Nokia, BlackBerry, Moto indicate smartphones entering retro era
We're entering the retro phase of the smartphone industry as the early news out of Mobile World Congress 2017 revolves around brands BlackBerry, Moto, and Nokia.
Go figure.
All three of these brands -- largely historical footnotes for being trucked by Apple's iPhone -- are coming back in different forms under new manufacturing arrangements, brand licenses, and approaches.
Will the BlackBerry KEYone, Nokia lineup (Nokia 6, 5, 3 and 3310 do-over) and Moto G5 fare well? Sure why not? The retro movement at MWC also coincides with a rather boring innovation phase in the smartphone industry.
Nokia goes back to the future with three Android smartphones - and the Snake-playing 3310
And if you really want insight on how BlackBerry, Nokia, and Moto will do look no farther than sneakers. Are these new-old phones any different than Converse Chuck Taylors?
Converse used to be a powerhouse footwear brand. Then Nike came along. Then Nike bought Converse. And now Chuck Taylors look no different than they did in the 1970s and 1980s, but are fashion staples.
The latest from CNET at MWC | ZDNet: Nokia kicks off MWC with a 5G launch for carriers that want to be ahead of the pack | HP unwraps new accessories for Pro x2 detachable PCs | Beyond the shiny smartphones: What to really watch for at MWC 2017
BlackBerry phones are made under a licensing arrangement with TCL, which manufactures Alcatel phones too. Nokia's return to the smartphone market is due to a manufacturing deal with HMD Global. The Moto brand is a special case in that it's a retro brand that was its own company, sold to Google and then to Lenovo. Frankly, Lenovo is attaching its scale, trying to be efficient in the smartphone market and Moto is simply a sub-brand. Nevertheless, there's always a retro vibe to Moto even if the brand offers great value.
Credit: Erik Weigel
What remains to be seen is whether BlackBerry, Nokia and Moto recapture any of their past glories. Sure LG's G6 is the headliner at MWC, but you can't avoid the retro possibilities here.
Ross Rubin: Meet 2017's hot new smartphone brands: Nokia and BlackBerry
If I'm going to place my bets, I have to go with Nokia as having the best prospects of the retro bunch. Nokia's smartphone brand remains strong in many parts of the world and now it'll run Android, so the devices could find an audience. Nokia's worst turn was betting on Windows Phone (at least the business was unloaded to Microsoft later after the inevitable cratering).
What's next? You just wait. That Palm Treo launch at MWC 2018 is going to rock.
CNET Video: The Nokia 3310 is back and so is Snake
ZDNET MONDAY MORNING OPENER
The Monday Morning Opener is our opening salvo for the week in tech. Since we run a global site, this editorial publishes on Monday at 8:00am AEST in Sydney, Australia, which is 6:00pm Eastern Time on Sunday in the US. It is written by a member of ZDNet's global editorial board, which is comprised of our lead editors across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the US.
Previously on Monday Morning Opener:
- Windows wins the desktop, but Linux takes the world
- Proper fibre broadband is not a waste, but you need a little socialism to do it properly
- Fiber broadband: Is it a waste with 5G and Elon Musk's satellites on the horizon?
- The biggest barrier to Windows 10 success is still Windows 7
- Apple's iPhone turns 10: Here's how the device impacted business, work
- The 4 tech trends that will shape 2017
- The 5 biggest tech trends of 2016: ZDNet editors sound off
- The biggest threat to artificial intelligence: Human stupidity
- Cloud compute pricing bakeoff: Google vs. AWS vs. Microsoft Azure
- Can Trump stop the automation revolution and save US jobs?
- The PC is having its mid-life crisis, just a little bit early