Nokia Phone Deals

Who makes Nokia phones now

Nokia the company stopped making phones over a decade ago. Since 2016 the Nokia phone brand has been licensed to HMD, which designs, manufactures and sells Nokia-branded devices under the brand guidelines rather than being Nokia itself.

HMD has since begun selling handsets under its own name and has indicated that it is moving away from Nokia-branded smartphones in favour of the HMD brand. Feature phones continue under the Nokia name.

For a buyer this matters in two ways. Warranty and support come from HMD rather than from Nokia. And if you are choosing between a Nokia-branded and an HMD-branded handset, they come from the same company, so the comparison is between two ranges rather than two manufacturers.

Feature phones and smartphones are very different purchases

The Nokia range spans two categories that have almost nothing in common beyond the badge, and confusing them is the most common mistake buyers make here.

Feature phones such as the classic-style handsets run simple software rather than Android. They make calls, send texts and hold a charge for days or weeks, but they do not run apps. There is no banking app, no WhatsApp in the form most people expect, and no NHS app. They receive no Android version updates, because there is no Android to update.

Android smartphones in the range work like any other Android handset and run the full app ecosystem.

Neither is better. They serve different needs. But a feature phone bought by someone expecting to use everyday apps will be returned, and a smartphone bought for someone who wanted simplicity will go unused. Establish which category the model belongs to before comparing on price.

Durability, battery life and simplicity

Where the Nokia range competes is on straightforwardness rather than specification. Battery life on feature phones is measured in days or weeks rather than hours, the handsets are physically robust, and there is very little to go wrong.

That makes the range a reasonable fit for a second phone, a phone for travel, a device for someone who does not want a smartphone, or a deliberately limited handset for reducing screen time.

If durability is the priority on an Android model, our guide to IP ratings on phones explains how to read water and dust resistance ratings rather than relying on marketing language.

Comparing on total cost

Because many Nokia handsets sit at the very bottom of the price range, the total contract cost is often low enough that contract length matters less than it does elsewhere on this site. The main question is usually whether a contract makes sense at all compared with buying the handset outright.

compare SIM-free phones shows what the same handset costs without a contract, which is worth checking on inexpensive devices where the airtime plan may represent most of the total. all networks sets out which providers offer shorter terms if a long commitment is not what you want.

What to compare when choosing a Nokia phone

Establish first whether the model is a feature phone or an Android smartphone, because that decides whether it will do what you need at all.

If it is a feature phone, compare on total cost and battery life rather than on specification, and check whether buying outright costs less than a contract.

If it is an Android model, check the update commitment for the specific handset, since it varies and is generally shorter than commitments from the larger brands, and match it against the contract length.

If you are moving from another provider and want to keep your existing number, our guide on how to keep your number when switching explains the process. If you are deciding how much data to pay for, our guide to what is a good data allowance covers what different types of use consume.