…except this time they’ll stick to the cheaper side instead of butting heads with bigger, badder smartphones.
Microsoft had earlier announced that it was pulling the Nokia brand, with Nokia France the first division to be rebranded Microsoft Lumia.
An interview on Conversations.Nokia.com with Tuula Rytilä, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Phones at Microsoft, has revealed that Microsoft isn’t going to completely ditch the Nokia brand just yet.
When asked if consumers will see additional Nokia phones from Microsoft, Rytilä was quick to answer in the positive:
Yes! Microsoft will continue to sell Nokia-branded, entry-level category of phones, such as the Nokia 130. We have licensed the Nokia brand for such devices.
This then appears as if Microsoft plans to spin off the Nokia brand into two distinct entities: Lumia for high-end Windows OS smartphones, Nokia for low-end Nokia OS feature phones.
Microsoft then hopes that these entry-level Nokia phones will give the company a better position in developing markets such as Asia and Africa.
Rytilä had also mentioned earlier in the interview that Microsoft would continue to support the recently announced Lumia 830 and Lumia 730/735 by honoring warranties and providing customer care.
Pleased that Nokia phones will still see the light of day? Think it’s about time Nokia was laid to rest?
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