Finnish company HMD bought rights to the Nokia brand in 2016 and has since been selling Nokia-branded devices. In September, HMD’s CEO and Chairman Jean-Francois Baril announced that the company would release its own high-quality, affordable smartphones and today, 91mobiles shared alleged renders of what might be the company’s first device.The phone appears to have a simple design with a flat screen with pinhole camera, two rear cameras, and a matte back. Its apparently made of plastic and the variant shown in the image is black, though HMD might release the phone in other hues too.
The phone sports a new HMD logo, which is further proof that this isn’t another Nokia phone.
At this point, nothing else is known about the device, except that it bears the model number N159V. Previously, HMD phones with the model numbers N159V and TA-1585 were also seen in the IMEI database, but whether these are separate phones, or regional or carrier variants of the N159V is not known at the moment.
According to 91mobiles, HMD’s phone will be launched in India in April but that’s not the only country where the device will be sold.
Leaker Evan Blass says that Verizon will carry the device, meaning it will be available in the US.
HMD’s Chairman and CEO previously said that it was the fastest-growing 5G phone maker year-over-year. Per data from IDC, Nokia is the 11th largest smartphone brand in the world and sells more phones than Google, though that’s partly because it also sells dumb devices.
Regardless, the company surely knows a thing or two about smartphones and its portfolio of low-cost phones will increase the options available in the entry-level segment.
HMD will continue making Nokia phones for now, but who knows whether it will want to renew its licensing rights, which are set to expire in 2026.
