Sanmeet Singh Kochhar, the General Manager for the Middle East at HMD Global, speaks to Gadget Voize about why it is important for companies to bring software and security updates on time

What promises does Nokia bring to the market in terms of its smartphones?
We have a very unique promise – your phone keeps getting better. In an era where hardware is getting commoditised, we have a unique Android proposition, something that Google intends for its consumers. All our devices at all price points are upgradeable to the latest Android experience for two years.

Not only are they launched with the latest Android, but they can also be upgraded when the latest version of Android is available. On all our devices, we promise two years worth of software upgrade. So today we are launching our devices with Android Pie and these devices will get a minimum of two upgrades, which is Android Q and Android R. What this brings is amazing software innovation to our devices. 

How important is this proposition for consumers?
This is something consumers are now realising. They spend most of their lives on social media – so there are lots of personal content on their devices. It is important that their security is taken care of. We have a promise that for three years, we will provide monthly security updates on all our devices.

So, usually, when a consumer purchased a smartphone earlier, they looked at the hardware specs before buying the devices. Suddenly they have realised that the hardware starts getting obsolete in a matter of months. Also when there are no timely updates available, the devices start slowing down. So when companies like Nokia offer frequent software and security updates, you mostly end up with a phone that is as good as new, through new overall user experience.

In terms of acceptance of your new devices, what sort of feedback have you received from consumers?
The feedback has been very positive. We recently launched the Nokia One Plus, which is an Android Go device. We have also recently launched the Nokia 9 PureView, and very soon we will soon be launching the Nokia 3.2, which is a big screen device that comes with a dedicated Google Assistant button and Face Unlock.

Each of these devices come packed with software upgrade capability, which people have liked. So two years ago, we launched the Nokia 5 at a price of AED 600, and that phone today runs Android Pie. That is the promise we bring to our customers.

How closely do you work with your hardware and software partners?
We are promising two years of software upgrades and three years of security updates. So, we have very close partnerships with Google and Qualcomm. We use the pure Android version, which is the cleanest Android experience.

We also have a dedicated team of developers who work on the latest Google Android upgrades to bring it to our customers faster. So today, all the devices we have released till now are running Android Pie – so that is the sort of commitment we have towards our customers.

So, should consumers look beyond specifications when buying a phone today?
Yes, consumers need to look beyond specifications when they buy phones today. The hardware of the device is getting commoditised because in terms of specs, largely everyone seems to have the same – be it memory configuration, camera setup, screen sizes, and so on.

The only thing that makes it different is the user experience. We have been getting feedback from our in-store promotors and distributors that customers now ask the right questions like what version of Android does the phone run on, the updates that are promised and so on. So, as HMD Global, we are committed to our customers and we strive to fulfill the promises we have made.