In short: HMD Global opted to delay the release of the Nokia 9 Android flagship which it originally planned to introduce this year, angering some employees who believe the company should tackle their competitors head-on before they commercialize the next generation of mobile technologies, one Russia-based source claimed earlier today, citing sources close to the Finnish firm. The final decision on the matter is understood to have been made by HMD Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas who believes the Nokia 9 is “not quite ready” to be launched, though his reasoning for the decision remains unclear, as per the same report.
Background: HMD’s only 2018 flagship was introduced in the form of the Nokia 8 Sirocco at Mobile World Congress in March but with the device being powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 and debuting at a time when Snapdragon 845-powered rivals were already prevalent, the firm failed to capture the tech enthusiast market that it managed to attract with some of its other devices. On the other hand, the handset was also too expensive to appeal to budget-conscious consumers, whereas those willing to pay a premium price for a smartphone opted for better-known brands, as suggested by the fact that the Nokia 8 Sirocco wasn’t even mentioned by any country-specific mobile sales report released so far. Recent Nokia 9 leaks showing a quintuple-camera setup are said to have originated from disgruntled employees who were hoping the smartphone will be released this year, as indicated by their transparent nature; the latest such sighting showed a prototype device with all pre-production information, making it easy for HMD to track who actually leaked the unit in question.
Impact: HMD appears to be planning to repeat 2018 next year as far as its flagship strategy is concerned, once again releasing a device with a year-old chip and a premium price in hopes of competing with rivals featuring newer technologies. The Nokia 9 is now expected to debut at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, and will presumably achieve similar commercial results.