Nokia, the once-dominant phone brand, may soon find a new home in the smartphone market. The Finnish company is reportedly seeking a licensing deal with another manufacturer after its partnership with HMD Global ends.
Last year, Nokia and HMD began distancing themselves, with Nokia-branded phones disappearing from HMD’s website and being replaced by HMD’s own models. Now, a Nokia Community Manager hinted on Reddit that the company is open to collaborating with a “large scale mobile manufacturer” for future devices. However, the informal nature of the post suggests no firm deal is in place yet.
Nokia has licensed its brand before to Streamview handled TVs, RichGo made accessories, and OFF Global produced laptops, but those deals have since ended. Meanwhile, HMD, which revived Nokia’s phone business since 2016, is struggling. The company recently scaled back U.S. operations, citing economic and geopolitical challenges, and its online store no longer functions properly.
Nokia itself remains financially stable, reporting €156 million in operating profit on €4.39 billion in net sales for Q1 2025.
The question now is who might take on the Nokia brand next. Will it be an established player or another startup like HMD?
Via: GSMArena