HMD Global launches Nokia 2.3; bets big on Indian market

The Nokia 2.3 features a large 6.2-inch screen and promises a two-day battery. (Twitter)

HMD Global, which sells Nokia brand of mobile phones, continues to bet heavily on the Indian market driven by the steady performance it has witnessed in the last few years, a top company executive said. HMD also unveiled its latest Nokia 2.3 smartphone here for 109 euros (about Rs 8,600) and said it will make its way into the Indian market soon. “We are very happy with the India performance. We are just three years old and growing steadily. There were many brands in the Indian market but now there are much fewer. We continue to look at the market with a long term view and are committed to it,” HMD Global General Manager Global Portfolio and Product Planning Pranav Shroff told PTI.

He added that the company will continue to bring in an expansive range of products across different price range to cater to different users. Nokia brand phones dominated India market for about 7-8 years when mobile telephony started in the country but lost its spot to South Korean major Samsung and was also adversely impacted by sale of low-cost Chinese phones. India is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally. As per International Data Corporation (IDC), smartphone sales grew 9.3 per cent to 46.6 million units in the July-September 2019 period compared to the year-ago period.

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Xiaomi continued to lead the tally with 27.1 per cent share, followed by Samsung (18.9 per cent), Vivo (15.2 per cent), Realme (14.3 per cent) and Oppo (11.8 per cent). Talking about the Rs 6,000-10,000 segment, Shroff said the category continues to be a “sweet spot” for the company. “This is a very important segment. Our 2 series caters to this segment and is also one of our most successful franchise,” he said. While Shroff didn’t comment on the India pricing of Nokia 2.3, he said the device should be available in the country soon.

The Nokia 2.3 features a large 6.2-inch screen and promises a two-day battery. The Android 10-ready device will receive guaranteed monthly security updates for three years and OS updates for two years, ensuring that this smartphone gets better over time, Shroff said. The smartphone features a dual camera and comes with ‘Recommended Shot’, a brand-new Nokia phones feature that helps users choose the best picture. It also has a dedicated Google Assistant Button.