HMD Global intended to make a positive first impression in the Android market when it took over Nokia’s history. It set out to outperform larger corporations by guaranteeing long periods of software updates or “clean” Android experiences, something that behemoths rarely can. However, the Android landscape has altered over time, and more phone manufacturers are beginning to do the right thing for their users. Ironically, it appears like HMD Global is having trouble delivering that promise and is recommending consumers to instead buy a new Nokia phone if they want Android 11.
The Nokia 9 PureView is at the center of this minor drama. Even if its Snapdragon 845 chipset is behind the times, the phone is one of the few Nokia devices that may be regarded as a flagship, released in 2019. The PureView brand inherited from the Nokia 808 and Nokia Lumia 920, and the unusual Penta-camera system is its claim to fame.
Unfortunately, the feature may be the reason for its early demise as well as HMD Global’s disgrace. The phone came with Android 9 out of the box, with Android 10 and Android 11 on the way. It did receive the anticipated Android 10 upgrade, but the ball will stop rolling after that, thereby putting an end to any hopes for Android 11 and beyond.
According to HMD Global‘s official statement, the difficult decision was made since they couldn’t get Android 11 to run in a way that met the company’s high standards. It discovered problems with the phone’s cameras and Android 11 software that were either impossible to overcome or not worth the effort. HMD Global chose to abandon the project and make atonement in other ways.
On the one hand, HMD Global may not be entirely to blame. The cameras were created by Light, a startup that quit the smartphone industry last year. HMD Global may have found it difficult to collaborate on difficulties involving the odd camera arrangement due to this. HMD Global, on the other hand, should have held Light accountable with some form of legal arrangement requiring Light to provide support for those cameras until the Nokia 9 PureView’s official support ended.
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to behind-the-scenes conversations, so we’ll have to give HMD Global the benefit of the doubt. However, it is not abandoning the Nokia 9 PureView and is offering a 50% discount on the purchase of a Nokia XR20 or other phones. That is if they are serious about using an Android 11 device.
However, this indicates that support for the Nokia 9 PureView may end very soon. Although the firm has yet to comment, future security fixes may be made more difficult due to the same scenario. While other Nokia phones aren’t as strange as this one, it raises the question of whether HMD Global will use the same justification in the future if it runs into similar issues.
Source: nokia
