The Nokia 6.1 Plus and 5.1 Plus are seen as HMD Global’s answer to Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 lineup, which has seen a massive response – both critically and commercially in India.
For HMD Global, delivering the best Nokia experience is more critical than anything else. “The most important thing is to get the largest possible number of consumers using new Nokia smartphones and having a great experience on those,” Florian Seiche, Chief executive of HMD Global, told indianexpress.com in an interview on the sidelines of the launch of Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 5.1 Plus in India.
According to Florian, the company has been designing its Nokia phones with the same level of expertise considering the faith many consumers have in the iconic Finnish brand. “We are not building the brand for the sake for the brand, we are giving consumers the best possible new Nokia smartphone experience and there we are willing to be even more aggressive,” Seiche said. HMD Global has in the last few months expanded its smartphone portfolio. The Nokia 6.1 Plus and 5.1 Plus are seen as HMD Global’s answer to Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 lineup, which has seen a massive response – both critically and commercially in India.
“[These] phones pack even more value so that we have a chance for even more consumers to experience everyday. We believe that besides pure feature to price equation, we have something more to offer to consumers, which is around the quality, around the upgrade promise, and the overall lifecycle promise. Those elements make what the new Nokia brand stands for,” Seiche explained. “For us being more aggressive with (these) models is basically a way to reach a new set of Nokia consumers”.
Asked whether HMD Global is satisfied with the performance in India so far, Seiche said, “We are extremely happy. India is definitely a cornerstone for our overall growth. Seiche says the company is already present in the offline market and now it is aggressively chasing the online space with a partnership with Flipkart. HMD Global also operates its own online store to sell Nokia phones in India, which is a part of a renewed strategy to reach out to more users.” He adds that the company has invested significantly in the backend execution capabilities, be it manufacturing or local production of its phones. Nokia phones are now being manufactured by Foxconn in India.
Although HMD Global has been aggressively expanding its India business, the company has no plans to open Nokia-branded stores in India in the near future. “Right now, I believe we don’t have the scale to open our exclusive stores in the country,” said Ajey Mehta, Vice-President and Country Head, India for HMD Global. However, the company might think of opening exclusive outlets here once it reaches a certain level of volume and scale. For now, HMD Global is focusing on the premium retail experience which is being offered by its partner stores in India.
Despite HMD Global’s positive outlook on the Indian market, the brand is yet to make it into the top five smartphone players in the country. The success of the Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 5.1 Plus is crucial if HMD Global is going to make a mark on the Indian smartphone market. HMD Global is the exclusive licensee for the Nokia-branded devices for 10 years.