TECH

Back in Brazil, Nokia bets on nostalgia and price to sell smartphones

She came back - and if it depends on the executives' promise, now it is to stay. One of the brands that helped Brazil understand what a cell phone was, Nokia starts again this Sunday, 3, its trajectory in the national market. As of this date, Nokia 2.3(image above) starts to be sold in the country, a smartphone that carries the Finnish brand and bets on price (R$ 900) and nostalgia to return to occupy the pockets of Brazilians. But this is a Nokia that has changed a lot, showing that not everything is the same as it was before.
Pioneer in the cell phone market, with models such as “the snake game cell phone” (Nokia 5110) or the “Matrix movie banana phone” (Nokia 8110), the Finnish brand has had a tumultuous path in recent years. In 2013, Nokia's mobile device division was purchased by Microsoft. Shortly thereafter, with the failure of the Windows Phone operating system against rivals Android (from Google) and iOS (from Apple), the area was put aside by the company founded by Bill Gates.
At the end of 2016, by contract, the rights to the “Nokia” brand returned to the Finnish company, which remained a manufacturer of technology for telecommunications. The company then relinquished the use of the brand to HMD Global, a company recently founded by former Nokia employees to make Android-powered smartphones worldwide. Since February 2017, HMD Global has launched devices in more than 50 countries, including several markets in Latin America.
Now, Brazil's turn has come. “It is a strategic country for us. It is a private market, so we need to learn the processes little by little and make adaptations ”, says Juan Olano, portfolio director at HMD Global for the Americas, in an interview with the State. According to the report, the plan was for the premiere to take place a little earlier, but the progress of the process was affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Here, HMD has a strong partner: the local manufacturer Multilaser that will take care of the distribution of the devices to stores across the country, especially after the period of social isolation has passed. "It is a partner that brings us important capillarity, especially in physical retail, where we need to be to be known," says Junior Favaro, director of marketing and sales at HMD Global in Brazil - and also a veteran of Nokia here. He bets on the sales power of Mother's Day, a strong date for the sale of smartphones, to draw attention to his product.

Bet
With a suggested retail price of R$ 900(local currency), Nokia 2.3 is one of Nokia's simplest smartphones. “The first digit of each model shows his family, and the more equipped the device is. The second number is the generation, which explains that he is the fourth generation of his family ”, explains Olano.
With a 6.2-inch screen, dual-lens rear camera and 32 GB of storage, in addition to a 4,000 mAh battery, it has interesting specifications that can mess with the entry-level smartphone category, the most popular price range in Brazil . According to figures from the consultancy IDC Brasil for 2019, 48.5% of the 45.5 million devices of the type sold in the country last year cost between R$ 700 and R$ 1.1 thousand(local currency).
Initially, Nokia 2.3 will arrive in Brazil imported, but the company does not rule out making models here in the near future. Outside, it costs US $ 130. “We try to bring the right price to the Brazilian market,” says Olano. Without going into details or making promises, the executives of HMD Global also claim that they intend to have other models and price ranges in the country by the end of the year.

Bruno Capelas-Brazil