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HMD Global unveils 5 Nokia phones - with more blasts from the past

Dubai - One's from 2006 and the other from 1996 - plus a 'premium flagship special edition' device

HMD Global released 11 Nokia smartphones in 2017. Before the Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona, they're already practically halfway through that number.
The Finnish device-maker unveiled five new smartphones on Sunday and - taking cue from its nostalgic touch it made with last year's 3310 remake - is also bringing back a couple of memories from the popular brand.
HMD Global says it shipped over 70 million Nokia devices last year.
"As we've expanded our portfolio we've always maintained one vision: to deliver great Nokia phones that live up to the values that our fans expect," Florian Seiche, CEO of HMD Global, said in a statement.
"It has been an exhilarating time and as we look ahead, we plan to build on our success by expanding our portfolio and giving consumers a wide range of Nokia phones they can love, trust and rely on."
Headlining the launch is the Nokia 8 Sirocco, a "premium flagship special edition" device, an update to the smartphone launched last September.
The affixed name, Sirocco, is a nod to another Nokia phone launched in 2006 - the Nokia 8800 Sirocco, a slider mobile positioned at the high end of the market.
It will come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, is 7.5mm thin, an IP67 rating and an enhanced Dual-Sight Zeiss optics camera.
"Our most most beautiful smartphone to date," HMD Global said in a statement.
It will be rolled out in April for Dh2,399.
The other half of the devices making a comeback is the Nokia 8110 4G, which is a remake of the original from 1996 and was one of the first to bear the slide form factor.
The come-backing 'banana phone' - owing to its curved design - boasts of up to 20 days of standby time and up to eight hours of talk time. The feature phone also works with Google Assistant, Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter, among other staples.
"We're protecting all that we hold dear and bringing more to it," Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer at HMD Global, said in a conference call to UAE journalists.
"They need to know that they're buying something of great quality and will stand the test of time."
The 8110 4G will be available in May for Dh249.
The other smartphones introduced were the Nokia 6, an update to the original unveiled last year. It now features a Dual-Sight Zeiss optics camera, is 60 per cent faster than its predecessor, gives 50 per cent battery life in a half-hour charge and comes with Android Oreo. It will be available in April for Dh899. 
The Nokia 7 Plus, meanwhile, also has a Dual-Sight Zeiss camera with dual rear sensors - a 12MP wide-angle primary camera and a secondary 13MP camera that delivers 2x optical zoom. It also sports the increasingly-popular 18:9 screen ratio, has two-day battery life, face recognition to unlock it and artificial intelligence capabilities. It releases in April for Dh1,399.
For those on a budget, HMD Global also introduced the Nokia 1, which is part of Google's Android One line. It runs on the Android Oreo Go edition, and also brings back a staple from Nokia phones of past: Xpress-on covers, which allows users to change the mobile's housing. It will be out in April for Dh299.
Pekka Rantala, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer at HMD Global, said that the company's success last year was very evident in the millennial segment.
"Our challenge is to reach out to millennials who have never used Nokia phones... among those who bought a Nokia last year, about two-thirds were in the 34-year-old-or-younger category. We are positively surprised about this figure; we did not expect so high," he said during the conference call.
All prices, according to Nokia, are exclusive of taxes.
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com