No, Nokia isn’t coming back. Instead a group of former Microsoft executives have formed a company called HMD global, which will use Nokia branding in a new line of Android smartphones and tablets.
HMD signed an agreement with Nokia Technologies which allows the brand licensing. This will certainly give the new devices a higher profile than if they were under an unknown label.
The Helsinki-based HMD didn’t offer any specifics about when such phones and tablets would launch or what the pricing would be. The move further distances Nokia from Microsoft (whose own future with Lumia devices is rather uncertain).
Why this matters: For many of us, phones like the Nokia 1610 were our first foray into mobile technology. Much like Motorola, Nokia is one of those iconic brands that’s forever linked with the advent of mobile devices. The return of Nokia-branded phones is a nice piece of nostalgia, even though the marketplace has drastically changed.