HMD Global Oy, the home of Nokia phones, has launched the Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 plus in its bid to be among the top five brands in Malaysia.
HMD Global country manager for Malaysia and Myanmar Vijay Thangavelu said Nokia “is still fighting” to create a wave nationwide and not only within the Tier 1 market.
“We are going to where the consumers are, targeting more on retail and concentrating on retail branding via the appearing of more Nokia stores in the market.
“Nokia legacy is not only the consumers, but the retailers as well. The sentiment and relationship that we have with the retailers is an advantage as many have approached us, and we are dressing up stores to be more of Nokia front,” he told The Malaysian Reserve (TMR) at the sideline of the launch.
Currently, the Nokia brand in Malaysia is still within the top 10 position.
Vijay said with the launch of Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 plus, the brand could move up the ladder to the top five or top three position.
The Nokia 1 is available in stores beginning April 12 at a recommended retail price of RM339, while the Nokia 7 plus will be sold from April 20 at RM1,699.
The Handphone User Survey 2017 by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated that 42.3 million mobile cellular subscriptions are now in circulation, with a penetration rate of 131.2% to a population of 32.3 million.
Vijay said the trend of users switching smartphones in Malaysia is an opportunity for Nokia to init iate an affordable entry level product to the market.
“We have combined the latest Android Oreo (Go edition) software with our Nokia 1 to deliver value and a complete smartphone experience to our consumers.
“Nokia 1 is catered to early smartphone users, senior citizens, minor or feature phone migrators,” he added.
The Nokia 1 is equipped with Android 8.1 Oreo, a quadcore processor, front and rear cameras, 4G connectivity, dual SIM, power-efficient IPS display, a removable 2150mAh battery and polycarbonate shell.
Features for the Nokia 7 plus comprise an 18:9 six-inch display, Zeiss optics with Dual- Sight “live” st reaming, wide-angle 12MP with 13MP telephoto lens, two times optical zoom, Nokia OZO 360” spatial audio, ceramic coating, Snapdragon 660 mobile platform and Android One.
The Nokia 7 plus comes with a box that includes a Bluetooth tripod, tempered glass, a fish eye, and a wide and macro lens, which is available while stocks last.