup. As many as six models are currently in the works.

The company still lists a few current Nokia smartphones, feature phones, tablets and accessories on its website but might not launch any new products with the Nokia name. Interestingly, HMD Global’s brand licensing agreement with Microsoft runs till 2026, and CEO Jean-Francois Baril had announced in September last year that HMD-branded products would coexist with Nokia ones.

HMD Global, which tagged itself “the home of Nokia phones”, will now simply be known as HMD, which stands for Human Mobile Devices. The company was formed in 2015 by several ex-employees of Nokia, following the acquisition of Nokia’s devices division by Microsoft, and then the eventual failure of Windows Phone which led to Microsoft exiting the smartphone business.

It is likely that India will be a priority market for HMD, as it can leverage its existing network and in-house resources. While the company doesn’t seem to be relying on the historical goodwill of the Nokia brand anymore, it has promised to focus on quality, affordability, and sustainability. HMD’s new mission statement says its phones will be designed to last for years, and it points to the easy at-home repairability of recent Nokia models, the G22 and G42 5G, as examples of its environmental consciousness.