Global HMDowner of the venerable nokia mobile phone brand, is celebrating 41% year-over-year revenue growth for its smartphone business in 2021, which also saw the company’s first full year of operational profitability. AT Mobile World Congress (MWC), HMD’s main announcement is for three new additions – the Nokia C21, C21 Plus and C2 2nd Edition – to its C series of affordable smartphones.
HMD Global is also expanding its range of Nokia-branded headphones and earphones and creating a new services-focused division to capitalize on the growth that the company says will see service subscriptions reach 1 million in the first half of 2022. .
The company has already covered the US market at CES with five new phones, including a 5G device, and launched two new midrange G-series phones, the G21 and G11whose main selling points include a (claimed) three-day battery life.
These are the new C-series phones, which are all 4G LTE devices running Android 11 (Go edition):
C-series Smartphones
Nokia C21 Plus
Nokia C21 Plus
Picture: HMD Global
|
Network |
4G LTE CAT4 |
|
SE |
Android 11 (Go edition) |
|
CPU |
UNISOC SC9863a, octa-core up to 1.6 GHz |
|
RAM |
2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB |
|
Storage room |
32 GB, 64 GB |
|
MicroSD card |
Yes |
|
To display |
6.5 inch HD+, 20:9, tempered protective glass |
|
Rear cameras |
13MP AF + 2MP depth with flash |
|
Front camera |
5MP with flash |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer (G-sensor) |
|
Battery |
5050mAh (3 days), 4000mAh (2 days) |
|
loading |
10W (5V, 2A) |
|
Ports |
Micro USB (USB 2.0), 3.5mm audio jack |
|
Dimensions |
75.9mm x 164.8mm x 8.55mm |
|
Weight |
191g (5050mAh), 178g (4000mAh) |
|
SIM slots |
2x Nano SIM + MicroSD or 1x Nano SIM + MicroSD |
|
Security |
fingerprint sensor, facial recognition, 2 years of quarterly security updates |
|
Other |
FM radio, IP52 dust/water resistance |
Nokia C21
Nokia C21
Inage: HMD Global
|
Network |
4G LTE CAT4 |
|
SE |
Android 11 (Go edition) |
|
CPU |
UNISOC SC9863a, octa-core up to 1.6 GHz |
|
RAM |
2 GB, 3 GB |
|
Storage room |
32 GB, 64 GB |
|
MicroSD card |
Yes |
|
To display |
6.5 inch HD+, 20:9, tempered protective glass |
|
Rear cameras |
8MP AF with flash |
|
Front camera |
5MP with flash |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer (G-sensor) |
|
Battery |
3000mAh (1 day) |
|
loading |
5W (5V, 1A) |
|
Ports |
Micro USB (USB 2.0), 3.5mm audio jack |
|
Dimensions |
77.9mm x 169.9mm x 8.8mm |
|
Weight |
195g |
|
SIM slots |
2x Nano SIM + MicroSD or 1x Nano SIM + MicroSD |
|
Security |
fingerprint sensor, facial recognition, 2 years of quarterly security updates |
|
Other |
fm-radio |
Nokia C2 2nd Edition
Nokia C2 2nd Edition
Picture: HMD Global
|
Network |
4G LTE CAT4 |
|
SE |
Android 11 (Go edition) |
|
CPU |
1.5 GHz quad-core |
|
RAM |
1 GB, 2 GB |
|
Storage room |
32 GB |
|
MicroSD card |
Yes |
|
To display |
5.7″ FWVGA+ (480×960), 18:9 |
|
Rear cameras |
5MP with flash |
|
Front camera |
2MP with flash |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS |
|
Battery |
2400mAh (removable) |
|
loading |
5W (5V, 1A) |
|
Ports |
Micro USB (USB 2.0), 3.5mm audio jack |
|
Dimensions |
75.9mm x 153.95mm x 9.55mm |
|
Weight |
180g |
|
SIM slots |
2x Nano SIM + MicroSD or 1x Nano SIM + MicroSD |
|
Security |
face unlock, 2 years of quarterly security updates |
|
Other |
fm-radio |
Points of note on the specs above include: micro-USB ports for charging and PC connection (rather than USB-C), 3.5mm headphone jack and MicroSD storage expansion across the board; two different battery size choices on the C21 Plus (5050mAh and 4000mAh), only the larger of which offers three days of battery life; an IP52 protection index for the C21 Plus; QR code scanning capability built into the C21’s rear camera; a description of the C2 2nd Edition as “super rugged” but no mention of certifications to back this up; and two years of quarterly security updates across the board.
Nokia C-series price and availability
|
Model |
RAM/storage |
Price |
Region |
Dated |
|
Nokia C21 Plus |
2GB/32GB, 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB |
from 119 € |
select global markets |
April 2022 |
|
Nokia C21 |
2GB/32GB, 3GB/32GB |
from 99€ |
select global markets |
end of March 2022 |
|
Nokia C2 2nd Edition |
1GB/32GB, 2GB/32GB |
from 79 € |
select global markets |
April 2022 |
Accessories
New accessories from HMD include the Nokia Go Earbuds2+, which feature environmental noise cancellation, sweat and splash resistance, and up to 24 hours of playtime.
Nokia Go2+ Earphones
Picture: HMD Global
The Nokia Go Earbuds2+ are available in black and white and are available now in select global markets for €39 (£35.90 in the UK, availability TBD).
There are also new Nokia on-ear headphones, in both wired and wireless versions:
Nokia wired headsets and Nokia wireless headsets.
Images: HMD Global
Both over-ear models are also available in black and white. Corded phones are available now in select global markets for €30 (£29.90 in the UK, TBA availability). The cordless phones are available now in select global markets for €49 (£45.90 in the UK, TBA availability).
Services
HMD’s 1 million service subscriptions are currently split across three main products: Connect Pro (IoT connections), Activate Pro (corporate mobility management) and soft lock (device lock licenses). These will now fall under a new HMD Enterprise division. “After the creation of the new division, we believe that we will be better organized to further develop our offer to more industries, better serve our existing customers and bring new services to market,” said Janne Lehtosalo, Vice President services at HMD Global. , in a report.