Nokia fans in China talk about nostalgia as new model comes

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About one year ago, legendary Finnish phone brand Nokia made a grand comeback in the Chinese market by introducing its first Android phone, the Nokia 6.

But the phones were sold by HMD, a Finnish firm set up in 2015 by former Nokia mobile and Microsoft mobile staff, instead of Nokia.

"They created HMD to revive the brand they love," said Lou Bin, CTO of phone repair company Zealer Fix.

"But don't consider HMD as the good old Nokia. They just have the right to sell Nokia-branded phones."

The current version of Nokia 6. /HMD Photo

With that being said, old-school Nokia fans are still buying the trick. Although HMD has never disclosed any sales numbers, market data company Counterpoint said 2.8 million smartphones were sold by Q3 2017.

It's not a great number compared to Apple or Samsung, but it's a good beginning.

Following the Nokia 6, HMD launched more models to the market, including 2, 3, 5 and 8.

Now, the company is rolling out a new version of Nokia 6 in China.

Electronics seller Suning posted on Weibo on Tuesday that Nokia 6 (2018) will be available in three days.

The phone followed some of the latest trends, like an "all-screen" design, while preserving the overall appearance.

But the tech specs indicate that the phone is still using a middle-range chip, which is far from enough to support intensive games like "Honor of Kings."

Suning's Weibo handle asked followers if they have ever used a Nokia phone and responses were positive.

The "Snake" game on an old Nokia feature phone. /Web Photo via Suning‍

Among the 500 repliers on Weibo, more than half admitted they used the Nokia 5230 or N73 as the main handset.

Most of them claim they had happy times with the phones.

"5230 was my first phone when I entered college," user "DriftingWillow" said.

Other people said they miss the Microsoft-age Nokia phones, branded as Lumia.

"I really wish the new Nokia can make phones look exactly like the Lumia series. If they can bring back that big camera lens I would be happier, even if they bring up the price," user "LighthouseForces" said.

Back in March 2017, when gadget reviewer Wang Ziru visited the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, he also noticed that "the magic of the Nokia logo has not faded yet." Instead, it "attracted the largest crowd in the exhibition."

Have you ever used a Nokia phone? Do you have any feelings towards this brand? You can post your opinion on the brand under our social media accounts and see if everyone agrees with you.