Nokia Mobile presents three new smartphones and services expansion at MWC22 as it steps into 2nd year of profitability
For Nokia Mobile, MWC Barcelona used to be the opening and the most important event of its calendar year until 2019, where it has showcased a range of devices from Nokia 1 to Nokia 9 PureView. After missing the last year’s event, the company is back at MWC, this time with three affordable smartphones and an expansion of HMD services.
Before getting into the announcements, let us have a look at the (non-audited) growth numbers of the brand shared by HMD Global in its press release:
- 2021 turned out to be the first full year of operational profitability for HMD Global, with a growth spread over six quarters, assumably from June 2020.
- The accessories business doubled up in 2021 with an ever-growing portfolio of earphones and cases.
- Jump in smartphone revenues by 41% from 2020 to 2021, for the company, driven by success in the affordable smartphone market.
- With just over two years of existence, the Nokia C-series accounts for 16% of the total Nokia smartphone sales in the last five years, and that paves the way for the three new additions to the Nokia C-series.
Nokia C2 2nd Edition
If not incremental numbers, the C-series devices continue to have ‘Plus’ and ‘2nd Edition’ in the names of their successors. The Nokia C2 2nd Edition, which seems to be the successor of 2020’s Nokia C2, marks the entry of asymmetrical camera modules in the C-series.
This 4G device boasts of a metal chassis and a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor on the inside, two years of quarterly security updates, Bluetooth 5, Android 11 Go, and support for Face unlock. Apart from that, it sports a 5.7-inch FWVGA+ (480 x 960 p) display fit in an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a 2400 mAh removable battery with support for 5 W charging. There is a 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP frontal camera with flashes at both ends and imaging features like beautification and panorama.
- Dimensions: 153.95 x 75.9 X 9.55 mm
- Weight: 180 g
- Connectivity: 4G LTE CAT4, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5, GPS/AGPS
- Ports: Micro USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack
- SIM slot: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + Micro SD), Single SIM (Nano SIM + Micro SD)
- FM radio: Wired + Wireless
The Nokia C2 2nd Edition comes in 1/32 GB and 2/32 GB variants with support for up to 256 GB of external storage. In Blue and Grey colours, the device is slated to go on sale in select countries from April starting at a global average price of €79 ($88, ₹6615). It will also be heading to the UK in May, starting at £74.99.
Nokia C21
If we replace the 5 MP fixed-focus rear camera with an 8 MP autofocus camera, add a fingerprint scanner, and make the battery non-removable in the Nokia C20, what we will get is the new Nokia C21. It is a 4G smartphone with a 6.517-inch HD+ display fit in an aspect ratio of 20:9 with a V-notch and protected by a toughened cover glass.
Alongside the metal chassis, it packs the Unisoc SC9863a chip clocked at 1.6 GHz and a 3000 mAh battery on the inside with support for 5 W charging. Powered by Android 11 Go, the device doubles down on security with face unlock and two years of quarterly security updates. There is a 5 MP front camera with flash and an 8 MP rear camera at the back, which the company associates with seamless scanning of QR codes.
- Dimensions: 169.9 x 77.9 X 8.8 mm
- Weight: 195 g
- Imaging features: HDR, Beautification, Panorama
- Connectivity: 4G LTE CAT4, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS
- Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer (G-sensor)
- Ports: Micro USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack
- SIM slot: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + Micro SD), Single SIM (Nano SIM + Micro SD)
- FM radio: Wired
The Nokia C21 comes in 2/32 GB, 3/32 GB, and 3/64 GB variants with support for up to 256 GB of external storage. In Dark Blue and Warm Grey colours, the device should hit the shelves in select countries from the end of March starting at a global average price of €99 ($110, ₹8290).
Nokia C21 Plus
The Nokia C20 Plus was exclusive to China and India, but its successor will be available globally. The Nokia C21 Plus becomes the first C-series phone to feature any sort of IP protection. Paired with an inner metal chassis and a toughened cover glass over the display, the IP52 rating can protect the device against elements, with dirt, dust, and water droplet resistance.
This device supports 10 W charging and packs two different non-removable batteries based on the storage variant, i.e., a 4000 mAh battery promising a battery life of up to 2 days with 2/32 and 3/32 GB variants, and a 5050 mAh battery promising a battery life of up to 3 days with the 4/64 GB variant.
The rear camera module houses a 13 MP autofocus camera and a 2 MP depth camera with flash. At the front, there is a 5 MP camera with flash. The fingerprint scanner is located at the back. Apart from that, the device comes with the same display, processor, and Android version as the non-Plus model with two years of quarterly security updates.
- Dimensions: 164.8 x 75.9 X 8.55 mm
- Weight: 178 g (4000 mAh), 191 g (5050 mAh)
- Imaging features: HDR, Beautification, Panorama
- Connectivity: 4G LTE CAT4, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth® 4.2, GPS/AGPS
- Ports: Micro USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack
- SIM slot: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + Micro SD), Single SIM (Nano SIM + Micro SD)
- FM radio: Wired
The Nokia C21 Plus comes in Dark Cyan and Warm Grey colours and will be available in select countries from April starting at a global average price of €119 ($133, ₹9960). The device will also be heading to the UK in April for £99.99.
Nokia Accessories
Nokia Mobile also announced the availability of the following earphones and headphones in select markets in Black and White colours for their respective global average price (UK availability at a later date):
- Nokia Go Earbuds 2 + for €39 ($44, ₹3265) [£35.9 in the UK]
- Nokia Wired Headphones for €30 ($34, ₹2510) [£29.9 in the UK]
- Nokia Wireless Headphones for €49 ($55, ₹4100) [£45.9 in the UK]
HMD Enterprise
HMD Global has decided to bifurcate its enterprise suite into three main products. First up is the HMD Connect Pro, which is for IoT connections, followed by HMD Enable Pro, which is for EMM (Enterprise mobility management) licenses, and HMD Softlock, which is for device lock licenses. The latter was recently announced in Kenya in the presence of Florian Seiche, CEO, HMD Global. The company estimates a million subscriptions in the first half of this year through the three core products.
Is Nokia X-series next up after G and C-series?
The immediate availability in select markets that we got to see with the launch of the Nokia G21 earlier this month will not be the case this time. However, now that the new G-series and C-series device launches are already out of the way for HMD Global, at least for this half of the year, the platform seems set for the launch of the new Nokia X-series phones in Q2.
Data sheets (PDF): Nokia C2 2nd Edition, Nokia C21, Nokia C21 Plus
