The company may launch Nokia flagship 9 and Nokia 1 Plus at the event. MWC is turning out to be a great affair for global smartphone brands
The HMD Global invite reads “See you in Barcelona”, and mentions other event details too. It even has a photograph of the city as the backdrop. The pic is probably taken using a new Nokia smartphone that HMD may launch at the event.
Can MWC help the declining global smartphone market?
Many reports have suggested that the global smartphone market is on a decline at the moment. Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research, in one of its reports had recently said, “This is the first time that the global smartphone market has witnessed decline for a whole year. The decline in smartphone shipments can be attributed to lengthening replacement cycles in developed markets like US, China and Western Europe.”
He added, “Smartphone OEMs tried to push sales by adding features such as AI, multiple camera assemblies, full-screen displays, in-screen fingerprint scanners etc. but consumers held on to their devices longer due to the absence of groundbreaking innovations and higher prices of devices being offered by the OEMs.”
Several other reports have suggested – lack of innovation, high price points and users holding to their devices for longer periods of time, as reasons that may also be responsible for the slowdown in the global smartphone markets. It will be really interesting to see how innovations and new smartphone products launched at the Mobile World Congress turn and help grow the smartphones vertical.
Nokia 9 smartphone features
Leaked information about the specifications of Nokia 9 smartphone includes a 5.99-inch QHD PureDisplay panel with HDR10 support. The biggest USP of the upcoming Nokia smartphone is said ti be its pentalens camera setup. It is also rumored that HMD Global may be able to power the Nokia 9 Smartphone using a Snapdragon 855 SoC.
Nokia One, that is rumored to be priced below Rs 4,500, is also expected to be announced at the event. It is highly likely that the brand will launch Nokia 1 Plus in India first. Rural markets in the country are still untapped in terms of smartphones penetration, and a smartphone priced below Rs 5,000 can help any brand to capture a good market share in the rural Indian markets.
