Proper software support in an Android world is not really something you get from every smartphone manufacturer. In fact, most smartphone OEMs don’t care that much about updates, or are slow to deliver them. If you’re a Nokia smartphone user, however, we have some good news for you.
HMD Global has announced that the Nokia 3, 5, 6, and 8 will get more support than initially said. Those four smartphones were supposed to be getting updates until Q4 2019, but HMD Global extended that for an another year.
Truth be said, the phones will not be getting new features, or anything of the sort. This promise is valid only for security updates, quarterly security updates, that is. The Nokia 3 will be getting such patches until September 2020. The Nokia 5, 6, and 8 will be getting them until October 2020, says HMD Global.
Those of you who own the Nokia 2, which also arrived in 2017, well, you’re out of luck. That handset will not be getting an additional year of security patches. The same can be said for the Nokia 6 Amazon variant which was sold in the US and India.
The aforementioned Nokia 3, 5, 6, and 8 were all announced back in 2017. As most of you know, the Nokia 8 was the company’s flagship when it arrived, while the Nokia 6 was a mid-ranger. The Nokia 3 and 5 were considered to be entry-level smartphones, more or less.
HMD Global has been doing a good job with Nokia-branded smartphones, in some markets. The company’s more affordable units have been doing well in developing markets, and some European countries.
That being said, HMD Global still didn’t figure things out in the high-end sector. The company’s Nokia 8, Nokia 8 Sirocco, and Nokia 9 PureView handsets were not all that successful. The Nokia 9 PureView became available earlier this year, following tons of delays, and the ultimate product was not what people expected.
The Nokia 9 PureView had its fair share of issues when it arrived, mostly with performance. Some camera issues managed to crawl in, and the camera quality itself was not what people have expected.
It took HMD Global a bit of time, and the phone is much better now, but it may be a bit too late now. The Nokia 9 PureView is still not the best camera smartphone around, at least according to most people, and expectations may have been too high.
It remains to be seen what HMD Global is planning next. The company’s next flagship really needs to hit the sweet spot, as the competition is fierce in that sector of the market. We haven’t seen any rumors thus far, or leaks, so we don’t know what HMD Global is working on. The company probably won’t announce a new flagship smartphone this year, though. Chances are that it will wait until MWC 2020, or perhaps even more than that. All we can do at this point is sit and wait, as no info surfaced, no info whatsoever.