Nokia WILL Release Two Android Phones In 2017: Nokia 6 Was Just The Beginning

Nokia's return to the mobile space is now under way with the Nokia 6. But this is just the beginning...

This year, 2017, is the year when Nokia returns to the smartphone space; hopefully triumphantly. Nokia's deal with Microsoft has now expired, to the firm can once again launch its own devices with its own branding onboard.

It won't be Lumia or Windows Phone any more, nope, what we're looking at is Android all the way. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Nokia is BACK!

Nokia & HMD: What's The  Deal?

While Microsoft might be gone, Nokia isn't without partners in this endeavour, although partners isn't exactly the right word. Nokia is now OWNED by HMD, another Finnish company. But who are HMD? 

Here's how the company describes itself in its official marketing materials: 

"Nokia is known around the world for its history of innovation, including in mobile phones. As the new home of Nokia phones, HMD will write the next chapter for these products. HMD plans for its future Nokia branded smartphones and tablets to run on the Android operating system, uniting one of the world’s iconic mobile brands with the leading mobile software and app development community."

On December 1 2016, HMD Global has issued a press release on the subject of its plans with Nokia in 2017. Amongst the details there is confirmation of new handsets arriving next year. The company stated that "new Nokia smartphones on Android operating system [will be] available in H1 2017."

"Today marks a happy and important day for HMD. Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognisable phone brands globally for decades. The excitement of re-introducing this much-loved, well-known and trusted brand to smartphone consumers is a responsibility and an ambition that everyone at HMD shares.

Driven by the extremely positive reception we have received since HMD was announced earlier this year, we are excited about building the next chapter for Nokia phones. We see this as a brilliant opportunity to solve real life consumer problems and to deliver on the quality and designs that the Nokia brand has been always known for. Our talented and passionate team is uniquely placed in this modern setup to deliver our promise of reliable, beautifully crafted and fun Nokia phones for consumers across the globe."

• HMD Global enters the market today, to create a new generation of Nokia branded mobile phonesthrough an exclusive 10-year brand licensing agreement  
• Effective immediately, HMD will own the existing Nokia branded feature phone business, providing global market reach and scale 
• HMD Global leadership team announced; ambition to become significant player in the global smartphone market  
• Strategic partnership model with leading industry players and world-class expertise to bring the very best Nokia mobile phone experience to global consumers

The Nokia brand, as rumoured, is returning to the mobile space to make Android-powered smartphones and tablets. The news was confirmed in a press release from the company, which is now owned by HMD, a new company set up to enable the proliferation of Nokia-branded phones and tablets.

Here’s the official line from HMD on what’s happening:

“HMD has been founded to provide a focused, independent home for a full range of Nokia-branded feature phones, smartphones and tablets. To complete its portfolio of Nokia branding rights, HMD announced today that it has conditionally agreed to acquire from Microsoft the rights to use the Nokia brand on feature phones, and certain related design rights. The Microsoft transaction is expected to close in H2 2016. Together these agreements would make HMD the sole global licensee for all types of Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets. HMD intends to invest over USD 500 million over the next three years to support the global marketing of Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets, funded via its investors and profits from the acquired feature phone business.”

Nokia will not be investing any money in the project but it will receive royalties and sit on the board of HMD’s directors. Quite a few of Nokia’s old top brass will be returning to the fold as well.

“This agreement will give HMD full operational control of sales, marketing and distribution of Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets, with exclusive access to the pre-eminent global sales and distribution network to be acquired from Microsoft by FIH, access to FIH’s world-leading device manufacturing, supply chain and engineering capabilities, and to its growing suite of proprietary mobile technologies and components,” said HMD in a press release.

What this means is simple: Nokia WILL return with Android phones and tablets, as well as wearables off the back of its Withings acquisition. 

Nokia's MWC 2017 Plans And Beyond: How Many Phones?

Nokia has confirmed that it will release two Android phones inside early 2017. Previous rumours pointed to a launch during Q4 2016, but this didn't occur. Nokia will apparently announce the phones at MWC 2017 and a release will follow shortly thereafter.

Nokia is also rumoured to be prepping a MASSIVE Android-powered tablet as well. And when we say massive, we really do mean massive – it’s said to have an 18in display.

The unnamed tablet showed up in benchmarks over the weekend and could well be Nokia’s plot for taking on Apple’s iPad Pro, as well as Microsoft’s Surface line of hybrids and laptops.

There will be at least two phone models: a mid-ranger and a flagship handset. The latter is naturally the one most people are interested in, as it is the phone that will go head-to-head with the likes of Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S8, which will get a release around the same time.

Word on the street suggests the flagship handset will pack in Qualcomm’s brand new and as-yet-unreleased Snapdragon 835 CPU and a whopping 6GB of RAM.

The other handset will also feature the Snapdragon 835, but make do with “only” 4GB of RAM. Carl Zeiss imaging will return on one or both of the handsets will feature a dual-lens camera setup, similar to what we saw on the LG G5 and iPhone 7 Plus earlier on in 2017.

As of January 4 2017, evidence has emerged in the form of a leaked presentation slide. The slide, shown in a photo picked up by NPU, apparently shows that ambitions for Nokia-branded Android devices in 2017 extend to a suite of as many as six or seven handsets. The slideshow was showcased by Malaysian device distributor Avaxx and shows that a "total of 6-7 models will be available by end 2017."

It adds that "Entry, Mid & High End Smartphones," will be part of this line-up. Over time it seems, perhaps with more and more positive media coverage, Nokia and HMD's plans have expanded from initially just a handful of two or three phones, then to five, and now to as many as six or even seven. Of course it's also possible that all of them were planned, or at least prototyped, all along and it's only that evidence has emerged gradually.

Nokia "Heart"

On January 23 2017, evidence has emerged that there may be a new lower-end Nokia model which is reportedly codenamed "Heart". The phone rocked up in a set of benchmark results on the GFXBench database; it shows that at its core this is similar to the Nokia 6 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 CPU, however, pretty much ever other spec on the sheet has been downgraded from the Nokia 6's spec line-up.

It's still running Android 7.0 Nougat, of course, and packs a 5.2in 720p display panel. The CPU is clocked at 1.4GHz and uses the Adreno 505 GPU and 2GB of RAM. There's 16GB of onboard storage, a 12MP primary camera and an 8MP secondary. With this lower spec, we'd expect a lower price; it has been rumoured that some new Nokia Android phones will cost as little as $150 and this could be a possible candidate as the Nokia 6 has a slightly higher spec and a $250 price tag in China.

The Nokia E1

One of the forthcoming models is the Nokia E1, a leak on Friday 6 January has revealed the specs for the device; a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor with an Adreno 308 GPU runs the show, along with 2GB RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. The touch display is a 720p setup at either 5.2in or 5.3in, while the cameras are a 13MP primary and a 5MP secondary.

The Nokia 6

The Nokia 6, meanwhile, leaked on China's Weibo social network where one lucky tipster managed to get some hands-on time with the device, including photos.

As mentioned, this phone, model number TA-1000, will only launch in China and is a mid-range model at $250, but features an aluminium metal body which perhaps gives us some indication of how the other devices in the series will look.

We get a view of the device from a range of angles, and it's looking pretty slick it must be said. The handset is a solid-black slate sculpted from a single piece of aluminium. The entire frontage is more of less taken up by its 5.5in 1080p display, which measures 5.5in diagonally.

As for specs, you’re looking at 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of onboard storage alongside microSD support, Snapdragon 430 CPU, a 16 megapixel main camera, and a 3,000 mAh battery.

The Nokia 6 will run Android Nougat out the box but, unfortunately, is only launching in China at the moment. The reason? China is still a growth market, so it will be easier for Nokia to establish itself there versus inside the more fixed and stagnant markets of Europe and the US.

This is a mid-range handset. The price will be low, hence HMD’s focus on China where price is a HUGE driving force for adoption. The handset will be priced at around $245, making it very accessible – even in China’s market, alongside brands like Xiaomi.

The Nokia 6 will be available inside early January and will be exclusively available in China 

According to reports on January 11, the Nokia 6 might actually become an internationally released model in time. It's by no means confirmation, but a version of the Nokia 6 has been spotted passing its Bluetooth certification, and this is not the same version we've seen being prepped for launch in China either. The new model, seen listed in a database filing, carries the model number TA-1003, as opposed to the China version whih is TA-1000. The timing of the certification suggests that the handset may be in the preparatory stages of an announcement timed for the MWC 2017 expo in Barcelona in late February - an announcement at the event would likely be aimed globally.

Remember, however, that the Nokia 6 is still a mid-ranger, not a flagship phone, so we're still expecting a major release for a lead model from Nokia at MWC.

The Nokia 8

While reports have recently emerged of a Nokia 8 flagship being showcased at CES at Qualcomm's booth, the latest word suggests that it's not a Nokia device at all.

Earlier rumours have said the phone is expected to appear at MWC, but it seems Qualcomm showcased a handset at the CES expo, and even though photos were forbidden, someone sneakily snapped a few images and some video footage before leaking them out.

But apparently this might all be a load of bull, according to a claim from Qualcomm's PR department. Nokiamob has published an email from Qualcomm's Senior Manager of Public Relations, Catherine Baker, who outlines that the reports are "not accurate".

"Our [Snapdragon] 835 demos were on our own reference design devices which we use to demo our latest Snapdragon SOC's every year," she adds.

Firstly, this could just be damage control, but we have to take it at face value for now. That said, it doesn't mean that a Nokia 8 doesn't exist and won't be showcased at MWC 2017, it just means, if true, that this device leak isn't it.

Nokia Android: Price

Reports on December 11 indicate that Nokia's forthcoming Android handsets could in some cases be priced as low as $150. The word comes via Nokia Power User, which received information from a tipster, though notes that this is not one of their regular sources so they encourage caution. Anyway, the tipster notes that the 3GB RAM Nokia D1C will cost $200 while the 2GB RAM lower-end model will be only $150.

"Nokia D1C is going to be one of the first Nokia Android Phones to be launched as per this tip," wrote NPU, "It will be revealed to the world at MWC 2017. Again as claimed in another interview, Nokia Android Phones should be available very soon post their launch."

Nokia & HMD: Official Statements & Google Co-Op

Nokia has announced that its CEO, Rajeev Suri, will be speaking at a keynote at MWC 2017, alongside chief execs of major carrier networks and app and service developers. Meanwhile, Microsoft's CEO of its Asia-Pacific branch, James Rutherfoord, has gone on the record saying HMD Global - the firm which has acquired the rights to sell Nokia phones and is teaming up with Nokia itself - will launch multiple devices in 2016 and 2017.

HMD's Chief Executive, Arto Nummela, has been discussing the upcoming Nokia Android Phones now that the cat is out the bag. According to Nummela, who sat down with The Economic Times of India, the handsets will be true to Nokia’s existing design pedigree.

"It will be premium quality [and a] design that people will immediately recognise as Nokia," he said, revealing the company is planning to go "global from day one for our feature phone business.”

Nummela said Nokia will be extremely competitive with respect to pricing and specs.

"We have the brand equity and we want to leverage that to the fullest. Every product, marketing, will be true to the Nokia brand and the foundation of it.

"Stability, quality, reliability, and then we're bringing in innovation where it matters the most for [the] consumer, and removing the clutter. This will be seen through [the] Nokia line up coming to life again." he said.

On December 2 word has emerged that Google is "closely" involved with Nokia's new Android phones. The info comes via an article in Reuters, which was originally published featuring a comment about a "close partnership" between Nokia and Google for development of the new hardware, however, as Android Authority reports, the article has since been edited and the quotation removed for reasons unknown.

"Update: Reuters has since removed the “close partnership” comment from its article (which you can still read via The Way Back Machine), either indicating that HMD or Google requested its removal or that Reuters misunderstood the comments made by Arto Nummela on HMD’s collaboration with Google and clarified the text of the article," reads a new segment of AA's report.

The original reporting via AA is as follows:

"HMD Global CEO Arto Nummela told Reuters that its first forays into the Android smartphone world have been conducted in close partnership with Google."

"The details of that partnership are not public, but it would be easy to guess the kinds of advice Google would have for a new player in the Android space, especially one that casts as long a shadow as Nokia. For instance, if we see a Moto-esque “stock Android+” on the new Nokias, with a few custom tweaks on top, I wouldn’t be at all surprised."

As of November 21, Nokia itself has released details confirming its plans to release new smartphone devices in 2017. Nokia gave a presentation to investors at a Capital Markets Day event and a PDF file is now hosted on the firm's webpage which includes the slides for that presentation. Amongst the slides there is a roadmap for 2016-2018. For the 2016 we can see Nokia's recent acquisition of health tech firm Withings, "brand & patent licenses" under HMD, license agreement expansion with Samsung, and the firm's OZO VR Camera. 

For 2017, Nokia talks about plans for "expanded VR leadership", which could be interpreted in any number of ways, but dare we hope for a VR headset? "Digital Health" branding is also mentioned, probably capitalising on the Withings acquisition; it's possible we could see new health and fitness wearables from Nokia. There's also talk of further "patent licensing expansion in mobile, automotive and consumer electronics," which all sounds very promising. BUT, the real meat comes in this simple line:

"Nokia brand's return to smartphones."

Quite powerful in its understatement, no? Yes folks, Nokia is planning a smartphone revival in 2017 and it's now official. However, the news doesn't change the fact that the revival of the Nokia brand will still be a licensing partnership under the guidance of HMD, rather than Nokia producing the phones outright as it used to. More details on the HMD deal can be found further down this article.