An Exclusive Interview with Mr. Arif Shafique – Country Head HMD Global Pakistan

How often do you have to upgrade your smartphone? With Nokia phones, you’ll get the best experience with devices that just keep getting better with time!

If you think no phone can sustain its high levels of performance for longer than 1-2 years, read on.

Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognizable phone brands globally for decades. In the short time since HMD Global was launched into the market, the positive reception they’ve had has been overwhelming.

Driven by the desire to keep up with the latest tech innovations, we’ve all got caught up into manufacturers’ upgrade cycle. But people have had enough. No longer are they satisfied with a device which is unusable after a couple of years, nor (at a time when cybersecurity threats are at a high) do they want to worry about whether their phone could be vulnerable to hackers.

That’s why Nokia phones are changing the smartphone ownership paradigm. It’s not just about specs anymore but about the experience throughout the ownership of device – and with a Nokia phone that’s an experience that just keeps getting better.

We spoke to Mr. Arif Shafique, Arif Shafique Country Head HMD Global Pakistan to talk about how Nokia phones benefit from regular security updates and come with the latest Google-designed software and innovations, from AI to security.

1. How are Nokia phones more secure than other Android phones?

Consumers need phones that are not obsolete, smartphones that understand their needs and behaviours and, most importantly, are safe and secure at all time. Unlike any other Android phones, all Nokia smartphones benefit from regular security updates for three years, OS updates for two years and will come with the latest Google-designed software and innovations, from AI to security. Our consumers will always enjoy being on the latest operating systems across all price points without compromising the consumer’s experience and the device performance.

Summing up, our phones keep getting better with time.

Nokia phones that sit under our Android One family are also guaranteed to receive two letter upgrades from the time of their public launch. These include Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 plus, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 5.1 Plus, Nokia 5.1 and Nokia 3.1.

For instance, in 2017, we launched the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 under the Android Nougat software and in a span of just two years, they have been upgraded to our latest Android 9 Pie. This means that our fans can enjoy devices that get better with time and they can make the most of the unique and enhanced features of the software – regardless of the model range or price point.

We remain committed to our fans in the region by following our pure Android approach while ensuring that each phone gets better with time, thanks to the latest Google innovations and regular security updates.

2. How does Android One partnership help with smartphone security and experience?

Android One is Google’s flagship partner programme for Android.

Together with Android, we are committed to offering technology that enhances everyday experiences. Aligned with this premise, we have consistently delivered monthly security updates and a pure Android experience on all our smartphones. By partnering with Android One, we will now be able to bring the latest innovations from Google to our consumers, even faster.

In addition, we have a joint belief that people want a smartphone experience which is free from bloat, kept up to date and secure. Hence, as a lead partner of Android One, we will continue to deliver pure, secure and up-to-date Android on all of our phones. This means that each phone will stay fresh over time with the latest Google innovations and regular security updates, and our pure Android commitment means they don’t come preloaded with any bloatware.

3. How long and often do Nokia phones receive security and OS updates?

All of our smartphones will benefit from regular security updates for three years, OS updates for two years and will come with the latest Google-designed software and innovations, from AI to security.

We strongly believe technology should be accessible for everyone and tuned with our belief, our fans will always enjoy the latest operating system on their phones, all across the portfolio irrespective of their pricing. Our consumers get the same experience across the portfolio with no compromise on device performance.

4. Do you actually deliver monthly security updates?

We publish the monthly security patch date for every device on our website. We are also committed to giving our fans access to the latest Android innovations, which is why we make sure all Nokia phones are updated to the latest operating system as soon as possible.

We have consistently delivered monthly security updates and a pure Android experience on all our smartphones. The security updates are delivered across the range, and even our older devices are equally secure.

5. Can you explain how Nokia smartphone portfolio upgrades twice as faster as compared to competitor brands?

Since Nokia phones don’t come with pre-loaded bloatware, UI or skin changes, our phones are much faster. We are committed to our promise of pure Android approach ensuring that the phones get better with time. With regular security updates of 3 years and 2 years for OS.

We’ve made it a point to be one of the fastest adopters of the latest Android operating systems, which we’ve achieved with Android Pie updates. Android 9 Pie includes AI-powered features to make your device smarter, faster and adapt to your behaviour as you use it, so your smartphone experience gets better with time. And, our commitment to up-to-date Android helps us deliver on that promise.

6. Nokia phones keep getting better. What makes you say that?

Currently, we are witnessing the non-ending hardware race. However, while having great hardware is essential in this day and age, we should also pay close attention to software.

We believe in purposeful innovation and not innovation for the sake of innovating. This is why at HMD, we teamed up with Android AI and machine learning where Nokia smartphones become more efficient over time and get to know more about users’ daily usage while assisting them with their everyday tasks.

People need phones that are not outdated, and that not only understand their needs and behaviours but also are safe and secure at the same time. What happens across other smartphone brands, is that once there is a software update, the devices become slower or start underperforming, which forces people to buy a new device. However, with Nokia smartphones, our consumers will benefit from regular security updates for three years, OS updates for two years and will come with the latest Google-designed software and innovations, from AI to security. This means, that our fans can always enjoy being on the latest operating systems regardless of the device price range. This great experience that we deliver across all price points is underpinned by our belief that technology should be accessible to everyone.

This is proof that our phones keep getting better with time.

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