What you need to know
- HMD Global says it is no longer interested in competing with rivals in the flagship smartphone segment.
- The company plans to stay focused on making entry-level and mid-range devices that offer great value for money.
- HMD Global hasn’t launched a new flagship phone since 2019.
If you’ve been holding out hope for a Nokia flagship phone, you might be disappointed by HMD Global’s plans for the premium segment.
Speaking to the folks at Android Authority, Adam Ferguson, head of product marketing at HMD Global, said, “Making an $800 phone doesn’t make sense for us at the moment.” He added that the company doesn’t “want to get involved in a massive spec war with other players.” Instead, it wants to “stand for something very different.”
HMD Global is currently focused only on making competitive entry-level and mid-range devices that can give the best budget Android phones a run for their money.
The Finnish brand is also hopeful of performing well in the U.S. smartphone market. As per Strategy Analytics, HMD Global aims to be the No.1 brand in the U.S. prepaid smartphone market by the end of the year.
While the strategy may be a little disappointing for Nokia fans, it is helping HMD Global make more money and boost its smartphone shipments. Data from Strategy Analytics shows the company’s smartphone shipments have seen decent growth since the first quarter of 2021.
In Q4 2021, HMD Global shipped 3.2 million smartphones globally, up from 2.8 million during the same period a year earlier. The company’s smartphone revenue grew 41% YoY during the October to December period, setting a new record.
The Nokia 9 PureView, which was unveiled in February 2019, was the first and only "proper" flagship phone that HMD Global released. It now looks like a successor to the phone may not arrive anytime soon.
