Ignore the rumors — this iconic phone brand isn’t going away

Rumors of the Nokia phone name’s latest demise are not true, and more phones will be released by HMD Global, which owns the license to make them under the Nokia name. It’s news sure to please all fans of one of the most established, familiar names in mobile tech.

Digital Trends clarified the situation during a conversation with HMD Global’s head of product marketing, Adam Ferguson, at MWC 2024, amid the announcement of the company’s efforts outside the Nokia name.

An important part of HMD

“Nokia is an important part of our future,” Ferguson said. “There’s so much heritage and love for the brand in so many places around the world, we feel confident we can continue on that journey.”

Reports HMD Global may drop the Nokia name and concentrate solely on a new brand using its own name spread in 2023, and have persisted even up until the announcement of HMD Original and HMD Fusion, its new non-Nokia mobile efforts for 2024. But amongst the talk of modular phones and Barbie phones was the news it will “bring back an iconic Nokia device” this year.

“In the announcement we made yesterday, we wanted to specifically call out the fact that there is a new iconic Nokia phone coming,” Ferguson continued, “and it is based on one of the best-selling devices of all time.”

No change?

The Nokia name lives on (again), and with confirmation another phone is coming soon, does this mean there are no changes at HMD Global regarding Nokia at all? Not quite. When pushed on the subject and the near future plans for the brand, Ferguson revealed:

“What we’ll see, certainly the immediacy, is more feature devices from the Nokia side of things. I’m not sure if there are going to be more smart devices this year. We are launching a lot of exciting things under the HMD name, and it wouldn’t really make sense to split our focus like that.”

Over the years, HMD Global has released many smartphones wearing the Nokia name, such as the tough Nokia XR20 and the repairable Nokia G42, along with a range of feature phones — including reimagined classic devices like the Nokia 8810 and the 5710 XpressAudio, which have proven very popular. It holds the second position with a 26% market share in the U.S. for feature phone shipments, according to Counterpoint Research. While the Nokia name is sticking around, it may be returning to its feature phone roots.

Despite this, Nokia is here to stay

Ferguson had seen the rumors about Nokia being dropped and was aware the introduction of the new HMD brand would undoubtedly cause concern. He closed out our conversation by making everything as clear as possible:

“The Nokia brand is alive and well, and it has a strong future with us. It continues to be an important part of our strategy, with many more devices to come.”

It all sounds great, even if Nokia’s current future is tied to the feature phone. But it could also be the beginning of yet another end, as it also wouldn’t be the first time the Nokia phone name has been left behind as it became attached to a dying segment of the mobile world.