This week the folks at HMD Global (the home of Nokia phones) revealed the start of their plans for 5G hardware in North America. The first step on this roadmap, they said, was making the Nokia 8.3 5G available for purchase inside the United States. Part of this launch is making the claim that this device is "a global, future-proof Android smartphone that supports evolving 5G network deployments around the globe."
The Nokia 1 isn't exactly a phone that would wow people, not unless you're impressed by how basic and affordable it is. Of course, its whole point was to deliver an Android experience that almost anyone can afford, regardless of budget constraints. Most phones on this tier often get forgotten after they land in the market. HMD Global, however, is proving it isn't like the others and is rolling out the phone's second and probably last major Android update.
Qualcomm made a rather surprising revelation when it announced the Snapdragon 690, opening the doors even for mid-range phones to promise support for 5G networks, whether or not it makes sense for some markets. Of course, this smartphone tier is populated by innumerable brands and models that start to look and sound like each other. There are, of course, a few names that stand out in the market, like Motorola's G series and HMD Global's Nokia phones, the latter of which is already gearing up to call dibs on Qualcomm's new mobile platform.
Although smartphones have become more in demand these days, not everyone actually needs all the bells and whistles that will cost them an arm and a lag and who knows what else. Some people just need the basics of connecting to the Internet, watching HD videos on YouTube, and taking some passable photos. For these types of smartphone users, HMD Global's newest trio of Nokia-branded smartphones on Cricket Wireless might do the job without burning a hole in their wallets.
There has been a great emphasis these days on the important role that smartphones, computers, and apps are playing during these uncertain times but, for some people, they can also be a source of stress. The incessant notifications and tempting distractions can be counterproductive or downright nerve-wracking. For those who want to remain connected with friends and loved ones but without any bells or whistles, HMD Global is launching the Nokia 125 and Nokia 150 feature phones for that exact purpose with a dash of entertainment sprinkled on top.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted our normal ways of life, especially businesses and schedules that have more or less been running smoothly just a few months ago. Many companies, particularly banks and network operators, have offered customers some grace period for bills that are due during quarantine periods. So far, those extensions have only applied to things that have to be paid. Now HMD Global is extending that same practice to things that are also expiring in the next few weeks: your phone warranty.
Nokia has announced a flood of new smartphones for all walks of life and price tiers. For some people, however, even the Android Go Nokia 1.3 might be overkill for their basic needs. When those basic needs simply involve voice calls, SMS, and music, the Nokia 5310 may be the affordable phone you'll want. And if that name sounds familiar, that's because it's a revival of yet another Nokia classic phone that made the XpressMusic brand a thing.
The Nokia 5.3 was revealed today at the same time as the Nokia 8.3 5G. The 8.3 is a larger smartphone for a significantly larger price, while the Nokia 5.3 looks a whole lot like the larger device, but costs less. The big differences are there - the display is smaller, there are fewer pixels in the display, the display has a water drop notch instead of a punch hole notch, but the back looks very similar. Does that mean that the Nokia 5.3 is a shocking sort of deal?
The Nokia 8.3 5G was revealed in full today by the company with a set of specifications that appear to far outweigh its price. The Nokia 8.3 5G sports a nearly full-frontal coverage display with a bit of a chin and a punch-hole for its front-facing camera, and a circular camera array at the back. This device will be what Nokia describes as the "first truly global 5G smartphone."
There was a time, during Google's big push towards the "Next Billion", when it was more aggressively pushing its Android Go "flavor" to both OEM partners and consumers. That push seems to have died down a little, as the market once more turned its attention to the high-end, the novel, and the expensive. Now along comes HMD Global and its mission to corner all the corners of the market on all tiers, announcing the Nokia C2 as the newest and so far the only new Android Go phone in the market.
HMD Global has always prided itself on the vanilla Android experience it ships on its Nokia-branded phones. It has committed to sticking close to the Android One "flavor" on most of its models, shipping the trimmed down Android Go on a few of its most basic handsets. That said, its track record in actually pushing out those updates has been inconsistent at best and this news of further delays with the company's Android 10 update won't be doing it any favors in terms of public image.
Everyone's going square or very large rectangles these days, at least as far as camera bumps on smartphones are concerned. Before that, however, Motorola introduced the world to a circular camera style, a legacy that HMD Global is apparently trying to continue. That design is coming to the manufacturer's mid-range Nokia and, for better or for worse, the Nokia 5.3 going to look like some other Nokia phones before it.