HMD admits Nokia smartphone portfolio might be confusing to customers and they are working on it

In an interview for Gadgets360, HMD Global’s General Manager for Global Portfolio & Product Planning Pranav Shroff shared interesting thoughts about the Nokia portfolio of devices, their naming, challenges and future plans to make the lineup more concise.

When asked if the strategy of launching multiple similar devices filling every price point was working, Mr. Shroff explained that the 2017 lineup was very clear consisting of the Nokia 3, 5, 6 and 8, while in 2018 the strategy was to make a Nokia phone for everyone. He admits that things went off with the “Plus” models in second half of 2018, but another problem was also that older devices received discounts that made them a better choice than the newly introduced device, creating competition inside the house.

Mr. Shroff’s initial approach was when, for example, a new Nokia 3 is announced, the old one will be discontinued, but that isn’t how it works in practise and consumers don’t get that there is a new generation, and that’s something HMD is working on.

Commenting about the future, he said that the intention is to make the lineup simpler, reduce or completely remove the “Plus” devices and bring the simplicity in naming back as it was envisioned to be.

Regarding the Nokia 9 PureView launch in India, HMD’s  Portfolio Manager said that the device was delayed because of market prioritization. He said that less than 1% consumers buy devices above the 30,000 INR mark, so the company decided to prioritise bringing the affordable devices like the 2.2, 3.2, and 4.2. “We will definitely bring Nokia 9 PureView here,” said Mr. Shroff, so it’s just a matter of time before users in India get the chance to buy the device.

You can read the full interview at Gadgets360.