- HMD has four new Nokia-branded phones
- They are the continuation of the previous Nokia basic phones.
- There is also an AI button on these phones
Nokia’s parent company HMD has four new phones for your consideration, but they seem to be striking an awkward balance between avoiding and embracing the features that come with the best modern phones.
The smartphones (via Notebookcheck) are labeled as feature phones, so you wouldn’t expect the traditional plethora of apps here. These are, specifically, the Nokia 210 4G, the Nokia 215 4G 2nd Edition, the Nokia 235 4G 2nd Edition and the Nokia 200 4G.
These appear to be a step up from similar Nokia-branded phones released in recent years, but still offer features inherited from bygone smartphone eras: a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card support, and (on all but the Nokia 200 4G) an FM radio.
So far, the Nokia of yesteryear, but there’s one cool feature you’ll notice right in the middle of the front of the device: an AI button. This apparently works with an app called Sikey AI and allows you to perform basic tasks on the phone, such as making calls or turning on the flashlight, rather than resorting to advanced generative AI models.
Free to try
Details on how the built-in AI actually works are pretty scarce, but according to Nokia, you can use it to set alarms, open the camera, and add reminders. It can also answer basic questions: examples Nokia gives are how to produce simple recipes or provide sample sentences in a foreign language.
That suggests access to a limited AI model, at least perhaps through the cloud connectivity that Nokia is also adding with these phones. However, it appears that the AI assistant is only free for 180 days; It’s unclear how much it will cost you after that.
Video calls and voice messages are possible through the Xpress Chat platform, so as far as feature phones go, it’s pretty advanced. What we don’t know yet is how much these phones will cost or where they will be available.
The combination of phone basics plus a bit of AI hasn’t gone over very well on Reddit: posters describe the addition of an AI button as “dumb,” “out of touch,” and “useless” for users who will be interested in basic phones.
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