Nokia is definitely back in the market. The Finnish phone brand once again launches new handsets, revealed Tuesday by a company called HMD Global. HMD, a startup also located in Finland, is the manufacturing partner that Nokia has selected to create phones bearing its name. These are the first Nokia phones in years not to be made by Microsoft.
Wired revealed that HMD was granted a ten-year license to sell Nokia-branded phones and tablets in May 2016. At that time, the company said it would invest $500 million over the upcoming years to relaunch Nokia's ailing business.
According to CNET, the phones are not exactly what people been waiting for from Nokia, specifically the much-anticipated Android phones the company has promised. There is nothing to worry about because HMD is also working on these too. However, they are not ready yet. Instead, the Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM are feature phones that will connect to the internet and are set to price at a very affordable $26. HMD adds that the budget-friendly devices will have 2.4-inch or 240x320 screens, physical keypads, an FM radio, an MP3 player, 22 hours of talk time, standby time of between 25 and 31 days, games (Snake Xenzia included) and a camera with an LED flash.
On the more positive side, the phones do have the kind of battery life that was last seen a decade or so ago - up to 31 days of standby time for the single-SIM version. The two devices might not have internet access, but they can at least boast Bluetooth connectivity and they have microSD card slots to store all of the photos owners can snap. "The new devices respond to consumer demand for great quality, affordability and ease of use," said HMD added.
Meanwhile, Nokia has a long reputation of making cheaper phones for developing markets where SMS text messaging still dominates over data usage. However, that doesn't mean the 150 will only be bought in a handful of countries. The phones are set for a global release within the first three months of 2017.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
