HMD is ‘scaling back’ in the US, killing Nokia all over again

HMD Global, the company best known for licensing the Nokia brand for new phones and tablets over the last decade, has announced that it will “scale back” its US operations, and appears to have stopped selling both HMD and Nokia devices entirely.

The withdrawal was confirmed in a statement shared by Wired’s Julian Chokkattu on Threads, and acknowledges “a challenging geopolitical and economic environment,” which sounds like it might be a polite way of saying “tariffs.”

While HMD’s statement doesn’t confirm a complete departure from the US market, its website tells a different story. HMD’s webstore is no longer online, and product pages either give no buying information, or have a “Where to buy” button that isn’t functional, despite the fact that some handsets are still available to buy from Amazon and other retailers. 

HMD told Chokkattu that it will continue to honor “warranty coverage and service for existing products,” which will be handled by the company’s global support teams. As for US employees, the company has not confirmed details of any job losses, but says it is “committed to supporting [US staff] during this transition.” We’ve reached out to HMD for comment.

Based in Finland, HMD was formed in 2016 in order to purchase the Nokia feature phone business from Microsoft, which had in turn bought the ailing brand in 2014. It also secured a license to use the Nokia name on smartphones and tablets, with a focus on affordable and midrange hardware. 

In 2023 HMD announced plans to launch products under its own brand, including the repairable Skyline (which, oddly, remains the only Android phone with Qi2 support), along with brand partnerships like the Barbie flip phone and the Heineken Boring Phone. Ever since, Nokia has been relegated to feature phones. Only four HMD-branded smartphones ever launched in the US, and none since the modular HMD Fusion came out in September 2024, though several other HMD phones have launched internationally in that time.

Here’s HMD Global’s statement in full:

“Like many global businesses, HMD is navigating a challenging geopolitical and economic environment. After careful consideration, we have made the decision to scale back our US operations.

Our priority is ensuring a seamless transition for our customers and partners. We will continue to honour all obligations, including warranty coverage and service for existing products, and provide full support through our global teams.

We deeply value the contributions of our US colleagues impacted by this change and are committed to supporting them during this transition.

HMD remains focused on long-term growth, with strong momentum across our mainstream business and key segments such as Family, Secure, and Microfinancing.”