Things that are beautiful don’t last. It’s something we know how to say here in Croatia, but it can’t apply to the relationship between Nokia and Zeiss, which has lasted more than 16 years. But every breakup is hard and makes people sad, and this one was no different. While it’s hard for us to no longer see the Zeiss brand on Nokia smartphones, the end of the partnership was nothing we didn’t see coming. To be honest, I hardly ever used cinema mode and other Zeiss-exclusive options on Zeiss-branded Nokia phones, so I will miss the Zeiss lenses the most. Also, Nokia Mobile has changed its strategy now that the smartphone industry has faltered a bit and the latest smartphones are no longer being replaced every 6 or 10 months because nothing new and relevant is being delivered, and a middle A classic model without big brands on the back can serve billions as well as a flagship model, and that’s exactly what happens with Nokia Mobile.
I believe that a careful investment in a good camera sensor and algorithms can bring better photos and ultimately more value to the user than a brand name camera phone that costs more. I like Nokia with the Zeiss brand because it’s an iconic partnership, but the new Nokia 8.3 successor could deliver great camera performance even without the Zeiss software and hardware. But here we don’t know many pieces of the puzzle that make a good smartphone. I hope Nokia Mobile will invest enough to create a decent successor to the Nokia 8.3 5G that will pave the way for budget G and C series phones. Based on recent leaks, an interesting Nokia device with an excellent camera will most likely show up at IFA2022 (the Account was canceled again).
The smartphone sector is not very interesting and phone manufacturers have stopped making significant improvements to their products, which should force buyers to change their current smartphones. For this reason, smartphone users stick with their phones for at least two years or more and this trend is seen in the Chinese market (well reported by Tech Altar in the Friday Checkout series).
Given the shortage of chipsets and lack of hardware upgrades, many brands are relying on larger battery capacities and longer software support as key selling points to drive sales. This approach could result in lower product turnover. We could see longer product cycles, like a new model every two years, although it’s doubtful that this commercial solution can be sustainable. What I’d like to see from Nokia is just three devices a year with a fixed release schedule, which could lead to lower R&D costs and potentially higher quality products with good software support. New devices must be simple, efficient and relatively powerful to maintain their performance over the two-year cycle. I’m thinking of the Asus Zenfone 9, and that’s something I would expect from Nokia. However, going diagonally back to the small screen is something Asus or other well-funded brands can do, and Nokia now has to combine everything the community wants in one model, not many of them.
The Nokia 8.3 5G replacement should offer the best of Nokia: a powerful processor, a powerful camera, an excellent battery, a decent AMOLED screen and a sturdy and elegant body. Is that too much to ask? We’ll see at IFA2022.