HMD unveiled its entry-level smartphones trio last night with the release of the Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 2.1 smartphones, the 2018 revamping of last year’s budget lineup. While the launch of the Nokia 5.1 and Nokia 2.1 was scheduled for July 2018, the Nokia 3.1 is set to make it to the stands as early as next month.
With that comes the question of pricing and availability of the smartphone. Since all three phones were unveiled at an event in Moscow, HMD will surely be looking to release the same for the users in Russia. Initial pricing revealed a starting price of 99 Euros, 139 Euros and 189 Euros for the Nokia 2.1, Nokia 3.1 and Nokia 5.1 respectively but clearly, we expected some minor changes since these things fluctuate depending on the market being sold to.
While the most expensive of the lot, the Nokia 5.1 was expected to come around at 189 Euros (approx. Rs 14,800), Nokia India has listed it for as low Rs 12,499 which is 30 Euros cheaper than its original pricing. The same can be said about the Android Go-powered Nokia 2.1 which will be available in India for as low as Rs 6,999, in contrast to its launch price of 99 Euros (approx. Rs 7,800).
The Nokia 3.1 is currently listed on the Nokia India website though there’s information regarding its pricing. But going by the lower rates set for Indian customers, we can expect the successor to last year’s Nokia 3 to be a sub Rs 10,000 device when it launches in India in the next few weeks.
Considering these are the newest Nokia smartphones to be launched, it’ll be a welcome change if HMD is looking to promote their upcoming devices in India firsthand. All that for a lower price than what is being sold across the world means the Finnish company is serious about competing with Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Vivo. At this moment, Nokia smartphones are the only budget devices that offer a near to Stock Android experience and with more and more customers opting away from heavily skinned versions of Android, this might as well be the year of Nokia in the entry segment at least.