‘Notch is an interesting phenomenon’… can we read more into HMD Global CMO Pekka Rantala’s comment?

In an interview with Indianexpress.com, HMD Global’s Chief Marketing officer Pekka Rantala has admitted that the notch design is an interesting element to add to the smartphone.

Nokia, Nokia phones, Nokia 6, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 8 sirocco, hmd global Pekka Rantala, Nokia 9, Nokia 9 notch, Nokia 9 specifications, Nokia 9 price, Nokia 9 release date, HMD Global, Android, Android One

Looks like HMD Global’s next-generation flagship smartphone, the Nokia 9, will have the notch design, similar to the iPhone X, (Image of Nokia 8 Sirocco for representation)

More smartphone manufacturers are embracing the notch, the design trend started by the Essential Phone and later popularised by Apple with the iPhone X. It not only helped Apple make the iPhone X a distinctive looking device, but also inspired other companies to follow the design language for their future phones. Even though HMD Global is yet to offer a Nokia-branded phone with the “notch”, the company’s CMO does find this aspect of the design language “interesting”.

In an interview with Indianexpress.com, HMD Global’s Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing officer Pekka Rantala has admitted that the notch design is an interesting element to add to the smartphone. Could this mean the company’s next flagship will have the controversial design element? Well, we are not hazarding a guess. “Some people may like the notch and some may not like it. We don’t have a phone with the notch, but it is one interesting phenomenon in the market,” Pekka said after the India launch of the company’s new line of Android smartphones.

Speculation is rife that HMD Global is working on the company’s next-generation flagship, likely to be called the Nokia 9, with an iPhone X-like notch and a triple camera setup with a 41MP sensor. The smartphone is expected to launch in the second half of the year.

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Also read: Nokia is a brand, not a trademark; Nokia 8110 will come to India: HMD Global’s Pekka Rantala

When Apple launched the iPhone in September, the company chose to add the controversial notch on the top of the display. The idea behind the notch was to accommodate Apple’s sophisticated TrueDepth camera that is used to unlock the phone through advanced face-unlocking technology. But, now every other smartphone manufacturer has adopted the notch, the feature that was initially perceived as uncool.

Asus, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus are some of the companies that have wholeheartedly accepted that the notch design is here to stay. OnePlus’ next flagship Android smartphone, the OnePlus 6, will come with a notch. The company’s co-founder Carl Pei insists the notch will give more real estate to the user. Even Google agrees that notches will be integral to the smartphone design. Android P, Googe’s next version of mobile operating system, will introduce display cutout support for Android apps, letting developers “take full advantage of the latest device screens with fullscreen content.”

Also read: Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 8 Sirocco launched in India: Price, sale date, specifications

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HMD Global, the company formed by ex-Nokia employees which owns the rights to manufacture Nokia-branded phones, has launched three Android One-branded smartphones in India – New Nokia 6, Nokia 7 Plus, and Nokia 8 Sirocco. All three smartphones were initially announced at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. Nokia 8110 4G feature phone didn’t get a mention at the press event held in Delhi, but it will be launched in India in the coming days.

Anuj Bhatia

Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: anuj.bhatia@indianexpress.com ... Read More