New Nokia phones focus on ruggedness, XXL screens and nostalgia

The latest Nokia-branded handsets are made by Finnish firm HMD Global, which is licensing the Nokia brand after the parent company closed its phone unit in 2015.

The Nokia XR20 is described as “life-proof” and comes with a tough build and three years of software updates. The device is designed to handle extreme temperatures; a drop to the ground from 1.8m; one hour under water, and is built to survive harsh environmental conditions. It is also one of the largest phones on the market, with an 81mm width that should make it comfortable for those with larger hands.

The display is covered with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, which HMD said allows it to survive even when being kicked, flipped and spun screen-first across a concrete gravel football pitch. It comes with a 48MP+13MP dual camera with Zeiss Optics; OZO spatial audio; 5G capability, and 15W wireless charging.

For the nostalgic consumer, the "new" Nokia 6310 is a “reimagined” version of a device which was originally released in 2001. The phone comes with a 2.8" screen, a single rear camera and battery life of up to 20 days. It’s cheap build and less-than-smart credentials are reflected in its £50 price tag.

HMD Global also unveiled the Nokia C30, a budget smartphone costing £99 that houses the largest battery and screen yet seen in a Nokia device. HMD said the 6.82" HD+ display is being introduced because of public demand for large-screen smartphones.

Florian Seiche, CEO, HMD Global said: “We are tapping into consumer pain points around durability and longevity. We did a global trend report and found that 73 per cent of consumers want to keep their phone for longer and would if their devices were maintained over time.

“At HMD, we are empowering people to avoid early device replacement and encouraging a more sustainable consumption through our longevity promises.”

In 2017, HMD relaunched the Nokia 3310, which played heavily on nostalgia for the original 2000-era device, even including classic games such as Snake as a way to give more prominence to a feature phone that may otherwise have been largely ignored.