Nokia 9 Launch: Is HMD Global’s High Volume Low Margin Approach Delaying the Flagship Launch? Find Out
Nokia might be bringing in more smartphones than before, but the company still lacks a champion smartphone monopolising the market to retain lost glory. Even with the Nokia 9 Pureview, the company's approach seems that its likely this device too, will lag behind flagships from other companies.
Nokia‘s brief absence from the smartphone arena has made the brand struggle to catch up. The Finnish manufacturers, once the undisputed global leaders in mobile phones, fell off the tracks, are now getting back into the game in a big way. Their steady ascendancy has been the result of new smartphones launched. These smartphones, bear in them the value proposition, which has been Nokia’s marketing motto, but the brand has kept pace with the new leaders in the market.
The recent launch of the Nokia 7.1 saw the brand take its next step towards re-establishing the Nokia brand name in the smartphone world. Likewise, The brand is expected to release another model, the Nokia 7.1 Plus in the market. With many smartphones released this year alone by Nokia, only the Nokia 8 falls in a higher price and specifications, and thus, it begs to ask the question; why isn’t Nokia competing with the likes of Samsung, Apple and other brands with a flagship device?
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Nokia’s focus fixed on mid and low-range handsets
Today several brands are offering high-end smartphones; like Apple, which has cornered the high-end, high-margin market rather nicely. Nokia’s approach today is on mid and low-range handsets. This strategy is not a new found sight for Nokia, as the brand, still has people who saw the first wave of smartphones in the 21st century, who championed the budget mobile phones approach, with HMD Global’s DNA is mixed with these employees. In the past, when Nokia dominated the markets, it was more due to its indulgence in budget handset genre, with a high-volume low-margin approach. And today the idea and purpose of a mobile phone might have changed; the strategy is to still focus on usability and affordability.
The Nokia 9 Pureview release delayed?
Despite the approach and strategy with which Nokia markets its devices; they are not far behind in bringing in a high-end device. They have already teased a flagship device in the way of the Nokia 9 Pureview on their Facebook page recently. This device packs five cameras, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and various other specifications we see in flagship devices. This phone is only expected to arrive in 2019.
The problem here is, by the time it’s 2019, brands will likely start including the Snapdragon 855 processor in its flagship devices, which would result in the Nokia 9 Pureview to still lag behind as compared to flagships from other companies.
In a Nutshell
However, it will not deter the Nokia brand by any means, as the focus on releasing budget and mid-range handsets to fulfil its business requirements will remain high. That said, Nokia will probably thrive and be happy being a step behind other brands regarding a flagship, high-end device.
However, for now, Nokia’s efforts will be on releasing the Nokia 7.1 Plus, which promises to offer good specifications and features at an affordable price range. Although, it does not mean the Nokia 9 Pureview will never arrive. It sure will, although, before that happens users can expect more handsets from other companies in the lower and mid-range to be released.
