HMD global gearing up for release of its Nokia Android phones

Before you rush out to buy that Porsche Design Mate 9 you might want to wait a couple of months for an equally eccentric alternative. Nokia-branded Android phones are set for release in early 2017, and its parent company has just selected the marketer that’s going to launch them.

HMD global, the Finnish company that now owns the Nokia brand, announced its partnership with marketing agency Mother yesterday. Mother, which has previously worked on campaigns for Coca-Cola and IKEA, is an award-winning agency with offices in London and New York; its appointment indicates HMD Global is readying its international smartphone launch.

“Nokia is a truly iconic, globally recognized and trusted brand. As the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for mobile phones and tablets, our ambition was to find a like-minded agency who grasped both the opportunity and responsibility in bringing a new product range to market,” said HMD global CMO Pekka Rantala, regarding the announcement.

Recently, James Rutherfoord, general manager of devices at Microsoft Asia-Pacific, told a Vietnamese publication that HMD Global intends to launch “two new phone products in the fourth quarter 2016 and at least two smartphones in the early second quarter 2017”. Adweek also confirmed the 2017 launch for the new smartphones.

There’s no sign of these handsets just yet but there’s still a couple of months of 2016 left to see them teased. Recent rumors suggest Nokia is planning to launch two devices running Android 7.0 Nougat, which would feature 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch QHD displays, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 22.6 MP camera, and a dust and water resistant metal unibody design. Reports of four-week battery life and protection from all materials excluding Valyrian steel remain unconfirmed.

Are you excited to see what’s in store for the next Nokia phones? Give us your thoughts in the comments.