Nokia's HMD Global to Launch HMD-Branded Smartphones Soon: All Details

HMD Global has been releasing smartphones under the Nokia brand for the past seven years. The Finnish company on Tuesday (September 12) revealed new plans to launch its own line of smartphones. HMD Global is looking to expand its portfolio with the new HMD brand and it will co-exist alongside Nokia handsets. The Nokia 6 was launched in 2017 as the first Nokia-branded Android smartphone by HMD Global. It was initially unveiled in China and was exclusive there for a few months before being made available in other markets. The latest handset by HMD Global in India is the Nokia G42 5G.

Jean-Francois Baril, CEO of HMD Global, announced on Linkedin that the company will be expanding its portfolio with a new HMD brand. He said that the company will launch a new portfolio of HMD-branded mobile devices, as well as Nokia devices and collaboration with new partners. "It has been a great journey as ‘HMD – the home of Nokia phones' – an exclusive position we have held for the past six years", said Baril. He stated that HMD Global is “the fastest growing 5G smartphone manufacturer year on year” and a leader in sustainability with repairable Nokia devices.

"Now we are ready for the next step on our journey — to enter the market independently as a force to create a new world for telecommunications focused on consumer needs," he said. The LinkedIn post does not delve into details regarding the new HMD products and their potential release date.

HMD Global launched its first phone — Nokia 6 back in 2017. This was followed by handsets including Nokia 8, Nokia 2, and several Nokia branded phones. Recently, the company unveiled the Nokia G42 5G in India with a price tag of Rs. 12,599 for a sole 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model. It is offered in So Grey and So Purple colour options and will go on sale starting September 15 through Amazon.

The Nokia G42 5G features a 6.56-inch HD+ (720 x 1,612 pixels) LCD display with 90Hz refresh rate and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 480+ SoC, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It has a triple rear camera unit, led by a 50-megapixel primary sensor. It is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 20W wired fast charging support.