HMD to launch many Nokia branded (smart)phones?
GSM China has discovered 17 new device codes belonging to the Nokia brand. The codes are as follows:
- TA-1603
- TA-1607
- TA-1609
- TA-1610
- TA-1611
- TA-1612
- TA-1613
- TA-1614
- TA-1615
- TA-1616
- TA-1617
- TA-1618
- TA-1619
- TA-1621
- TA-1622
- TA-1625
- TA-1628
The code numbers cannot indicate whether the devices are smartphones or feature phones, nor can they confirm whether we are witnessing 17 distinct models or just two models with various market variants.
This news is somewhat unexpected, considering HMD has undergone significant changes, both visually and in terms of core business, and seemingly moved away from the Nokia brand. According to the financial report from the end of 2023, their contract with Nokia regarding licensing has changed. This alteration may have affected HMD’s original plans for Nokia phones, as indicated by the announcement of their new website, which clearly emphasized classic Nokia phones rather than just Nokia phones, as we understand them.
Nevertheless, HMD may be working to smoothly transition from Nokia to smartphones under their own brand and could potentially introduce a new portfolio of Nokia devices, as their agreement with Nokia is expected to conclude in 2026, or possibly sooner.
It’s possible that the 17 models initially planned for release under the Nokia brand will be rebranded as HMD. Since the development of a phone typically takes over a year, the phones slated for launch in 2024 were likely planned prior to the announcement of the new strategy. Maybe HMD is manufacturing Nokia industrial phones for Nokia itself… Only time will tell.
Nokia itself appears to be distancing further from brand-licensed products by encouraging licensee partners to manage their social accounts and websites independently, using their own servers and resources. Personally, I would be satisfied if the phones we’ve seen in renders indeed come with the Nokia logo. Now, we await confirmation regarding the hardware specifications.
