If you need a new inexpensive smartphone without superfluous bells and whistles, take a peek at the Nokia 3.1. This month we had the Nokia 3.1 in-pocket for review and came away suitably impressed. This phone costs $159, runs Android One, and has a guarantee for two years of OS updates and three years of monthly security patches. It's exactly what the most baseline Android smartphone should be - at well below the price one might expect.
HMD Global has so far proven itself to be a very admirable Android OEM that is returning the Nokia brand to its former glory. While its numbering scheme seems to be just as puzzling as the old Nokia, it is also producing well-designed and affordable devices with a commitment to pure Android and fast updates. But even HMD Global has been affected by the notch fever that is gripping the market. And if you thought you were safe because the Nokia X6 is confined to China, leaks of a Nokia 5.1 Plus might shatter that illusion.
Here in the summer of 2018 there's a lull in technological advancements in smartphones. You don't need a new smartphone - you can get a device released last year, or even the year before that, that has most or all of the same essential features released in phones coming this year. There's a bit of a trick going on that only those that've been buying smartphones since the start of this phenomena understand already.
Move over OnePlus 6, there might be a new Android darling soon. We have most of the flagship Android phones this year, save for one or two still to come, and thought we’ve seen them all. HMD Global and Nokia, however, may have something still up their sleeves. A certain Nokia “A1 Plus” or “A1P” or “AOP”, which could be the Nokia 9, has been mentioned in a recent leak and, given the OEM’s reputation, it might have the best combination of hardware and software this year.
Google invested in a mobile OS called KaiOS this month, and it's no secret that it's not based in Android. What we're looking at here is a company that makes an operating system that's focused on feature phones - but feature phones that are smart. Sort of like bridging the gap between non-smart and smart phones. KaiOS might well be a big part of Google's future in emerging markets around the world.
This week we're having a peek at the upcoming Nokia 9, a device that's most certainly going to be more exciting than the other Nokia number phones - right? We can only hope. To become more exciting than the other phones they've released over the past couple years, Nokia is rumored to be bringing on technology that the brings heat to Apple and Samsung's feet - the likes of which we've only yet seen in China.
One of Nokia's most affordable Android phones, the Nokia 3.1, will go on sale in the US on July 2, with a surprisingly low price of $159 unlocked. Part of HMD Global's 2018 Nokia-branded range, the Nokia 3.1 may not be made by the original team, but it does get that all-important logo and some features you'd expect to see on a much more expensive device.
The Nokia 3.1, one of three new smartphones HMD announced late last month, is now available to preorder in the United States. You won't get your hands on the phone right away, but preorders have gone live on Amazon with shipping listed as July 2. This budget phone won't break the bank at $159 USD, but is it worth buying at all?
HMD has released an update for the Nokia 8, adding a Pro Camera mode to the handset's camera software. This mode, as its name suggests, enables users with more advanced photography knowledge to better control the individual elements of the camera. Users are given manual control over focus, white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and more.
Earlier this month, Nokia revealed that it would be selling off its Digital Health business to Withings co-founder Eric Carreel, returning the brand to its roots. Nokia had acquired Withings in 2016, forming its Digital Health division around it. However, the company had since been looking for a buyer for the division, and that's where Carreel came in.
HMD has unveiled the new Nokia 5.1, 3.1, and 2.1 Android smartphone models, the first two of which are Android One devices. The company plans to launch the phones this summer starting with the Nokia 3.1 next month. All three phones fall into the affordable price range, expanding the number of relatively budget-friendly handsets offering a pure Android experience.
HMD Global has quite a number of Nokia phones in the market, but not all of them are available everywhere. There might even be some that are exclusive to just one market. That is definitely true for the newly announced Nokia X6, which seems to be destined for China only. But perhaps because of the "traffic" the new smartphone is producing, HMD Global's Juho Sarvikas is putting the Nokia X6's fate in the hands of the people.