HMD Global acquires trademark for Nokia 'Asha' brand, could release phones under new label

HMD Global acquires trademark for Nokia 'Asha' brand, could release phones under new label
A trademark filing with the EU IPO indicates that the Asha label has been transferred to HMD Global.

HMD Global has acquired the trademark for the Nokia “Asha” label. First spotted by LoveNokia , the trademark was originally published at EUIPOin November 2011 and has now been transferred to Nokia’s parent company, HMD Global on January 10, 2018.

The trademark information also reveals that the brand label can be used for “Computer software platform used in mobile telephones and smartphones; mobile phones and smartphones,” and “Wireless communication services namely for computer software used in mobile telephones and smartphones.”
Nokia used to release low-cost smartphones under its Asha brand till it was acquired by Microsoft. After the acquisition, the Asha phones were discontinued as they rivalled against low-end Lumia smartphones. It is speculated that Nokia might once again launch new budget smartphones under the Asha brand, which could compete against low-cost 4G smartphones by Reliance Jio, Micromax, Intex and other smartphone manufacturers.
A recent report tipped that Nokia might be working on its smartphone. The device is tipped to run on Google’s recently announced Android Oreo (Go Edition) platform and could be powered by a MediaTek processor with 1GB RAM. It is rumoured to sport an IPS display with 1280 x 720p resolution and an 8GB internal storage. The Nokia 1 could feature a single camera setup and is expected to be priced around Rs 7,000.

If the report is to be believed, the Nokia 1 running on Android Oreo (Go Edition) will make use of the refreshed Android Go apps. These apps are highly optimised and take up to 50 percent less space than their full-fledged counterparts and are slated to run up to 15 percent faster.