Nokia wants to position its Android phones as the "new Nexus"

[Nowak]

Sauce: http://www.knowyourmobile.com/mobile-phones/nokia-8/24138/nokia-wants-make-its-android-phones-new-nexus-phones

 

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Google’s Nexus line of phones is now dead. But Nokia, under the stewardship of HMD Global, could well bring back elements of what made Google’s Nexus phones so popular with users. Things like stock Android, fast updates and competitive pricing.

 

In a recent release, HMD noted it is putting in place a new strategic partnership with Google and Foxconn to further its gains in the mobile space during 2017/18.

While the Nexus line was almost never actually particularly cheap, it is fondly remembered by the Android community for being so. It's also remembered for running stock Android, getting the latest Android updates as they release and being directly supported by Google themselves. Unfortunately, it's been replaced by Google's Pixel series of phones, which aim to reach a more mainstream audience than the Nexus was ever intended to. While Nokia absolutely intends on targeting the mainstream audience, Nokia aims to also replicate some aspects of the Nexus experience. Remember their plans for their phones outside of the Chinese market includes stock Android and fast updates.

 

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“Most of the smartphones in the market do not have the Android OS in the way it should be,” said HMD Global’s vice president for the Middle East and North Africa Per Ekman.

 

“Vendors are adding a skin on top of the OS. Consumers have the right to have the latest version of the OS, and we will be pushing the latest version and the patches as soon as it is available from Google.”

 

“We and Google will jointly enhance the Nokia brand to put the right kind of inputs into the phone, including Google Assistant,” he said.

From this, we can infer HMD Global/Nokia's strategy for Android pretty clearly. They believe that skinning Android is wrong, the customer is entitled to the latest version of Android and they will partner up with Google to enhance the Nokia brand, most likely based on current market trends rather than what their previous software provider, in their infinite wisdom, thought trends were. Oh, and Google Assistant is tagging along too.

 

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Nokia’s current phones – the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 – all run a pretty clean version of Android. But these handsets appear to be just the tip of the iceberg; HMD wants to get Google onboard to help push its Nokia agenda and that should be music to the ears of any Nokia/Android fan.

 

This particular route, if done correctly, could create quite a USP for the Nokia brand inside the Android space, as no other manufacturer has perfected getting Android updates out in a timely fashion.

 

If Nokia – either through its own blood, sweat and tears or via assistance from Google – can create a means by which to push Android updates out in a timely fashion, ahead of other players in the space, it would almost certainly find itself with a lot of new friends.

If HMD/Nokia can get Google behind its agenda, then that would likely provide a very healthy boost for both companies. It'll be a tough, uphill battle, but with a brand with such a legacy like Nokia can re-build even some of its former glory, this could revolutionize the way how we see Android phones. Also, keep in mind that updates are a huge point for Android as a whole; many phones get updates months or even a year after the new version of Android gets released, or they don't get updated at all (see: Asus, many cheap phones from no-name brands, etc).

 

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Android updates – or, not getting them – is still a big stickling point for a lot of Android users. No one brand has nailed it yet. And this is mostly down to the nature of the Android ecosystem; Google’s partners are always focussed on what comes next, not supporting older handsets.

 

If Nokia can find a way around this, I will be very impressed. The only real question now is how it is going to actually do it?

 

And God knows Google needs another, more manageable Android partner; one that can be groomed and play ball. Samsung is Google’s biggest Android partner by a country mile, but the South Korean tech giant makes no bones about how much it wants to get away from Android and Google’s authority.

Oh yeah, there's also the Samsung problem. Samsung is, by far and large, the biggest producer of Android phones in the world, with a majority of Android phones sold being Samsung phones. However, it's no secret that they desire to ditch Android and Google. Tizen is what they're betting on to go ahead with that plan. Nokia, meanwhile, seems 100% committed to Android, and their vision for the operating system. Remember, the beauty of Android is that there's not one way to view it; sure, an OEM may skin it with their own launcher, but replacing that is as easy as going to the Play Store and downloading an alternative like Nova Launcher, Action Launcher, Evie Launcher, Arrow Launcher or... whatever else you want.

 

There's a huge amount of interest surrounding Nokia's first three Android phones, the Nokia 3, 5 and 6, and the company is planning on unveiling more devices later this year. Are you excited about the prospect of Nokia taking on the Nexus approach to smartphones? Let me know below  

[Drak3]

If it's any sort of decent, I might get one to as a TV remote for my Vizio.

[tlink]

now if they would allow us to unlock the bootloader and install rom's etc without voiding warranty they would have the whole enthusiast market behind them. the thing i've always found the most lacking with android, is that it should have something like restore bootloader so it reflashes the bootloader from a read only chip to the bootloader partition. this way people can't hard brick their phones, they can still give their warranty, and if they really want to they should use a fuse for overclocking so they can drop the warranty when people overclock.

[VerticalDiscussions]

Hail Nokia!

 

If what they claim here is the envisionment of a future they are not just planning, but settling for the quickest response as the products demand so from Google, maybe we will finally have someone that can make "Samsung and Apple fanboys" crying in the shores of a river.

[zMeul]

I saw the Nokia 6 torture test, quite impressive:

 

 

[EunSoo]

My Nexus 6P will always have a place in my heart that Nokia will never get close too

[SansVarnic]

As long as the new Nokia lives up to its original name in quality nothing else holds a candle to it. Nokia for life. (Like literally Nokia lasts for life ...) 

[Nowak]

2 minutes ago, SansVarnic said:

As long as the new Nokia lives up to its original name in quality nothing else holds a candle to it. Nokia for life. (Like literally Nokia lasts for life ...) 

HMD is composed of ex-Nokia, ex-Microsoft staff and own all of Nokia's former technologies, so they pretty much are Nokia under a different name.

[SansVarnic]

16 minutes ago, Daring said:

HMD is composed of ex-Nokia, ex-Microsoft staff and own all of Nokia's former technologies, so they pretty much are Nokia under a different name.

Yup I know, I was just sayin.  

[dalekphalm]

I almost pissed myself laughing when I got to this part of the post:

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many phones get updates months or even a year after the new version of Android gets released

Lmfao saying this like this is a good thing. The sad thing is, for Android, that IS good.

[suicidalfranco]

good luck, many have promised the same, all have failed. Just put out with an unlocked bootloader, we'll do the rest.

[Nowak]

5 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

I almost pissed myself laughing when I got to this part of the post:

Lmfao saying this like this is a good thing. The sad thing is, for Android, that IS good.

How was I saying that was a good thing though?

[dalekphalm]

Just now, Daring said:

How was I saying that was a good thing though?

If you were trying to phrase it to clearly show it's a bad thing, it wasn't a particularly clear statement then.

 

When read along with the rest of the sentence:

Quote

many phones get updates months or even a year after the new version of Android gets released, or they don't get updated at all

There is some possible implication that because that some don't get updated at all, therefore getting an update "even a year after" is a good thing.

 

Apologies if that was not the intent of your statement, just how it reads.

 

My previous statement still stands of course. A year of updates for Android phones IS good for Android - even if that's actually very sad

[Nowak]

Just now, dalekphalm said:

If you were trying to phrase it to clearly show it's a bad thing, it wasn't a particularly clear statement then.

 

When read along with the rest of the sentence:

There is some possible implication that because that some don't get updated at all, therefore getting an update "even a year after" is a good thing.

 

Apologies if that was not the intent of your statement, just how it reads.

 

My previous statement still stands of course. A year of updates for Android phones IS good for Android - even if that's actually very sad

Ah. Yeah, it can be hard to pick up intended meanings of things through text.

[Doobeedoo]

Lets see it!

[Misanthrope]

But wouldn't that be like peeing on yourself for warmth Nokia?

[Nowak]

18 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Removable battery PLEASE

Removable batteries are going away, unfortunately :\

[Nowak]

Just now, huilun02 said:

Screw that I want a phone that lasts. Without having to send for replacement because its expensive and is a downtime in phone usage.

Then your options are limited.

[Master Disaster]

Nokia lost all their reputation when they made a series of piss poor business decisions that took them from the biggest manufacturer of phones in the world to a subsidiary of Microsoft selling only Windows Phones.

 

They have a lot of work to do before they can get back to the top of the market again, I wish them well but I hope they don't try and force things based on a reputation they don't have anymore because that's not going to end well for them.

[dizmo]

How was the Nexus line not cheap? The Nexus 5 (the only one I ever looked at when it was new) was very cheap. The Nexus 5x was also pretty reasonably priced. Also the hardware generally wasn't supported directly by Google, you still had to go through the OEM vendor for that.

 

I don't see Samsung as a problem. They're a powerhouse and for good reason. They have very solid phones.

OEMs do a lot more than simply skin it with a launcher. They add features to Android that simply aren't there without installing a custom ROM, which most users simply don't want to bother doing.

 

I'm more excited about what the spec of the phone is. I hope they do tweak Android slightly, as there are simply areas of Android that can be improved upon. Add a huge battery, Pureview dual cameras, a 5.7" AMOLED screen and I'm sold.

On 2017-04-11 at 3:10 PM, SCGazelle said:

My Nexus 6P will always have a place in my heart that Nokia will never get close too

Hard to say that without seeing what the higher end Nokias offer, no?

[Mihle]

I just hope Nokia will come with a phone with fingerprint on the back, like the nexus 6p, or pixel for that matter, because that have turned in to a must have thing for me.

[Nowak]

1 hour ago, dizmo said:

How was the Nexus line not cheap? The Nexus 5 (the only one I ever looked at when it was new) was very cheap.

Nexus prices at launch:

 

Nexus One: $530

Nexus S: $530

Galaxy Nexus: $399 (not entirely sure on this one)

Nexus 4: $299 (8GB)/$399 (16GB)

Nexus 5: $349 (16GB)/$399 (32GB)

Nexus 6: $649 (32GB)/$699 (64GB)

Nexus 5X: $379 (16GB)/$429 (32GB)
Nexus 6P: $499 (32GB)/$549 (64GB)/$649 (128GB)

The Nexus 4 and 5 were outliers. Otherwise, the Nexus line fetched pretty premium prices.

[dizmo]

1 hour ago, Daring said:

Nexus prices at launch:

 

Nexus One: $530

Nexus S: $530

Galaxy Nexus: $399 (not entirely sure on this one)

Nexus 4: $299 (8GB)/$399 (16GB)

Nexus 5: $349 (16GB)/$399 (32GB)

Nexus 6: $649 (32GB)/$699 (64GB)

Nexus 5X: $379 (16GB)/$429 (32GB)
Nexus 6P: $499 (32GB)/$549 (64GB)/$649 (128GB)

The Nexus 4 and 5 were outliers. Otherwise, the Nexus line fetched pretty premium prices.

There were 3 times they only had premium offerings, the rest were pretty mid range.

[Nowak]

Just now, dizmo said:

There were 3 times they only had premium offerings, the rest were pretty mid range.

Nexus 6P 64GB and 128GB say hi  

[dizmo]

2 minutes ago, Daring said:

Nexus 6P 64GB and 128GB say hi  

They were released at the same time as the 5x Still had a mid range offering.