Nokia Android smartphones to be made in India

Nokia's newly announced Android smartphones - Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 - will be manufactured in India. As per wire service IANS, HMD Global's India VP Ajey Mehta said that the smartphones will be manufactured through Foxconn in India. The handsets are likely to hit stores sometime in June this year. "By June, these products will be launched globally and India will serve as a key market for us again. Our attempt is to source 100 per cent from the country because of tax benefits," said Mehta

HMD Global announced Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 at company's Mobile World Congress event on Sunday. The company also introduced a revamped version of Nokia 3310 feature phone. HMD Global is reportedly planning to sell the smartphones via both online as well as offline retail channels in India. "Our core strength is offline but we will also go online to reach a wider audience. However, online and offline product ranges will be different," revealed Mehta. The company is also in process of establishing service networks across the country.

Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 mark the re-entry of Nokia in the competitive smartphone space. HMD Global had first announced Nokia 6 exclusively for China in January and is now extending the product to other markets.

To recall, Nokia 3 is the most entry-level smartphone in the lineup with a 5-inch 720p display, MediaTek MTK 6737 processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB expandable storage. It features an 8MP front and rear camera and the device is backed by a 2650mAh non-removable battery. Nokia 5 comes with a 5.2-inch 720p display with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass on top. The handset is powered by a Snapdragon 430 chipset coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. It offers a 13MP primary camera with PDAF and f/2.0 aperture while the 8MP front camera offers wider 84-degree field of view. Nokia 5 houses a 3000mAh battery and will be available in Blue, Silver, Matte Black and Copper colour options.

Nokia 6, on the other hand, offers a 5.5-inch FHD display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass on top. Powering the device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset coupled with 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB storage. The handset sports a 16MP rear camera with phase detect autofocus and dual tone flash. The selfie camera is again an 8MP image sensor with support for wide 84-degree field of view. The smartphone supports Dolby Atmos audio and comes with 3000mAh battery.

Nokia 3 is priced at €139 (approximately Rs 9,800) while Nokia 5 will cost €189 (approximately Rs 13,400). Nokia 6, the premium of the three devices will start at €229 (approximately Rs 16,200). With local manufacturing, Nokia can save on import duties and its Android smartphones could arrive at a lower price tag.