At a pre-MWC event, HMD Global took to the stage to unveil five new phones for 2019. The company introduced phones for all price ranges from a feature phone to an entry level smartphone all the way to a flagship smartphone. The company still promises two major updates for the Android powered smartphones on this list and timely monthly security updates for the next three years.
The five phones HMD unveiled to the world are the Nokia 210, Nokia 1 Plus, Nokia 3.2, Nokia 4.2 and the flagship, the Nokia 9 PureView.
Florian Seiche, Chief Executive Officer, HMD Global said:
“We’ve had a phenomenal response from consumers to our entire portfolio, thanks to our unique approach to Android, delivering a pure, secure and always up-to-date experience. We have delivered on this commitment, changing the smartphone ownership paradigm by offering an experience that only gets better over time. Today, with these new phones, we are taking a leap forward by delivering the very latest innovations from Google across our entire portfolio.”
The Nokia 210
The Nokia 210 is the cheapest of the 5 and is the only feature phone on this list. According to HMD Global, the feature phone market is still huge and significant and that is why the company still has and will continue having devices in this segment. Nokia is the leading feature phone brand globally according to HMD Global. In most developing countries such as Kenya, not everyone can afford a smartphone and therefore feature phones make sense.
The Nokia 210 is the company’s cheapest internet enabled device. Its existence means that just because you cannot afford a smartphone does not mean that your internet access is limited. It has the classic Nokia feature phone design that those who have used such phones are comfortable with.
You can see the other Nokia 201 specifications below.
Read: Nokia 201 Specifications
The Nokia 1 Plus
Moving up the list, we do have the all new Nokia 1 Plus smartphone. This is the latest entry level smartphone by HMD Global. The Nokia 1 Plus is the successor to the Nokia 1 from last year, it comes with upgraded specifications and features that make it slightly better when compared to the original Nokia 1.
The Nokia 1 Plus is an Android Go smartphone and comes with Android Pie (Go Edition) out of the box. Its biggest upgrade is the size as it now has a 5.45-inch display that puts it at par with most other smartphones we have seen on the market. I wasn’t a big fan of the smaller display and overall size of the Nokia 1. In my opinion, bigger is always better and the Nokia 1 Plus will definitely appeal to those who do more on their smartphones. If you prefer watching videos or reading through blogs, this display size is just right for you.
The overall build of the Nokia 1 Plus is also much better than the one we had before. From the few minutes I spent with the phone, I was impressed with this phone. It also comes with upgraded camera features including beauty mode for the front facing camera. The Nokia 1 Plus is also VoLTE ready.
Below is a look at some of the other specifications of the Nokia 1 Plus.
Display Size: 5.45 inches with a resolution of 960 x 480 pixels
Processor: 1.5GHz Quad-core Mediatek MT6739 processor
RAM: 1GB
Storage Space: 8/16 GB, can be expanded to 128GB using a microSD card
GPU: PowerVR GE8100
Android Version: Android 9.0 Pie (Go Edition)
Main Camera: 8MP
Selfie Camera: 5MP
Battery: 2500 mAh battery
The Nokia 3.2
The Nokia 3.2 is an important smartphone for HMD Global as it is in a competitive segment that is made up of 1/3 of all global sales. This is the value tier segment that sees over 450 million smartphones sold each year.
The Nokia 3.2 comes with a dedicated Google assistant button for easier access to Google’s digital assistant. This not the first time this has even been done but is the first time HMD Global is doing this. If you use Google assistant on a regular basis, you may find this button useful.
The Nokia 3.2 is an Android One phone that comes with a Snapdragon 429 processor. It is available with either 2 or 3GB of RAM. HMD has also changed the design a bit and I have to say it looks way better than its predecessor. The phone also comes with biometric face unlock, a feature we do not get in most Nokia smartphones.
Below are some Nokia 3.2 specifications.
Display Size: 6.2 inches with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels
Processor: 1.8GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 429 processor
RAM: 2/3GB
Storage Space: 16/32 GB, can be expanded to 400GB using a microSD card
GPU: Adreno 504
Android Version: Android 9.0 Pie
Main Camera: 13MP
Selfie Camera: 5MP
Battery: 4000 mAh battery
The Nokia 4.2
The Nokia 4.2 features a classy, sculpted-glass design and all-screen display. It has 2.5D glass for both the front and the back. This phone looks really good and comes in black and pink sand option that looks stunning. Just like the Nokia 3.2, it is powered by a Snapdragon processor (439 for this case) and comes with a dedicated Google assistant button for easier access to Google’s digital assistant.
The Nokia 4.2 also has upgraded cameras and biometric face unlock for extra protection. Below are some of its other specifications.
Display Size: 5.71 inches with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels
Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 439 processor
RAM: 2/3GB
Storage Space: 16/32 GB, can be expanded to 400GB using a microSD card
GPU: Adreno 505
Android Version: Android 9.0 Pie
Main Camera: Dual 13MP + 2MP
Selfie Camera: 8MP
Battery: 3000 mAh battery
The Nokia 9 PureView
The star of the show was the Nokia 9 PureView. The phone comes with five cameras at the back and this is surely meant to grab the attention of everyone who sees it. All these five cameras work simultaneously and the phone comes with a dedicated image processor, something we do not see on most other smartphones.
Out of the five cameras, 2 have colour sensors while the other three have monochrome sensors. They all work together to ensure you get the best shots at all times even with varying lighting conditions. This camera combination is also meant to provide detailed shots. You also have better depth of field control before and even after taking a photo. Every picture you take with these five cameras is HDR with all the five cameras having 12MP sensors.
Here is a look at some of the other specifications of this phone besides its cameras.
Display Size: 5.99 inches with a resolution of 1440 x 2880 pixels
Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 845 processor
RAM: 6GB
Storage Space: 128 GB, can be expanded to 512GB using a microSD card
GPU: Adreno 630
Android Version: Android 9.0 Pie
Main Camera: Five 12MP cameras
Selfie Camera: 20MP
Battery: 3320 mAh battery
Pricing and Availability
HMD Global has confirmed that all the phones announced will be coming to Kenya as from next month. The exact date has not been revealed but I will update you when I get that information. Their prices have also not been confirmed but they should not be that different from the international recommended prices that you will see below.
- Nokia 9 PureView is already shipping and will retail for a global average retail price of 699USD (approximately Ksh 70,000).
- Nokia 4.2 will be available to buy starting from April for a global average retail price of 169USD (approximately Ksh 17,000) for the 2/16 GB variant and 199USD (approximately Ksh 20,000) for the 3/32 GB.
- Nokia 3.2 will be available to buy in early May for a global average retail price of 139USD (approximately Ksh 14,000) for the 2/16 GB variant and 169USD (approximately Ksh 17,000) for the 3/32 GB.
- Nokia 1 Plus will be available to buy from mid-March for a global average retail price of 99USD (approximately Ksh 10,000)
- Nokia 210 will be available to buy from March for a global average retail price of 35USD (approximately 3,500).
Now Read: The Nokia 9 PureView Specifications
