Nokia and Zeiss had an effective partnership before, in which they worked together to bring unmatched camera power to smartphones. However, with Nokia losing ground, the partnership failed to create the magic it wanted. Now it seems like the brands want to give their partnership another chance by differentiating Nokia phones on the basis of offering a superb camera experience.
It’s not only about the camera
HMD Global, the company that manufactures Nokia-branded phones, has entered into a long-term agreement with Zeiss to improve the quality of the software and services and work on screen quality and the optic design front. Florian Seiche, president of HMD Global, stated that the partnership marks both companies’ commitment to delivering an unparalleled experience to customers.
“Our fans want more than a great smartphone camera, they want a complete imaging experience that doesn’t just set the standard but redefines it. Our fans expect it and, together with ZEISS, we’re delivering it – co-developed imaging excellence for all,” the executive said.
According to Seiche, HMD Global and Zeiss have come together to set a standard for a great imaging experience for future generations of Nokia phones. However, it will not be only about the camera this time; rather, the companies will expand their efforts in software, hardware and optics.
The partnership with Zeiss comes after Huawei, HMD’s arch rival, entered into a partnership with Germany’s Leica to work on ramping up the photography features in its devices. When it comes to low-price phones, Huawei dominates, and it was at the third spot just behind Samsung and Apple in overall sales. HMD is also looking to capture the low-end market with a series of new Nokia phones this year.
What to expect from the next-gen Nokia phones
For now, both Nokia and Zeiss have decided to keep the fine details of the agreement undisclosed, as there is no word on what consumers should expect in upcoming Nokia phones. Going by the past trend, it would be safe to assume that the next-gen Nokia phones might come with some really good camera features.
Dual-lens cameras are the hottest trend in smartphones, with major brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Apple, OnePlus and Micromax baking the feature into their products. Seiche too showed a liking for the feature, saying that the dual-lens camera is an “interesting feature,” and the company would always like to know what consumers need. In addition, the possibility of next-gen Nokia Android phones coming with lossless zoom technology, seen first in the Nokia 808 Pureview and Lumia 1020, is also not a far-fetched idea.
As of now, it is not clear whether the upcoming Nokia 9 will come with Carl Zeiss optics. However, according to Fortune, phones already in the pipeline for 2017 will not be affected by this recent partnership.
Andreas Back, head of brand management at Zeiss, said, “We’re busy at work and looking forward to then seeing that experience on future Nokia-branded smartphones.”
HMD Chief Marketing Officer Pekka Rantala also said the company is keeping some room for expansion in the upcoming series of phones.
