Although Nokia smartphones are now being developed by HMD Global, a long-term partnership has lasted over the years. Not anymore. Nokia smartphones have to do without well-known partners.
Nokia phones without Zeiss lenses
Nokia and Zeiss have belonged together for many years. The Zeiss logo was simply a part of many Nokia cell phones and smartphones and, with the Zeiss lenses, was always a sign of good image quality. That’s the end of it – and has been for a long time. The partnership between the two companies was dissolved in 2021. Only now has it been noticed that HMD Global is no longer listed as a partner. Nokiamob asked Zeiss and received the following statement (translated by us):
After a long and fruitful collaboration, ZEISS and HMD Global mutually agreed in 2021 not to renew their non-exclusive partnership, which included the collaboration for imaging technologies of “Nokia” branded smartphones with ZEISS as consulting and development partner.
It is not known why the two companies split up. It could be related to HMD Global’s new strategy, which is more likely to focus on the smartphone market with entry-level and mid-range smartphones, where the Zeiss cooperation is no longer in focus. Much more is then expected of the camera in high-end smartphones from Nokia, although this is also very important in the middle class. For Nokia cell phones, it is of course a great loss not to have such a long-standing and experienced partner by your side.
One of the last Nokia phones with a Zeiss camera:
Zeiss lenses on Sony and Vivo
Zeiss only has two partners listed. These include Sony and Vivo. So both companies can still access Zeiss lenses, while Nokia phones have to do without. The competition has secured other collaborations. Xiaomi, for example, relies on Leica, which switched from Huawei to its biggest competitor from China after the US ban. OnePlus has Hasselblad. Of course, one does not know whether all cooperations really bring an advantage, apart from the name on the mobile phone. So it will be interesting to see how the loss of Zeiss affects picture quality on Nokia phones.