Nokia phones are made in Europe by HMD, and a 5G smartphone is launched

The first made-in-Hungary 5G model from HMD Global, which produces phones under the Nokia name, is now available for purchase, making it the first major smartphone manufacturer to produce handsets in Europe. This model is targeted towards consumers who have worries about data security.

The Nokia XR21, our iconic rugged 5G smartphone, will be produced in Europe, and we couldn’t be happier about it, said Jean-Francois Baril, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of HMD Global.

Before HMD established its operations in Hungary, there was not much smartphone manufacturing in Europe because big manufacturers like Apple and Samsung produced their products in Asia to reduce costs.

China, a significant market for the US company, is where most Apple iPhones are produced. National security issues, however, have gained attention in recent years, leading the U.S. to impose technical sanctions on Huawei’s mobile business while China tightened restrictions on the use of iPhones by government officials.

According to Baril, “We are committed to investing in security, technology, and production processes that make our devices more secure and more durable.

According to HMD, the initial European model was made for business customers, some of whom had asked for more security in conjunction with their IT security partners.

The company has servers in Finland that have been processing and holding consumer and corporate data from all of its handsets since 2019. The company has already stored data in the European Union.

In order to produce Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets, HMD and Nokia Oyj, formerly the world’s largest phone manufacturer, entered into an exclusive 10-year licensing arrangement in 2016.

It said in March that it would begin manufacturing in the European Union, encouraging businesses to establish production in important industries like semiconductors.

According to the firm, the Nokia XR21 European variant starts at 649 euros, or 549 pounds.

According to the firm, a limited edition of 30 frosted platinum units from the European production line will start selling for 699 euros or 599 pounds on the internet.