HMD Global has revived the Nokia C branding with the debut of the all-new Nokia C1 smartphone today running Android Pie Go Edition. The phone was announced in Kenya earlier today targeted at markets like Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. Strangely, the smartphone only supports 3G connectivity in the era of 4G feature phones.
Millions of consumers across markets in Africa, Middle East and APAC will upgrade from a feature phone to their first smartphone. Nokia C1 is a smartphone they can trust – bringing quality experiences at an affordable price with 3G connectivity #nokiamobile pic.twitter.com/QibUYWxRTn
— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) December 11, 2019
Since the beginning, HMD Global has been known for making bizarre decisions on its Nokia-branded smartphones. The company is still stuck with the old-gen SoCs on their mid-range smartphones like Nokia 6.2 and Nokia 7.2. Whereas, their entry-level offerings still lack fingerprint sensors and rely on AI face unlock for authentication. And now, the company brought back Nokia’s iconic C branding back to life in a smartphone without 4G LTE.
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The newly-announced Nokia C1 is powered by an unknown(most probably MediaTek) Quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz coupled with 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. The phone sports a 5.45-inch FWVGA+(960 x 480 pixels) IPS LCD panel with 18:9 aspect ratio. A 5MP selfie camera along with an LED flash sits above on this display. The back of the phone also features a 5MP camera, that too accompanied by an LED flash(obviously).
Interestingly, the back panel of the Nokia C1 can be slid open to access a 2,500mAh removable battery which charges at a rate of 5W. Connectivity options on the phone include WiFi, Dual SIM, 3G, Bluetooth 4.2, micro-USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is even support for microSD up to 64GB to expand the storage if needed. Last but not least, the phone also comes with a dedicated Google Assistant key.
The Nokia C1 by HMD Global is priced at 5,999 Kenyan Shilling which roughly translates to $60. The phone will be available in Red and Black colour options. The company is yet to reveal price and availability for other markets.
