Manufacturer Nokia presents its new smartphones, here are our first impressions

HMD, the Finnish company behind the Nokia brand, is launching several phones in France. While the feature phone lineup is entirely based on Nokia’s heritage, HMD’s smartphones eschew the iconic brand entirely. These smartphones are called Pulse and Pulse Pro. They sell for under 160 euros. And we were able to try them.

Nokia is part of the history of telephony in the world. For example, Motorola, Ericsson, Sagem, Alcatel, Siemens or even BlackBerry. Many of these iconic brands have disappeared from the shelves. Moreover, it is no longer possible to buy the latest Nokia smartphone, since the company that developed it until now has decided not to offer them anymore, limiting the Finnish brand to feature phones. That company is HMD Global. Or more simply put, HMD.

Read also – Nothing Phone 3 confirmed, release expected this summer

However, HMD has not abandoned the idea of ​​​​creating smartphones. Nokia is just not part of the equation. Especially in the “affordable” price segment from 100 to 400 euros. These segments are particularly targeted at Generation Z, those addicted to social media, and other digital natives who have no affinity for legacy brands. To make matters worse, Nokia is viewed by “next generation” consumers as a dusty antique. This is why HMD smartphones will not display the iconic brand.

HMD is ditching the Nokia brand in favor of its new smartphones

The company prefers to place its own label there. Here are HMD Pulse, Pulse+ and Pulse Pro, the first three muses of this new strategy. These are three very affordable smartphones, since the standard version will be offered in France at a price of 129.90 euros, while the Pro version will cost only 159.90 euros. Please note that Pulse+ will be reserved in France for professional clients. That’s why you won’t find it on the shelves of your favorite distributor.

How will Pulse be different from its competitors (Redmi, Galaxy A, Realme, etc.)? HMD makes three arguments. Firstly, the design, especially the software, with a beautiful interface reminiscent of, for example, Nothing Phone 2a. In terms of hardware, these Pulse could be Redmi, which wouldn’t shock us too much. The second argument is photography with sensors whose resolution can reach 50 megapixels on the back and also on the front for the Pro version. The last argument, and from our point of view, the most important: maintainability.

Finally, smartphones that are easy to repair?

HMD designed its phones to be easily repairable products. The company says it wants these products to last a long time and that it’s normal for customers to be able to easily repair them if a problem occurs. Thus, four parts can be easily replaced: screen, battery, back cover and USB port. We did a test. And it’s actually quite easy. All it takes is a little method, a little time and a few tools.

On the hardware front, HMD has signed a partnership with iFixit. The repair technician will provide complete kits containing original parts and tools to perform the replacement part yourself. HMD is committed to ensuring the availability of spare parts for all Pulse models for a minimum of 5 years. Additionally, the brand is committed to offering two Android updates and a 3-year security patch. It’s a little short by high-end standards. But this is an average figure for the affordable segment.

The technical data sheet is clearly not a selling point here. The brand barely addresses this issue as it doesn’t really include the elements that would attract an informed consumer: Unisoc Tiger chipset, 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, 4G modem, 720p screen, 5000mAh battery… The experience is as true as we’ll see soon in our full test. But a little more. This is the exact opposite of Xiaomi, which for the same price will multiply the technical arguments to seduce. On the other hand, HMD is focusing on waste-free and environmentally friendly fiber, which is becoming increasingly popular among consumers. And this also attracts attention.