Nokia 2 launch: HMD Global's cheapest Android phone with 4100mAh battery

HMD Global made its first India-exclusive launch with the Nokia 2. While the USP of the launch event in New Delhi was a hands-on session on a moving metro train, the phone boasts several interesting features of its own. From a 2-day battery to Android Nougat, and a 5-inch HD screen thrown in for good measure, the budget smartphone comes loaded in every department.

With the Nokia 2, HMD Global is planning to tap into the ultra-cheap smartphone segment and increase its market share in the country. Currently, the company's market share is on a steep climb in the feature phone industry with around 8 per cent hold in the market. The company is on the fourth position in the feature phone market.

"Nokia has always been a people's brand, and with the new avatar of Nokia mobiles we are looking to continue to be a people's brand and to bring our full range of portfolio of smart as well as feature phones to the consumers out there. We will continue to be a company and a brand that delivers a device for everyone," said Pranav Shroff, Director (Product and Portfolio), Nokia.

The hands-on session was held on a moving metro train.

The arrival of Nokia 2 will give the brand a much needed boost in the smartphone segment. Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6, all based on Android operating system, were launched earlier this year and later the company launched their flagship Nokia 8.

According to Qualcomm India head Larry Paulson, Nokia's comeback is a very positive story. He said, "We all know the history of Nokia and how strong it was in India. Yes, 2017 is a different world but it's a big market and there is a lot of room for many brands to be successful. If Nokia executes, they have a solid chance of being a winner in the market."

Commenting on the company's strategy, Paulson commented, "Qualcomm believes in segmentation. We use partitioning in our technology to match up to the price, performance in the market and really believe in the importance of grabbing that consumer."

He added that the 200 series chipsets will enable them to expand their reach by grabbing the right customer."We remove a certain amount of cost but we still provide a solid modem and a really solid feature-set to enable devices in that 75-150USD range," he said.

Here below are the specifications of the Nokia 2:

Processor- Nokia 2 is powered by Snapdragon 212, along with a Adreno 304 GPU. Although details about the RAM on Nokia 2 were not divulged during the launch event, it is expected to come with with 1GB RAM and 8 GB internal storage.

Battery- The Nokia 2 draws power from a 4100 mAh battery. HMD Global has promised 2 days worth of battery life with the Nokia 2, given that the phone is used for 5 hours a days. The modest Snapdragon 212 SoC on the phone is likely to aid the battery life.

Display- One of the biggest selling points of the device is the 5-inch HD screen which comes with a contrast ratio of 13000:1. Moreover, the display comes protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The Nokia 2 will have 8MP primary and 5MP secondary cameras.

Camera- Nokia 2 houses an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 5-megapixel front facing camera.

Software- In terms of software, the device will come with Android Nougat 7.1.1 which is a first for a phone in this segment. Nokia has kept the interface pretty close to stock version which will keep it easy on the processor. Moreover, Nokia is promising to keep the Nokia 2 'pure secure and up to date', making it future-proof. This means that the Nokia 2 will receive the update for Android Oreo in due time.

Nokia 2 will ship with Android Nougat out of the box.

Features- Apart from the stock Android, the Nokia 2 will also feature Google Assistant, with the option to get search results in Hindi. The voice assistant has featured for the first time in the budget phone segment. The smartphone will come with LTE 4G support.

Design- The body of Nokia 2 has been milled from 6000 series aluminium. The phone has a polycarbonate back. The phone will be available in Black, White and Copper colour options.

Nokia 2 will be available in Black, White and Copper colour options.

Price- The Nokia 2 has been priced at 99 euros for global markets, which is a little over Rs 7,000. It will be available in markets from mid-November. Although the price for Indian markets has not been disclosed yet, the Nokia 2 might be priced in the vicinity of Rs 6,000 to Rs 6,500.