Nokia aims to open Windows with triple smartphone launch in Mena

The devices from Nokia, acquired by Microsoft last year, are the first to run Windows Phone 8.1, the latest iteration of the operating system.

The Lumia 930, which is expected to be launched in the UAE next month, will retail for Dh2,199. Courtesy Nokia

Nokia has announced its latest Lumia smartphone offerings for the Middle East, hoping to boost the popularity of the Windows Mobile platform and increase its market share against competitors Samsung and Apple.

The world's second-largest handset maker, acquired by Microsoft last year, announced the launch of three smartphones for the Middle East and North Africa at a Dubai event on Tuesday evening. The devices are the first to run Windows Phone 8.1, the latest iteration of the operating system.

The Lumia 630, which went on sale in the UAE last month, is targeted at the fast-growing mid-range smartphone market, retailing at Dh599. The handset, available in both single and dual SIM varieties, has a 4.5-inch screen and a 5MP camera.

The Lumia 635, not yet available in the UAE, offers the same features with 4G functionality.

Four months ago the manufacturer launched its X range of Nokia handsets, the first to feature the Android operating system, retailing for as little as Dh500 in the UAE.

“The [mid-range] segment is growing so fast at the moment, and we’re now seeing the results of having that larger portfolio,” said Arto Nummela, senior vice president of Microsoft Devices for India, the Middle East and Africa.

Declining to go into sales volumes, Mr Nummela said that the launch of the X range had been “a tremendous success thus far”, and that the launch of Android handsets had not cannibalised sales of Windows Phone devices.

Microsoft will be hoping that the launches will bolster its smartphone platform, which has struggled to compete with Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS platforms.

The mobile platform accounted for just 2.7 per cent of total global smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2014, down from 3.2 per cent the previous year, according to the market research firm IDC.

In the high-end segment, Nokia also announced the launch of the Lumia 930, a smartphone with a 5-inch full HD Oled display, and a 20MP camera.

The 930, which is expected to be launched in the UAE next month, will retail for Dh2,199.

Nokia is the world's second largest mobile phone manufacturer behind Samsung, accounting for 11.5 per cent of the total number of handsets shipped during the first quarter of the year, according to the market research firm Strategy Analytics.

The company has struggled to crack the lucrative smartphone market, dominated by Samsung and Apple. Figures from IDC place Nokia outside the five largest smartphone manufacturers for the first quarter of the year.

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