HMD Global, which has been the vendor of Nokia branded phones from 2014, has announced plans to launch its own branded devices in future. HMD, also founded and headquartered in Finland just like Nokia, has been developing and launching smartphones under the Nokia brand for the past six years.
However, as part of its future strategy, the firm plans to expand its brand portfolio and introduce phones under its own HMD brand.
According to Jean-Francois Baril, the co-founder, chairman and CEO of HMD Global, the firm is “establishing an original HMD brand”.
“I am thrilled to announce a significant milestone in HMD’s evolution – we are establishing an original HMD brand. You can expect to see a new portfolio of HMD branded mobile devices, as well as Nokia devices and collaboration with exciting new partners. True to our values, HMD will continue to design for a more sustainable and affordable future for people. We will craft technology that is obsessed with the user experience and anticipates people’s needs,” Jean-Francois Baril stated on his Linkedin page.
To allay fears and imminent panic from Nokia fans that the brand would disappear as part of the firm’s new strategy, Jean-Francois Baril emphasized that the company’s “new multi-brand strategy will include an HMD original range as well as Nokia and other partners”.
“True to our values, HMD will continue to design for a more sustainable and affordable future for people. We will craft technology that is obsessed with the user experience and anticipates people’s needs.
I want to say a big heartfelt thanks to all of our employees, consumers, partners and investors for all of their support to date and continued support to come. Like many businesses, we faced unprecedented pressure in 2022 with the ongoing effects of the pandemic impacting global supply chains and high inflation and economic instability affecting consumers’ purchasing power. We reacted quickly, restructured our business and are seeing positive momentum in 2023 – our repairability, sustainability and detox products are landing incredibly well amongst consumer and business audiences alike.
It has been a great journey as ‘HMD – the home of Nokia phones’ – an exclusive position we have held for the past six years. Now, we’re the fastest growing 5G smartphone manufacturer year on year, a leader in sustainability with our repairable devices, and the top choice for taking a digital detox. 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.
At HMD, we are proud to have extensive worldwide distribution and operational networks, secure in-house software and R&D capabilities, a comprehensive enterprise solutions portfolio, a scalable e-commerce platform and a team of seasoned industry professionals. HMD is one of the largest mobile phone companies in Europe with our customer and corporate data stored here since 2019 and we are launched our journey to manufacturing to Europe this year.
Combined with a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable mobile devices to consumers around the world, every single one of us at HMD is excited for our future of designing innovative products that endure, reducing electronic waste, helping people keep their mobile devices for longer and making a positive impact on the planet,” stated the HMD boss.
Although its overall share in the global market in terms of shipments is hard to ascertain, Nokia devices have registered some significant gains in the recent past.
In mid 2022, Nokia HMD launched two new devices through Straight Talk and Tracfone, two of the most popular prepaid brands available at Walmart, the C100 and C200. The devices retailed for $39.99 and $69.99 respectively, placing them squarely in Walmart’s sweet spot. The devices key selling points were their low price and long battery life, the ley considerations for their target segment. According to Counterpoint Research, Nokia HMD also gained shelf space at Walmart with its Nokia 2760, a popular feature phone due to its $29.99 price tag, with a sales representative reporting that the device was the best-selling model at his outlet.
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