HMD Global, owner of the venerable Nokia mobile phone brand, is celebrating 41% year-on-year revenue growth for its smartphone business in 2021, which also saw the company’s first full year of operational profitability. At Mobile World Congress (MWC), HMD’s headline announcement is three new additions – the Nokia C21, C21 Plus and C2 2nd Edition – to its C-series of affordable smartphones.
HMD Global is also expanding its range of Nokia-branded earbuds and headphones, and creating a new services-focused division to capitalise on growth that, the company says, will see services subscriptions hit 1 million during the first half of 2022.
The company has already covered off the US market at CES with five new phones, one of them a 5G device, and launched two new mid-range G-series phones, the G21 and G11, whose key selling points include (claimed) three-day battery life.
These are the new C-series phones, which are all 4G LTE devices running Android 11 (Go edition):
C-series smartphones
Nokia C21 Plus
| Network | 4G LTE CAT4 |
| OS | Android 11 (Go edition) |
| CPU | UNISOC SC9863a, octa-core up to 1.6GHz |
| RAM | 2GB, 3GB, 4GB |
| Storage | 32GB, 64GB |
| MicroSD card | yes |
| Display | 6.5-inch HD+, 20:9, toughened cover glass |
| Rear cameras | 13MP AF + 2MP depth with flash |
| Front camera | 5MP with flash |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer (G sensor) |
| Battery | 5050mAh (3 days), 4000mAh (2 days) |
| Charging | 10W (5V, 2A) |
| Ports | Micro-USB (USB 2.0), 3.5mm audio jack |
| Dimensions | 75.9mm x 164.8mm x 8.55mm |
| Weight | 191g (5050mAh), 178g (4000mAh) |
| SIM slots | 2x Nano SIM + MicroSD or 1x Nano SIM + MicroSD |
| Security | fingerprint sensor, face unlock, 2 years of quarterly security updates |
| Other | FM radio, IP52 dust/water resistance |
Nokia C21
| Network | 4G LTE CAT4 |
| OS | Android 11 (Go edition) |
| CPU | UNISOC SC9863a, octa-core up to 1.6GHz |
| RAM | 2GB, 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB, 64GB |
| MicroSD card | yes |
| Display | 6.5-inch HD+, 20:9, toughened cover glass |
| Rear cameras | 8MP AF with flash |
| Front camera | 5MP with flash |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer (G sensor) |
| Battery | 3000mAh (1 day) |
| Charging | 5W (5V, 1A) |
| Ports | Micro-USB (USB 2.0), 3.5mm audio jack |
| Dimensions | 77.9mm x 169.9mm x 8.8mm |
| Weight | 195g |
| SIM slots | 2x Nano SIM + MicroSD or 1x Nano SIM + MicroSD |
| Security | fingerprint sensor, face unlock, 2 years of quarterly security updates |
| Other | FM radio |
Nokia C2 2nd Edition
| Network | 4G LTE CAT4 |
| OS | Android 11 (Go edition) |
| CPU | quad-core 1.5GHz |
| RAM | 1GB, 2GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| MicroSD card | yes |
| Display | 5.7-inch FWVGA+ (480 x 960), 18:9 |
| Rear cameras | 5MP with flash |
| Front camera | 2MP with flash |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS |
| Battery | 2400mAh (removable) |
| Charging | 5W (5V, 1A) |
| Ports | Micro-USB (USB 2.0), 3.5mm audio jack |
| Dimensions | 75.9mm x 153.95mm x 9.55mm |
| Weight | 180g |
| SIM slots | 2x Nano SIM + MicroSD or 1x Nano SIM + MicroSD |
| Security | face unlock, 2 years of quarterly security updates |
| Other | FM radio |
Points to note on the above specifications include: Micro-USB ports for charging and PC connection (rather than USB-C), a 3.5mm headphone jack and MicroSD storage expansion across the board; two different battery size choices on the C21 Plus (5050mAh and 4000mAh), only the larger of which delivers the headline three days of battery life; an IP52 rating for the C21 Plus; QR code scanning capability built into the C21’s rear camera; a description of the C2 2nd Edition as ‘super tough’ but no mention of any certifications to back this up; and two years of quarterly security updates across the board.
Nokia C-series pricing and availability
| Model | RAM / storage | Price | Region | Date |
| Nokia C21 Plus | 2GB/32GB, 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB | from €119 | select global markets | April 2022 |
| Nokia C21 | 2GB/32GB, 3GB/32GB | from €99 | select global markets | end of March 2022 |
| Nokia C2 2nd Edition | 1GB/32GB, 2GB/32GB | from €79 | select global markets | April 2022 |
Accessories
HMD’s new accessories include the Nokia Go Earbuds2 +, which feature environmental noise cancellation, sweat and splash resistance and up to 24 hours of playtime.
The Nokia Go Earbuds2 + come in black and white and are available now in select global markets at €39 (£35.90 in the UK, availability TBA).
There are also new over-ear Nokia Headphones, in both wired and wireless versions:
Both over-ear models also come in black and white. The wired phones are available now in select global markets at €30 (£29.90 in the UK, availability TBA). The wireless phones are available now in select global markets at €49 (£45.90 in the UK, availability TBA).
Services
HMD’s 1 million services subscriptions are currently spread over three main products: Connect Pro (IoT connections), Enable Pro (enterprise mobility management) and Softlock (device lock licences). These will now fall under a new HMD Enterprise Division. “Following the creation of the new division, we believe we will be better organised to further grow our offering to more industries, better serve our existing clients, and bring new services to the market,” said Janne Lehtosalo, VP of services at HMD Global, in a statement.
