Remember those cute little Asha Phones that Microsoft and Nokia used to bridge the gap between feature phones and smartphones? Looks like they might make a comeback as HMD Global has acquired the trademark for the iconic Asha phone label.
HMD Global’s Marketing strategy of evoking Nostalgia by reviving popular yesteryear phones like Nokia 3310 has worked very well so far, and the Asha brand is something the company could leverage in its favor.
Will new Asha Phones be Android phones or feature phones?
Since HMD Global is already working on Android Go phones (expectedly Nokia 1) for the far low-end market, what’s in store for the Asha phones?
Based on the trademark filing, HMD Global is free to use the branding for feature phones as well as smartphones. The trademark allows the company to build “computer software platform used in mobile telephones and smartphones; mobile phones and smartphones” as well as “wireless communication services namely for computer software used in mobile telephones and smartphones”
Also Read: Google For India 2017 – 10 Big Google Announcements
Perhaps Nokia might use the brand for aberrant big display 4G feature phones that are increasingly becoming popular in India. Nokia shipped a total of 13.5 million feature phones globally in the third quarter last year, which is significantly higher (by volume) compared to the 2.8 Million smartphones that it shipped in the same period.
Either-ways, we can only speculate as no official details have been divulged by HMD Global as of now.
What’s Next?
The next exciting news from HMD Global is expected to be the Goog that will be powered by Google’s Android Go software tailor-made for less resourceful and entry-level Android phones. These phones come with lighter Google Apps (Assistant Go, Files Go, Google Go, etc.) preloaded and their low price could convince feature phone buyers to make the switch to Smartphones.
Nokia 6 (2018) with Snapdragon 630 SoC and Bothie Announced: Price, Specification and Features
