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The International Forum Design GmbH organizes one of the world’s leading product design competitions, the iF DESIGN Awards every year. At this year’s event, iF DESIGN Awards 2020, six Nokia phones have been honoured for outstanding design.
Below are the Nokia phones that were honoured at the iF DESIGN Awards 2020:
Nokia Android Smartphones Nokia 7.2 Nokia 1 Plus
Nokia Feature phones Nokia 105 Nokia 110 Nokia 800 Tough Nokia 2720 Flip
Joseph Umunakwe, General Manager, West, East and Central Africa, HMD Global, said: “We have always aspired for a Nokia phone to stand apart in the sea of sameness – with pure, emotive designs inspired by our Nordic heritage. These awards are a fitting testament to our impressive product design team, who remain committed to innovation in design and materials craftsmanship. We’re flattered that the international design community has recognised them for their exceptional talent and proud of the work they have achieved during the past year.”
An intuitive user experience, coupled with Nordic design expertise, is woven in the DNA of each Nokia phone. The same premium design principles run throughout the portfolio, whether that’s the Nokia 7.2 with its light-diffusing satin glass back, the Nokia 4.2 with its compact size and edge to edge display, or the Nokia 800 Tough that boasts an anti-slip coating and rubberised edges.
The judging panel at the iF DESIGN Awards 2020 consist of 78 independent design experts who reviewed over 7,000 entries from 56 countries across the globe.
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Author:Content Partner
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The concept of ads on a smartphone is not new. Quite a number of phone manufacturers have implemented it on their devices. What is new is ads on a $1,400 premium phone – Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip phone.
CNBC’s Tod Haselton reports that Samsung has ads displaying in the Z Flip’s phone dialer app, AKA phone app – that’s the app you make calls with.
Samsung Galaxy Z flip phone opened up
Here is the originating tweet by Tod:
https://twitter.com/robotodd/status/1229768673352724480?s=19
As said earlier, other mobile phone brands have done it, but they are brands known for making budget devices. Brands like TECNO, Infinix, and Xiaomi come to mind. What makes this news striking is that this is happening on a top dollar smartphone. Ads on a premium device is something that should never happen.
Some will argue that since there is a way to disable the ads, all is well and this is no big deal. But it is a big deal. There are things that should not be seen in a BMW or a Mecedes Benz. Being premium items, there is an expectation of an exclusive experience. That is what users expect from a premium smartphone.
Why On Earth Should The $1400 Galaxy Z flip Phone Have Ads On It?
It is arguable that ads on entry-level and budget smartphones can be overlooked and accomodated. But on a premium device like the Galaxy Z Flip phone? A $1,400 smartphone!
Is it that Samsung is selling the phone at cost. Or perhaps even lower than cost? If that were the case, why? Anyone who has $1400 to splurge on a smartphone should be able to spend $1,500 or even $1700 to cover any margins that the manufacturer could have added to the cost price.
There is no point of view that I can imagine in which this is acceptable. Perhaps it can even be excusable on a cheap Android phone to cover cost. But on a smartphone as expensive as the Galaxy Z flip phone, it is an absurdity and should be condemned.
Could it be that the world as we know it is changing and someday we might see ads on an Apple iPhone as well? Even if that were to happen, the only appropriate response would still be, “Hell no!”
You can check out the originating tweet HERE . Meanwhile, should you need the info, here is how to block ads on TECNO smartphones .
June 2020 Update : This new phenomenon of ads on an expensive phone is not limited to the Galaxy Z flip phone. Max Weinbach of XDA Developers has also complained of ads on his $1,980 Samsung smartphone. That would be the Galaxy Fold . In his words, ads show up in Samsung’s own apps, including: Phone, Music, Weather, Galaxy Apps, Bixby, Samsung Health, and Samsung Pay [1].
It gets even worse. Another user has complained about ads showing up in his Samsung Galaxy S20 [2].
So we have seen Samsung users complain about ads on the Galaxy Z flip phone, the Galaxy Fold, as well as the Galaxy S20. All of these are super expensive smartphones – the very last kind of devices on which a user should ever have to suffer ads.
Digging around a bit to explore the phenomenon, it appears that this new fad of ads on premium smartphones appears to be a regional thing, similar to what obtains with Xiaomi. So Samsung users in some regions around the world get this annoying experience, while users in other regions do not.
One can only hope that Samsung users who are experiencing it kick against it as loud as possible and get the idea killed completely before it becomes the new normal globally.
References:
- Samsung Apps with ads ( source )
- “Excessive ads” on Samsung ( source )
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
