Nokia 5 to go on sale this Independence Day!
This Independence Day, the next phone in Nokia's Android series, the Nokia 5, will go on sale, despite apprehensions that the GST launch could delay its release. Pre-booking had started more than a month ago, but was available only in select cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune. The Nokia 5 is expected to soon be available on Amazon and Chroma online.
Nokia 3, 5, 6 Android phones releasing in India
Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 Android smartphones are finally making their way to India. Finnish firm HMD Global is set to release the three Nokia smartphones today. The smartphones are expected to become a huge hit among Android lovers considering Nokia's cult following in India. Let's have a look at what our old friend Nokia has to offer.
Nokia 3: The budget friendly smartphone
The budget-friendly Nokia 3 smartphone is expected to be priced between Rs. 9,000-10,000. Sporting a plastic body and a 5-inch HD screen, it has a quad-core MediaTek MTK6737 processor, 2,650mAh battery, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage (expandable up to 128GB). It has 8MP cameras on the front and back (with LED flash). The device supports 4G LTE connectivity and USB OTG.
Nokia 5: The 'perfectly balanced' smartphone
The all-metal Nokia 5 has a 5.2-inch HD IPS display, 2.5 Corning Gorilla Glass, and a 3,000mAh battery It runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage (expandable up to 128GB). It has an 8MP front camera and 13MP rear camera. The device with a front-facing fingerprint scanner is expected to be priced below Rs. 15,000.
Nokia 6: The life-proof smartphone built to last
Sporting a metal unibody, Nokia 6 has a 5.5-inch HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, and 3,000mAh battery. It has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage; a limited edition 4GB-RAM/64GB-storage device is also available. With dual speakers, it has Dolby Atmos support. Housing an 8MP front-facing snapper and a 16MP rear shooter, the device is expected to be priced below Rs. 20,000.
First-time entrant to Indian Android market
HMD Global said all three smartphones run on Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box, helping them stand out from the competitors; an Android O update has also been promised. However, experts feel Nokia 3, 5, and 6 are underpowered in terms of specifications compared to some competitors in the market. HMD Global was given the license to design and manufacture Nokia-branded devices.
HMD Global's strategy
For its previous launch, Nokia 3310, HMD Global didn't tie up with any exclusive online partner. If it opts for a similar offline-only strategy for its smartphones, the prices could slightly go up, given the kind of interest and hype around Nokia Android devices.
Wait for Nokia 3 over, mobile stores start sales
The Nokia 3 has finally reached the smartphone outlets in India. The phones can now be bought through offline stores and the company has partnered with "400 distributors to reach over 80,000 retail points". Priced at Rs. 9,499 they will come in 4 colours. Nokia 3, 5 and 6, are being manufactured domestically, of which Nokia 6 is being sold exclusively through Amazon India.
