Is Nokia really looking for a new partner after parting ways with HMD?

Once the world's largest phone maker, Nokia is now licensing its brand to unknown companies that want to capitalize on the iconic name.

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Perhaps one of the most iconic phone makers of all-time, Nokia, has stopped making phones for several years now. Although we’ve had Nokia-branded phones launched on the market even after Nokia decided to sell its mobile business, those were made by another company, HMD Global.

However, Nokia and HMD Global will be parting ways next year, so the question remains whether or not we’ll still see new Nokia phones released on the market after the collaboration between the two companies ends.

To make things even worst for Nokia, HMD Global recently announced plans to scale back its operations in the United States. This means that Nokia phones weren’t as successful as HMD hoped, so the Finnish company is now looking to cut its losses and remove itself from a very challenging market.

- HMD Global, July 2025

Even though the collaboration between Nokia and HMD Global won’t end until March 2026, the former is already looking for a new partner willing to continue releasing Nokia-branded phones.

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Do you think a new company might be able to make Nokia phones popular again?
Yes, but they need to invest heavily in R&D.
61.25%
No, there's simply too much competition.
26.25%
Who needs Nokia anyway?
12.5%
80 Votes

A Nokia Community Manager posted on the Nokia sub-reddit a reply to a user who asked whether or not the company will offer licensing deals for mobile phones after the collaboration with HMD ends next year.

- Nokia Community Manager, July 2025

The comment has since been deleted from the thread, but not before the folks at Mobilissimo were able to screenshot it. While it’s pretty clear that Nokia doesn’t have another partner lined up to take over the mobile business from HMD Global, it remains to be seen how fast it will be able to find one.


Nokia 8 Sirocco | Image credit: PhoneArena

It’s hard to believe that Nokia makes a lot of money from licensing its mobile brand. The Finnish company gains more revenue from its patent and network divisions, and this is happening for quite some time.

It’s also hard to believe that Nokia phones will become popular again, especially in an oversaturated market. Nothing, Oppo, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi have become much more popular than Nokia, so the company that decides to make Nokia-branded phones will have a tough time returning the iconic brand to its former glory.

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