Enterprise

Nokia touts an ‘asset-light’ approach to smartphone success

It’s actually working!

Published

October 15, 2018

Luigi Leonardo

A lifetime ago, Nokia dominated the entire smartphone industry. From tough-as-nails brick phones to flashy flip phones, everyone carried one of Nokia’s iconic lineup. Suffice to say, we wouldn’t have a flourishing smartphone market today without Nokia’s pioneering.

Sadly, Nokia’s exploits crashed and burned after Apple’s more aggressive marketing. Today, the market consists almost exclusively of thin slab phones. With that, Nokia bowed out to a thinner form factor. The company sold its mobile assets to Microsoft.

After several years, Nokia eventually regained rights to make new phones through a licensing deal with HMD Global. Now, the company is on track to make another killing in the market.

Talking to press in India, HMD Global VP and Country Head Ajey Mehta detailed Nokia’s roadmap for market dominance. Additionally, he explained how his brand got back to a respectable position today.

As opposed to hardware-driven brands like Samsung and Apple, HMD Global prides itself with success “built purely on partnerships.” Tagged as an asset-light approach, Nokia’s phones stand because of hardware from Foxconn and software from Google. Even now, Nokia’s new generation is a champion of Google’s Android One program. Going forward, Mehta sees this approach as a vital key to further success.

Additionally, Nokia’s current lineup runs the whole gamut. Initially, the company resurrected with a plethora of feature phones. Now, they offer a model for all market segments. Despite the free-flowing approach, HMD Global still chooses one or two models as champions for the Nokia brand. With this, Nokia can maintain a wide variety of products while specializing in a specific segment.

In terms of marketing, Nokia understands its distribution streams. Online, the brand sees more short-term spikes in sales because of the specs-dependent consumer. On the other hand, offline selling offers longer-term but slower growth.

Overall, Nokia’s strategy caused an unbelievable growth margin at a recent Counterpoint survey — growing by almost 800 percent. Based on trends alone, Nokia is on track to surpass several brands in the future. Indeed, Mehta claims that the brand will rise as a top three smartphone in the next three to five years. If anything, the company has proven that its asset-light strategy works.

Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that Nokia is the most nostalgic item in the smartphone industry today.

Enterprise

Global Connect Show Shenzhen empowers Chinese enterprises

Opportune time for new Chinese enterprises to go global

Published

June 2, 2026

GadgetMatch

The Global Connect Show Shenzhen 2026 (GCS SZ 2026) was successfully held on June 1 at China’s innovation hub.

More than 100 Chinese enterprises joined the event, encouraged to expand into international markets.

The program focused on three core pillars:

Chinese brand going global
Global channel connection
Dedicated “Into the Enterprise” series

China has developed a new generation of internationally competitive companies across various sectors, including:

consumer electronics
smart hardware
artificial intelligence
robotics

As these companies enter a new phase of going global, demand is growing for global communications, brand building, market trust, and localized business networks.

As such, the Global Connect Show is one of the platforms to be able to strengthen the relationship across enterprises, partners, business associations, and even media and influencers.

It is a significant window for innovative brands to enter global retail channels by building compelling brand narratives and developing strong localized operations.

This year’s GCS is the third staging of the show, which consistently aims to match Chinese brands with partners through a results-first approach. Such an approach includes hands-on product experiences, presentations, and one-on-one meetings.

Enterprise

New US-China ban might affect 75% of phones, laptops

Companies can no longer use Chinese labs to test their products.

Published

May 5, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The United States is continuing its crusade against Chinese technology today. However, the target now isn’t a company from China but a method important to a lot of non-Chinese brands.

Today, via Reuters, the Federal Communications Commission (or FCC) has unanimously voted to prohibit companies from using Chinese labs to test their electronic devices if they are to be sold for use in the United States. Naturally, this includes smartphones and computers.

Notably, the prohibition doesn’t directly target Chinese brands. However, it will still affect a huge swath of the industry. The FCC estimates that around 75 percent of the entire market are devices tested in labs based in China.

This means that companies who wish to sell future products in the country must move their testing to labs in the United States or other countries that it deems secure. At its current iteration, the prohibition will not affect devices that already earned their certification prior. However, it might prevent them from getting recertified once their current one expires.

Now, the prohibition isn’t an absolute lock just yet. The FCC will allow the industry to submit comments about the proposal. But, with a unanimous vote from the FCC, companies might have to start looking for alternative testing sites if they want to stay operation in the United States.

Enterprise

OnePlus has reportedly merged with realme

Both brands were previously rumored for restructuring early this year.

Published

April 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

OnePlus has a problem. For a while now, rumors have swirled about the company’s dissolution. For their part, the company has continued to deny the reports, citing business as usual. Likely to their dismay, the reports just keep coming. Today, sources have hinted that OnePlus has merged with realme.

Back in January, it was rumored that OnePlus would be closing up shop this year. Since the company very quickly denied the rumors, the report hardly made waves. However, a suspected merger with realme is more difficult to debunk.

For one, realme is itself in a very interesting position. Also back in January, realme was reportedly moving back into being a sub-brand of OPPO. Coupled together with the OnePlus debacle, all this internal restructuring seems par for the course.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, OnePlus and realme have already concluded the merger. The two brands have reportedly united their Chinese and international operations under one roof. Likewise, their marketing will be the same. Pete Lau will still be the main head for this new division.

As with anything of this nature, take this with a grain of salt. OPPO, OnePlus, and realme have not issued any official statements concerning a merger or a shutdown for any brand.